OUR STORY TIMELINE
2001: The Wepler's Adopt Camille
In 2001 Kim and her husband, John, adopted their first little girl, Camille Gay Masha. Camille’s Russian last name was Petrova and this is who Petrova’s Promise is named after.
2003: The Wepler's Adopt Clairabille & Clayton
In 2003 Kim and John adopted two more children from Russia, Clairabille Evgenia and Clayton Evgeny.
2005: Kim Volunteers in Russia
In September of 2005, Kim made her first visit to Russia as a volunteer. The purpose of the trip was to start contact with and get support from various Russian organizations that work with disabled orphans. These organizations included Magic House, Diema’s Dream and Maria’s Children. She assessed the needs of the children and then returned to these same orphanages to fulfill the promises that she made to the children. All in all, Kim has made over 20 trips to Russia.
2005: Kim Partners with Magic House
Kim began working with Magic House, which was a foster home for teenage orphans that provided rehabilitation and education opportunities. Petrova’s Promise provided financial assistance and supplies, equipment and emotional support to the orphans during her visits.
2005: Kim Visits Russian Orphanages
2005: Kim Meets Valya
Petrova’s Promise met Valya in an orphanage for children with disabilities. Petrova’s Promise decided to try and get Valya out of the orphanage and into our foster home that Petrova’s Promise was planning.
2007: Petrova's Promise
2007 Petrova’s Promise became a registered non-profit corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 1986 with an EIN of 20-8081357.
Kim began visiting orphanages in Ermolino and Fryazino, Russia. Many orphans with neurological disabilities, including Cerebral Palsy live in these orphanages. Kim has made many trips to visit the children that live there to assess what medical equipment they need. She has returned with the proper leg braces, walkers and physical therapy programs. 2005 Kim began working with Dima’s Dream, which supports Charity House, an orphanage for disabled orphans. While there, Kim has met with many children, including Katya. Kayta is a young orphan with a hydrocephalus that Kim has visited many times during her trips to Russia. Katya is unable to do anything more than lay in bed. She is unable to turn her head or speak. Desperate her horrible illness, every time Kim visits Katya and says hello, Katya responds with a huge, heartwarming smile. Petrova’s Promise is proud to provide this Russian orphanage with funding and much needed medical equipment, such as leg braces, walkers and physical therapy programs to help the lives of Katya and the many other disabled orphans that have so little.
2007: Kim Meets Sasha
Maria’s Children is a foundation that uses art therapy to rehabilitate orphans and children with special needs. In Russia, people with deformities are looked down up on and are not assimilated into society. During Kim’s visits to this art studio, Kim has met many orphans and participated in dinners made by the children to replicate a family atmosphere. During Kim’s first visit to Maria’s Children, she met Sasha. Sasha is a gifted teenage orphan who was born without a hand and part of one leg. Sasha looked Kim in the eyes and asked for artificial hands so that he may someday be able to live without public humiliation. Petrova’s Promise fulfilled the promise of giving Sasha artificial hands in 2007. Kim arranged for Sasha to receive three sets of artificial hands which had varying degrees of function and cosmetic appearance. Despite his disability, Sasha is a gifted painter and a true inspiration for other disadvantaged Russian orphans. Sasha is now living independently and is self-sufficient as an artist, due to the support and education provided by Maria’s Children Art Studio.
2008: Kim Meets Nadya
Through Maria’s Children, Kim also met Nadya, a 14 year old orphan who lost her leg when she was run over by a train. When Kim learned of Nadya’s story, she promised to provide her with a custom made artificial leg. The proper construction and custom fitting of a prosthetic leg is an involved process. To enable the proper fit, Nadya needed to come to the USA so that a specialist could custom design, conduct and fit a leg that worked with her unique conditions. The prosthetic leg was made by Geauga Rehabilitation Engineering in Chardon, Ohio. Nadya stayed with the Wepler family during this process so that daily trips could be made to the prosthetist’s office. After struggling with the stigma that such medical conditions create in the Russian culture, Nadya is extremely grateful for her new leg. Nadya has continued to make trips to the USA to stay with the Wepler family so that adjustments could be made to her prosthesis. Kim has stayed close with Nadya all these years, even recently having lunch with 25 year old Nadya and her daughter in Moscow! Nadya plans to become involved with the foster home as a way to “give back” and say thank you. Petrova’s Promise continues to work with Maria’s children on various projects. These projects included bringing a group of teachers and psychologists from a Russian orphanage to tour various schools in New York City that work with children with disabilities. These teachers and psychologists were eager to learn how they can improve their programs in Russia by observing the teaching programs in the USA.
2010: Kim Partners with ROST
Kim began working with another Russian NGO called ROST (growth) and began visiting an orphanage in Vischgorod, Russia that is made up of approximately 60 children, ranging in age from 10 to 17, who have been labeled with learning disabilities. Toothbrushes, toys and personalized gifts are provided to the children to brighten their day. Petrova’s Promise established a Pen Pal Program with some of these children. On various visitors throughout the years, Kim has delivered correspondence from children in the USA to the children of this orphanage to let them know that there are others out in the world that care about them. Petrovas’ Promise also delivers books and education supplies to help the children improve their English. Petrova’s Promise is committed to providing continual emotional support and much needed supplies to these children.
Russian government banned citizens from the United States from adopting children from Russia.
2013: Russian Government Bans Adoptions to US
Since Russia ceased adoptions to most other countries, Kim decided that Petrova’s Promise needed to find a way to help care for the orphans left in the orphanages, especially the orphans with special needs…to find a way to place these unwanted children in loving homes. It was at this time that the idea for Petrova’s Home was born. Petrova’s Promise had a vision to create a home and family environment for orphans with disabilities. Since this could no longer be accomplished through adoption, Petrova’s Promise decided to open the first ever foster home in Russia for disabled orphans. Our dream was to provide a home and family environment for one or two orphans that have physical or mental disabilities. While Petrova’s Promise would provide complete support for the children, Petrova’s Promise would also pay a highly qualified and loving parent or set of parents to do the daily care of these children. Our highest hope was that the parent(s) might have another child or children of their own who aren’t disabled. If this was the case, then all of the children could learn from each other. The orphan with the disability could learn age appropriate activities of daily living form their “sibling” and the typically developed child could learn patience and empathy from their “sibling” that has a disability.
2014: Petrova's Home
2016: Petrova's Promise Purchases First Flat
At the end of 2016, Petrova’s Promise purchased a flat in Moscow. When it was purchased, it was simply cinder block walls with nothing else. The entire flat needed to be renovated.
2018: Renovations Begin
Renovations began on the flat. This took an enormous amount of time, as there was a lot of work to be completed.
2019: Renovations Completed
Renovations were completed on the flat. Our first foster home was ready for a family!
2019: Petrova's Promise Begins Supporting Helen
Petrova’s Promise began helping to support Helen and her five foster children by assisting with medications, therapies, nurses and an additional caregiver to help Helen when needed for her work.
FEB 2020: Petrova's Promise Begins to Support Veronique
APR 2020: First Family Moves into Our Flat
Petrova’s Promise assisted Veronique, Valya’s foster mother, in taking guardianship of Valya. Valya then moved into Veronique’s home in Gorno-Altaisk in the Altay Region of Russia and Petrova’s Promise began supporting Valya.
Natalya and her four foster children moved into the flat owned by Petrova’s Promise. Our first family began living in our foster home!
OCT 2020: Natalya Purchases Her Own Home
SEPT 2020: Welcome Vova!
Petrova’s Promise assisted Natalya, Vovo’s foster mother, in taking guardianship of Vovo. Petrova’s Promise then began supporting Vovo, Rudolph, Nadya, Gleb and Ariana with their foster mother, Natalya.
Natalya decided it would be better for Volvo to live in a one floor home with a garden so he would not have to manage the steps to our third floor flat and so that he would have outdoor space to play. She purchased her own home and Petrova’s Promise paid to have all of the renovations performed so that it was accessible for Volvo to manage in his wheelchair.
JAN 2021: Natalya Moves into New Home
Natalya, Vovo, Rudolph, Nadya, Gleb and Anya moved into their home!
FEB 2021: Anastasia and Family Move into Flat
Petrova’s Promise began supporting Anna, Ksenia, Henrietta, Alexander and their foster mother, Anastasia, when they moved into our foster home. She is looking forward to taking guardianship of two more children in the future.