Friends of Frank 7th Annual Fore The Children Golf Classic

... providing hope for Novgorod orphans

Benefits from this year's tournament

We are pleased to announce that all proceeds from this year's tournament will be directed towards an ambitious and wonderful project by the Novgorod Department of Education.  This fall, the Novgorod administration will partner with Frank Foundation and other charitable organizations to sponsor the renovation of the sports facility at Derevyanitsy Boarding School to benefit older orphans in the Vilikiy Novgorod region.  Concerned with the lack of productive extra-curricular activities for the children, Frank Foundation donated a new computer center for the same school in 1999.  In continuation with our efforts to engage the children in healthy activities, and deter them from delinquency, this new sports complex will give the 280 orphans at the school the opportunity to develop physically and socially in a safe environment.  In addition, 4000 children from all the boarding schools in the region, as well as alumni will have access to the equipment.

The bleak statistics on older Russian orphans continue to elicit our concern.  Presently, there are over 800,000 children living in Russian orphanages.  Their futures offer little hope, with statistics indicating high rates of suicide, crime and prostitution once they are released from the orphanages.  While still in the children's homes, the government is able to provide only the most basic funding for their care.  Despite the efforts of the dedicated staff, only the orphans' basic needs are being met.  Once the school day is over, there is little to occupy their afternoons.  The childrens' mundane lives often lead to drug use and illegal activities while still in the orphanage.

Moved by the astounding success rates of U.S. community-based sports centers which provide at-risk youth with creative outlets for their energy, the Novgorod administration has resolved to be a pioneer in creating such a center in Russia.  The goal is to create a sports center at the presently unusable gymnasium at the Derevnitsky orphanage in Novgorod, Russia.  Our mission is to create a full after-school program complete with athletic training and teams that will take part in regional competitions, which will be held at the new center.  It is our firm belief that this will build the children's confidence and character, thus providing them with many indispensable skills needed to lead fruitful, responsible adult lives.

Frank Foundation is pleased to be one of the major sponsors of this event and embraces the "recreational/sports" aspect of the project.  Experts have long touted the benefits of athletics as an effective means of providing a channeling energy in a positive way, teaching teamwork and leadership and promoting self-esteem.  Frank Foundation has pledged to raise $30,000 for this cause!

100% of the proceeds from this year’s tournament will go directly to this cause.


Back

Note: For those of you who saw the prior information regarding the Face to Face program, please click here for an update.