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<p class="n_head" style="margin-bottom:-15; margin-top:20">
Scholarship Project Update
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42 Students Receive an RCWS Scholarship Award
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During the five years since the inception of the RCWS scholarship program, the number of participants has grown from 3 in the 2003-2004 academic year to 42 students in 2008-2009. The geographic reach has also expanded from Pskov to the Yaroslavl, Moscow and Velikiy Novgorod regions. For an annual cost of approximately $2,000 per student, the Society is helping orphans take preparatory classes, pay for tutoring and books, and meet basic living expenses. As scholarship recipients have reported, this modest stipend means the difference between successfully completing a degree and living a life of tremendous economic and social uncertainty.
<br>
The methodology used to help orphans transition to student life and to finish their academic programs includes a number of components. First our partners at the Pskov Children's Fund, Friends of Russian Orphans in Yaroslavl and the Bolshaya Peremena Center in Moscow recommend the most promising students to apply for an RCWS scholarship. Once selected, these administrators give the students guidance, moral support and encouragement throughout their college careers. They also require monthly accountability reports on how their stipend was spent and timely official grade reports to track academic achievement. Any abuse of funds, poor grades or skipping classes results in a probation or revocation of scholarship funds. While students deserve help resolving problems, the goal of the program is also to promote diligence, self reliance and responsibility.
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RCWS has certainly seen the desired results. Scholarship recipient Zhenya Neznaikina received a degree in pharmacology from the Cyril and Methodius Krestiansky State University in 2006 and has been working for two years as a pharmacist in the Pskov region. Zhenya earns enough money to sustain herself; she finds the work satisfying and hopes to continue her education in the future. Victor Sadkevich finished the Opochka Pedagogical College in 2007 with a major in physical education and a minor in massage therapy. Victor now works at the Pushkinogorsky orphanage where he shares what he has learned with his students.
<br>
RCWS Board Member Sam Harding traveled to Pskov, Moscow, Velikiy Novgorod and Yaroslavl in May 2008 to meet with scholarship recipients and applicants. Mr. Harding reported the following: <i> "Not only did they appreciate the financial support from their scholarships, but they valued the control and discipline created by their obligation to report monthly on their expenses and academic progress, knowing that at least one caring person maintained high expectations of them."</i>
<br>
Stipend recipient Liubov Lukina echoed this sentiment, remarking: <i>"The main benefit is not the size of the stipend, but the attention I received. At the orphanage, everything was done for me and I was taken care of. Going out into the world, I was kind of shaken up in the beginning. The most important thing is that I wasn't left without support."</i>
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One avenue to provide support for the students is a yearly reunion where students share their past experiences and goals for the upcoming year. The Pskov contingent met on July 4th and lunched at a cafe before embarking on a boat excursion around the city. The meeting opened up with a presentation of certificates to new students and a reminder of the strict guidelines governing the scholarship program. This year, special mention was given to RCWS donors Natalya and Pavel Zadorozhny, whose generosity covered all stipend recipients in Pskov in 2007-2008 and will extend into the current school year.
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Oksana Demidova, a student in the Accounting Department of the Naumovski Technical School in the Pskov Region, sent us a note of thanks for the summer reunion:
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<i>"Thank you so much for organizing these meetings. I am grateful to our friends in America because without them, I would have never experienced so much happiness in my life. Thank you for the love, joy and warmth you give to us!"</i>
</p>
<p>
Friends of Russian Orphans in Yaroslavl also held their first annual meeting of stipend recipients. Seven students were in attendance, as well as youngsters interested in applying for financial assistance. Veteran students have been visiting orphanages to educate orphans as to the possibilities of winning a scholarship. Gloria, a fourth year student at the Yaroslavl Pedagogical University, related to children at an arts and music oriented orphanage the challenges of being on her own and integrating into society as an orphan. Gloria is studying to become a social worker and has received top scores in her classes while simultaneously taking part in athletics on campus. She has set up a cozy apartment, complete with a refrigerator and computer and pays all of her bills on time. Gloria is a great model for potential applicants and for the troubled children she hopes to work with after graduation.
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RCWS is also helping four students at the Bolshaya Peremena Rehabilitation Center attend preparatory classes before enrolling in vocational and technical colleges. The center caters to orphans with developmental delays and psychological issues, therefore, expectations for the type of education the scholarship program will eventually support for them have been adjusted accordingly. Bolshaya Peremena has designed classes to meet the individualized needs of each student. These efforts, together with RCWS funding, will help these children to maximize their potential.
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We would like to acknowledge the Bridgeway Foundation grant of $15,000 to benefit the RCWS scholarship program.
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The Society anticipates more success with the scholarship program this year. The latest applications received by RCWS described serious and mature youngsters who want to build a promising future. We ask for your support for an initiative that has a tangible impact on children who have experienced violence, abandonment and neglect, but strive to rise above them.
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<p style="margin-top:-10;margin-bottom:-10"><i>Dear Members and Supporters of the RCWS,
<br>
<img src="images/aelita.jpg" alt="aelita" name="img" width="132" height="170" hspace="5" vspace="5" border="0" align="left">My name is Aelita Makovetskaya and I am a graduate of the Krasnogorodsky Agricultural Orphanage. <br>
I am a student at the Pskov Polytechnic Institute and have been an RCWS scholarship recipient for the past 12 months. In this letter, I would like to share with you my accomplishments and tell you how important your support is to me.
<br>
I am in the second year of my studies in the Department of Information Technologies, considered one of the toughest on campus. This year has been quite difficult for me. Last semester I took Physics, Advanced Mathematics and Calculus, Philosophy, Political Science, Computer Graphics, Automata Theory, Coding Theory, Probability Theory, etc. Now I sit back and wonder how I managed to master all of this! Anyway, studying is very important and that is why I fully dedicate myself to this process.
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Learning English has been very difficult and didn't go well at first, but I am pleased to report that I am now earning good grades.
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Overall, I think this year has been quite good for me and I hope next year will be even more engaging and exciting. I hope to gain more knowledge about computers and information technology.
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Next year, I am going to take more specialized classes. But because I lacked programming knowledge, I needed to enroll in a preparatory class at the institute. That is when I received help from RCWS and was able to pay for the necessary training to advance my skills.
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I want to thank all of you for making this happen. Besides the chance to study well, take additional courses and purchase books, there is also something very important that you give us - a feeling that someone thinks of us and is willing to help. I want to live life to the fullest because there are a lot of people in the world who do good for others. Thank you for helping us to experience life’s triumphs and to believe in a world of goodness. I hope we won't disappoint you and that we can in turn bring you joy and uplifting feelings.
</i>
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<i>Sincerely,
<br>
Aelita Makovetskaya</i>
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