Artem Volcow's Story - LITTLE HERO

Artem Volcow, now 2 years old, was born a hero.  Five days after his birth Artem became very ill due to numerous diseases, including hepatitis, resulting in cirrhosis of the liver.  It was expected that Artem would not live past 3 years unless he received a liver transplant.  During the renovation of the baby hospital in Lyubertsy, Russia we came into contact with him and his mother.  We knew something had to be done.  The transplant was made possible with the help of answered prayers, the Little Heroes Foundation, and the influence of our friend and Russian Surgeon Igor Cojocaru.  On May 13th 2008 Artem was operated on by Sergei Vladimirovich Gotier.  Four other postoperative operations were needed due to complications of the transplantation.  On June 28th 2008 Artem was able to return to his home in Kursk, Russia.

Dr. Cojocaru's response to helping Artem staes, in part, "Artem is doing so well.  He is a beautiful healthy happy boy now!  Thank you for your successful work in the Children Hospital in Lyubertsy, you are doing so much for sick children!  I am proud to be apart of Little Heroes and I'll be happy to do it in the future!"

Little Heroes Academy - Mali, Africa

Little Heroes Foundation (LHF) has partnered with the Mali Rising Foundation (MRF) to build schools in Africa. MRF was established in 2004 to empower and improve the lives of children through education. MRF builds schools in the rural areas of Mali and West Africa so that children can have the opportunity to go to school in their own villages. 

Their model requires that each village must commit 10%, MRF provides the villagers with a press to make bricks to build the school and the villagers use their own resources for the construction process. MRF raises and funds the remaining 90% it costs to build each school. Among other things, they plan medical expeditions two times each year where doctors, dentists and volunteers have the opportunity to travel to Mali at their own expense and treat people in these rural parts of Africa. 
LHF has always believed that partnering up with other elite foundations will create a greater impact and we have been impressed by MRF’s mission and vision. In 2009 LHF will fund and start the construction of a Little Heroes Academy in Mali, Africa. We feel this corresponds with our goals as a foundation at whole and our desire has always been to inspire and improve the lives of children. We feel there are no greater gifts you could give to a child than love and education.

Lyubertsy, Russia Baby Hospital Renovation

For the past year and a half Little Heroes Foundation has had the opportunity to take part in the renovation of a baby hospital in Lyubertsy, Russia. Only an hour drive outside Moscow, Lyubertsy is a small industrial city located in the Lyuberetsky District. Lyubertsy is known for its oil refining industry, mechanical engineering, and agricultural processing plants. The hospital we have been renovating is the main children's hospital for the whole region. This hospital houses many sick children and babies who have been turned over to the state. 

The first phase of the Lyubertsy Hospital project included the renovation of two floors, ten bedrooms, four bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining hall, a mother's room, two directors offices, two nursing stations, and a childrens playroom/library. We are now renovating three more floors including another dining hall and kitchen, and a new laboratory for medical testing. We purchased two respiratory machines, two injection machines, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, water heaters, windows, new flooring, doors, refrigerators, cribs, beds, tables, chairs, mobiles, and blankets. With all this accomplished, there is still much to do. We also create opportunities for children with serious illnesses to get surgeries that include liver transplants, clef pallets and club feet.  Contact us if you are interested in contributing in any way.

US Marine Corps Toys for Tots in Russia!

We partnered up with the US embassy (Marine Corps) to give a very Merry Christmas to more than 100 Russian Orphans in Lyubertsy, Russia.  The Marines dressed in their blues and handed out over 400 Christmas presents to very deserving and thankful children.

Letter from the Founders

More than two years ago, LaRee and I couldn't escape the brutal conclusion that in our world today, some lives are seen as worth saving and others are not. We said to ourselves: "This cannot be true. But if it is true, changing this dilemma deserves to be the priority of our lives and foundation."  We created the Little Heroes Foundation because we believe in the principle that every human life has equal worth. We both felt very inspired to start this charitable foundation, because there are so many children throughout the world in need. Children with cancer in Utah travel to Primary Children's hospital 7 days a week for up to 4-5 years to get cancer treatments; imagine the emotional, physical and financial impact on the patient, their parents, siblings and loved ones. Children in Russia sit in hospitals alone with no one to hold them or care for them. 90% of orphans in Russia have living parents; unfortunately the parents have been deemed unfit to raise them. In Ghana 1 million people die from Malaria each year, 90% of those in sub-Saharan Africa. These are a few of the many global issues that we are focusing on. Our time, energy and talents are focused on providing hope, relief and stability to their circumstances. We want to help these children have happy and productive lives. The challenges we face are great, but so is the opportunity to improve children's lives.  Thank you for your kindness and generosity in taking the time to visit our blog and learn more about the Little Heroes Foundation!  Travis & LaRee Hansen

Goals for 2009!

Little Heroes Academy: Little Heroes will fund and start construction of the 1st Little Heroes Academy in Mali, Africa. We feel that this corresponds with the goals of our foundation at whole and our desire has always been to inspire and improve the lives of children. We feel that their are no greater gifts you could give to child than love and education.  Lyubertsy, Russia Baby Hospital: We will begin construction of another floor of the baby hospital. We will also begin to purchase much needed equipment for their laboratory. We will continue to help children in need of transplants, surgery such as cleft pallets and club feet and many other needs that they and their families may have.  Children with Cancer Christmas: We appreciate all of you that have helped us make this event so enjoyable! Every child's wish was to have a new bicycle for Christmas and thanks to many of you we were able to make that wish come true in 2008. Christmas in 2009 will be even better!  Black tie fundraising ball: We have partnered up with Corporate Alliance for a black tie fundraising event on April 10th. Corporate Alliance is a very successful organization that helps people create and manage successful business relationships. We feel that our partnership with Corporate Alliance will be a tremendous asset to our foundation.  New website: Little Heroes will launch our new website by March 2009. Complete with pictures, videos, stories of children that are true heroes, a Spanish and Russian version, and a Little Heroes store that will sell t-shirts, hats, bands and super hero capes.  Little Heroes Children's Vitamin Line: Of course I save the best for last! Words cannot express how thankful we are for our founding sponsor Natures Sunshine. Our relationship has been simply perfect from the beginning. In August, we will launch in Las Vegas the Little Heroes children's vitamin line. The line will feature vitamins such as multi-vitamins, omega, calcium, anti-oxidants and much more. The line is named after our foundation and a portion of the proceeds with go to our Little Heroes Foundation.

Idea For Kids - make giving back FUN!

Free The Children

Parents and Teachers

Marc and Craig Kielburger founded Leaders Today to train and motivate thousands of young people each year, equipping them with the tools to make a difference. Leaders Today has administered leadership training programs to hundreds of schools, community groups and religious centers around the world. Moreover, Leaders Today organizes overseas volunteer spring break and summer trips to Nicaragua, India, Kenya and Thailand. These are some of their suggestions.

Parents, Help Children Become Socially Aware

Listen to your child: Allow your children to communicate their thoughts and feelings about what they've heard on the news or at school. This may involve setting apart some time each week for a chance for your child to speak to you one-on-one. In such a case, your job is to practice "active listening" and to not solve your children's problems; rather, empower them to be problem solvers. You can do this by asking strategic questions about their future, their ultimate outcome and what is morally right. Help identify your child's "gifts": It is crucial that a parent communicate to their children that they have a special gift or talent. Help your child identify their special abilities. Is your child a good athlete, artist, listener or friend? Encourage your children to celebrate their talents. Celebrate heroes: Set aside a time to learn about heroes on a local, national or international level. Tell your child about the people who inspire you. Learn about people in your community who are making a difference. Be inspired together. Volunteer: Now more than ever, youth are confronted with international problems. Parents, often trying to protect and shelter their children from negative images, indirectly teach children to close their eyes and hearts to the suffering of others. Allow your children to become a "global citizen" and volunteer together for a cause that allows them to use their special talents.

Teachers, Make Learning Interactive and Fun!

Discuss daily news items with your students in class. Have every student bring in an article discussing a social issue and present it to the class. Make watching the news a homework assignment and then quiz them on three main news stories. Run a homeroom challenge to see who can gather spare change, canned food or clothing for a cause that your students pick. Have a charity or non-profit organization fair where activists and community groups set up booths explaining their causes and the work that they do. Keep a bulletin board in the classroom for students to post newspaper clippings, community articles and volunteer opportunities. Allow students to organize fundraisers for a cause of their choosing and give them class time to work on the project. Each week, have a student give a presentation about an individual they admire. Add to the challenge by encouraging them to find youth heroes or heroes in your state/province. Invite your congressperson or state representative to speak to your class about a pressing issue concerning young people. Invite guest speakers from various social movements and organizations to speak about their experiences and share their knowledge.

For more ideas and projects, visit www.freethechildren.com or www.leaderstoday.com