Help Sponsor Class Outings for Orphanage!

Last Year's End-of-the-School-Year Outing

Above is a photo from last year's "End-of-the-School-Year Outing". Imagine about 9 times as many children being able to participate in such an outing this year! That is what will soon happen, and you can help make it possible! Between now and the middle of June, all of the classes (grades 1 through 11) at the Regional Orphanage will have the opportunity to go on an outing. For some children, it will be their very first one. You can see in the previous two posts of recent outings how much the children enjoy them!

To donate via PayPal click on the PayPal button on the sidebar, or send checks or money orders to:

Antares Foundation
148 Tanglewood Lane
Sharpsburg, GA 30277

Antares Foundation is a 501 (c) 3 Non-profit Organization.
Donations are tax deductible. (US)

Girls' Park Outing

Given the opportunity to choose where they could go on an outing, these girls chose the PARK, and a nearby cafe. The weather was wonderful. The girls had a great day!

Brothers and Birthday Outing

Happy Birthday, Vitaliy!

Vroom! Vroom!

Gentlemen, start your engines!

Isn't this COOL!

Vitaliy chose a nice watch for his birthday present!

It was a special day. Vitaliy was turning 16 years old. For his birthday he and his two younger brothers spent the day together. Family, food, and fun---what a great way to celebrate! The pictures show what wonderful time the boys had together at the cafe and at the park. You can see which activities at the park they liked best! It was a memorable day!

Thanks to Todd Bonin for sponsoring this marvelous outing and these three smiling siblings! No doubt they will remember and talk about this adventure in the days and years to come.

Last Bell!

Some of the Older Girls in Class at the RBS Orphanage

Younger RBS Students

Wish We Could Be There Today!

We're Proud of Their Accomplishments!

Children from the Children's Village

They Walk Back to the Village After Attending Classes at the RBS

Today in Kazakhstan the "Last Bell" rang, signifying the end of classes for the 2007-2008 school year! The children now have class outings to look forward to (Thanks to the kindness of Antares sponsors!) before they head to camp the middle of June.

If you would like to help sponsor these outings please send in your donation soon! It's not too late to be a part of this activity. (See May 20th post for more details.)

THANK YOU!


The above photos were taken September 2007.

Friday Facts

11th Grade Students at the RBS Orphanage

FRIDAY FACTS:

Children at the RBS Orphanage wear school uniforms when they attend class.
Today was the final Friday before the "Last Bell"
Only THREE more days until the "Last Bell"!
You can help sponsor class outings for all of the RBS classes (1st through 11th)
The outings will occur sometime AFTER the "Last Bell" (May 26th) and sometime BEFORE the children go to summer camp (JUNE 16th)

See May 20th post for more information!

Help Sponsor Class Outings!

Some of the Younger RBS Students
Only FOUR More Days Until the "Last Bell"!

Will the "Last Bell" ever ring, some children wonder! The children in Kazakhstan excitedly look forward to that day--only four days away now. This year the children at the Regional Boarding School Orphanage have something more to look forward to! All children (sponsored and unsponsored) will have the opportunity to go on an outing with their class. For some children this will be their first outing. Thank you sponsors and others who have contributed funds to make this possible. We have not yet reached the goal of needed funds, but hope to do so before the "last bell" rings. Donations of any size are welome. Please see the post from May 20th for more details.

Help Sponsor Class Outings!

One of the Older Classes at the RBS
Only 5 More Days Until the "Last Bell"!

Please help sponsor end-of-the-school year outings for ALL of the RBS classes!
See yesterday's post (May 20th) for details.

***UPDATE*** "LAST BELL" CLASS OUTINGS

Younger Class at the RBS Orphanage
One More Week of School Until the "Last Bell"

On May 26th the "Last Bell" will ring marking the end of the school year for students in Kazakhstan. It is a day of happiness and celebration. Antares agrees, it is cause for celebration and we want every child at the Regional Boarding School (RBS) Orphanage to be able celebrate this wonderful event with a day of fun. Antares will help celebrate "Last Bell" by providing Class Outings for each grade (1 – 11) at the Regional Boarding School Orphanage (including students from the Children's Village who attend school at the RBS).

There are 11 grades, so we will have eleven outings. Each class will decide on their own activity so the outings may not all be the same or on the same day. They may choose a movie and lunch at the café, or perhaps rides at the park or a tour of the wax museum. I am sure it will not be easy for them to decide where to go and they may change their minds often so we probably will not know the decision of each class until they actually go on the outing. We will post updates to the blog and to the Yahoo Group as we learn more. Each class will be allowed a budget of $330.00. The $330.00 is to cover all expenses of the outing including food and entertainment for teachers, staff, or caretakers, fuel for the RBS school bus, driver pay, photos for the children and any other costs associated with the outings. (If for some grades the number of children is small they may combine two grades on an outing.)

Sponsors will receive pictures of their sponsored children though with so many children per outing you may only receive one or two depending on how often their picture is taken. The blog will feature pictures of all the outings. We need $3630.00 to fund this project. Several sponsors have sent in donations recently and many have indicated they will be helping so we are off to a good start!

You can mail your donation to:
Antares Foundation
148 Tanglewood Lane
Sharpsburg, GA 30277

Or pay on-line with the Pay Pal button on the website of blog.

Thanks to everyone for helping us make this possible!

Laura and Apryl

Birthday Outing and Earrings

Happy Birthday Vika! Such beautiful pierced earrings!

For her birthday, Vika invited her sister and a friend to accompany her on an outing. For her present, Vika chose to get her ears pierced. (With permission from the orphanage, of course!) It was a pretty day for an outing, and they had a wonderful time! They went to a cafe near the park, where they had some good food, cake and ice cream, and Coca-cola.

Thank you Jeanne Johnstone for making Vika's birthday a special day!

Friday's Facts

Study Time

In addition to classes (six days per week) in the classroom portion of the orphanage, the children have "study time" back in their groups or "families".

May Siblings Reunion

Children from Poludino Having a Snack in RBS Cafeteria

Children from Poludino Performing for RBS

The May Siblings Reunion took place just a few days ago! From the Poludino preschool orphanage, the younger siblings (along with some other children who would be participating in a special performance) traveled to the Regional Boarding School Orphanage where the older siblings reside.

There is not a lot to write, because as usual the photos show clearly the love the siblings have for one another, and how much this time together means to them.

Thank you Sunny Hill Preschool families of Sudbury, MA and AEM of Atlanta, GA for making this month's reunion possible.

***RECENT UPDATE***

To view the most recent update about upcoming activities, click here!

Letters!

Very Happy to Receive a Letter From Her Sponsor!
(Holding letter in her right hand)

Letters!

Knowing that someone cares, that they are special in someone's eyes, is so important to these children--even more than the material gifts they receive. Though gifts are a tangible way for them to see that someone cares--that someone cares is what matters most of all.

Above are four children that recently received letters from their sponsors.

REMINDER to Sponsors of Children at the RBS Orphanage:
Please e-mail letters for your sponsored child to antares.foundation@yahoo.com
For the subject put: "LETTER for 'Sponsored Child's Name'"

******************************************************************

For some children adopted from the RBS and now living in the US, letters are a means for them to remember and stay in touch with their Kazakhstan friends. In response to a letter he received, here is a (translated) reply one of the children at the RBS wrote to his friend now living in the US:

Dear Friend!

I am fine here. I hope you are doing fine there. Honestly I envy a little that you have a happy life. But because you are such a good friend of me I can’t envy. You are still my best friend. I also have another good friend whos name is Alexey, I respect him as much as you.

My favorite colors are black, white, red. I hope you like them too. I have my birthday in a sunny spring day when everybody makes jokes and is happy.
My favorite sport is soccer. I also like skiing.
Now I am in the 6th grade.
I hope you liked my letter.

Best wishes,
Denis

***UPDATE***

We are planning an end of the year activity for ALL children (sponsored and unsponsored) at the Regional Boarding School (RBS) Orphanage. It will either be an end of the school year party ("Last Bell") at the orphanage OR an end of the year outing for each class (1st grade through 11th grade).

Please let us know if you would like to help sponsor the "Last Bell" activity.
antares.foundation@yahoo.com

More specific details coming soon!

Click here to see message about Antares changes if you have not read it yet.

Birthday Outing

Shopping for Birthday Presents

Special Wax Figure Display at the Museum

Happy Birthday Roza and Vika!

These girls recently celebrated their birthdays on a day between their two birthdates. They had heard about the special display of wax figures from some of the other children that had gone there on an outing--and wanted to see it for themselves. It looks like they enjoyed it!

Thank you Wheeler and Bradford families for making this outing possible!