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There was an article about how TEAMworks Ukraine started in the Baxter Bulletin on Monday.  The full article can be located here.  This article gives a little insight into how several therapists from Northwest Arkansas have been able to make an impact half a world away.

Here are some excerpts from the article and pictures of the children who started it all.  These children, our children, have changed us and made a big impact in Ukraine.  Because of their stories and progress, their former doctors and caregivers have taken notice and are excited about helping the special needs children like them who remain.

The following excerpts have been taken from The Baxter Bulletin article "A Grassroots Effort" ...

Half a world away, Jimmie and Amanda Clark of Bentonville, both computer programmers, had decided to adopt from Ukraine after meeting an Ozark couple who had adopted a Ukrainian child with special needs.

“We didn’t have our minds set on healthy or special needs,” Amanda, 34, told The Bulletin Wednesday after returning from her most recent Ukraine trip.

“We kept our hearts open.”

Into those open hearts “leaped” Dimitri and Aleksei, now affectionately called Leks. Both have cerebral palsy.

Before the Clarks took the boys home to Arkansas, they fell in love with … Elena, who also has cerebral palsy, and vowed to find her a family, too.

But the Clarks couldn’t find a family for Elena. So they went back to Ukraine to adopt her themselves.

“When we adopted our daughter,” Amanda said, “we showed the caretakers at the orphanage photos of our other kids.”

The caretakers were amazed, Amanda says, when they saw two healthy boys.  [They] showered Amanda with questions.

Amanda started sending the orphanage … information from Children’s Therapy T.E.A.M. in Fayetteville, the clinic that helped Dimitri and Leks.

Amanda’s efforts got the attention of the clinic’s [co-]owner, Kym Hannah, [Physical Therapist]

[Four] months later, Amanda was on her way back to Ukraine with an entourage from the clinic. They took materials with them to teach caretakers at orphanage … how to provide various kinds of therapies for children with challenges like cerebral palsy.

That was four years ago. Amanda and her team have been back three times now, each time taking more information, translated into Russian, and more therapy equipment.

“We set up a mobile clinic,” Amanda said, “and people take buses to come and see us.”

Amanda calls the trips a “grassroots effort” to get help for kids with special needs who end up in orphanages because there is no organized support system for them.

“Our main goal,” she said, “is to keep them out of the [institution]. It’s a horrible, horrible place where kids lie in bed 24 hours. Their diapers don’t get changed. Nobody touches them. We’re trying to help kids be more adoptable. We can rehabilitate these kids.”

The team stresses the importance of getting kids up on their feet to encourage muscle development and coordination. They have introduced walkers, “standers” and special chairs that allow children to play and eat.

Two of the American therapists were so enamored by the effort and the kids, Amanda says, they adopted kids themselves.

[Kym] Hannah and her husband, Kevin, adopted 4-year-old Myrah just 10 days before Myrah was scheduled to be moved to an [institution].

John Michael and Karen Hairston adopted 3-year-old Lance.

Both children have cerebral palsy.

“Because Kym and I have children with disabilities, we’re able to easily connect with parents of special-needs children in Ukraine,” Amanda said.”We automatically find common ground and are able to talk heart-to-heart with them about their kids and how to help them make progress. We met some very devoted and wonderful parents on (our last) trip. Even when talking to specialists and doctors, the story of our kids gives credibility to our work.”

And here they are today …

Elena, Dimitri & Aleksei Clark

Myrah Hannah

John Michael & Lance Hairston