2001: The Weplers Adopt Camille

In 2001 Kim and her husband, John, adopted their first little girl, Camille Gay Masha. Camille’s Russian last name was Petrova, and this is who Petrova’s Promise is named after.

 

2003: The Weplers Adopt Clairabelle & Clayton

In 2003 Kim and John adopted two more children from Russia, Clairabelle Evgenia and Clayton Evgeny.

 

2005: Kim Volunteers in Russia

In September of 2005, Kim made her first visit to Russia as a volunteer. The purpose of the trip was to start contact with and get support from various Russian organizations that work with disabled orphans. These organizations included Magic House, Diema’s Dream and Maria’s Children. Kim assessed the needs of the children and then returned to these same orphanages to fulfill the promises that she made to the children. All in all, Kim has made over 20 trips to Russia.

 

2005: Kim Partners with Magic House

Kim began working with Magic House, which was a foster home for teenage orphans that provided rehabilitation and education opportunities. Petrova’s Promise provided financial assistance and supplies, equipment and emotional support to the orphans during her visits.

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2005: Kim Visits Russian Orphanages

Kim began visiting orphanages in Ermolino and Fryazino, Russia. Many orphans with neurological disabilities, including Cerebral Palsy live in these orphanages. Kim has made many trips to visit the children that live there to assess what medical equipment they need. She has returned with the proper leg braces, walkers and physical therapy programs. 
 

2005:  Kim Partners with Dima’s Dream 

In 2005 Kim began working with Dima’s Dream, which supports Charity House, an orphanage for disabled orphans. While there, Kim met with many children, including Katya. Katya is an orphan with hydrocephalus that Kim visited many times during her trips to Russia. Katya is unable to do anything more than lay in bed. She is unable to turn her head or speak. Despite her horrible illness, every time Kim visited Katya and said hello, Katya responded with a huge, heartwarming smile. Petrova’s Promise is proud to have provided this Russian orphanage with funding and much needed medical equipment, such as leg braces, walkers and physical therapy programs to help the lives of Katya and the many other disabled orphans that have so little. 

 

2007: Petrova's Promise

Petrova’s Promise became a registered non-profit corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 1986 with an EIN of 20-8081357.

 

2007: Kim Partners with Maria’s Children 

Maria’s Children is a foundation that uses art therapy to rehabilitate orphans and children with special needs. In Russia, people with deformities are looked down upon and are not assimilated into society. During Kim’s visits to this art studio, Kim has met many orphans and participated in dinners made by the children to replicate a family atmosphere. 

 

2007: Kim Meets Sasha

During Kim’s first visit to Maria’s Children, she met Sasha. Sasha is a gifted teenage orphan who was born without a hand and part of one leg. Sasha looked Kim in the eyes and asked for artificial hands so that he may someday be able to live without public humiliation. Petrova’s Promise fulfilled the promise of giving Sasha artificial hands in 2007. Kim arranged for Sasha to receive three sets of artificial hands which had varying degrees of function and cosmetic appearance. Despite his disability, Sasha is a gifted painter and a true inspiration for other disadvantaged Russian orphans. Sasha is now living independently and is self-sufficient as an artist, due to the support and education provided by Maria’s Children Art Studio.

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2008: Kim Meets Nadya

Through Maria’s Children, Kim also met Nadya, a 14-year-old orphan who lost her leg when she was run over by a train. When Kim learned of Nadya’s story, she promised to provide her with a custom-made artificial leg. The proper construction and custom fitting of a prosthetic leg is an involved process. To enable the proper fit, Nadya needed to come to the USA so that a specialist could custom design, construct and fit a leg that worked with her unique conditions. The prosthetic leg was made by Geauga Rehabilitation Engineering in Chardon, Ohio. Nadya stayed with the Wepler family during this process so that daily trips could be made to the prosthetist’s office. After struggling with the stigma that such medical conditions create in the Russian culture, Nadya is extremely grateful for her new leg. Nadya has continued to make trips to the USA to stay with the Wepler family so that adjustments could be made to her prosthesis. Kim has stayed close with Nadya all these years, even recently having lunch with 25-year-old Nadya and her daughter in Moscow! Nadya plans to become involved with the foster home as a way to “give back” and say thank you. Petrova’s Promise continues to work with Maria’s Children on various projects. These projects included bringing a group of teachers and psychologists from a Russian orphanage to tour various schools in New York City that work with children with disabilities. These teachers and psychologists were eager to learn how they can improve their programs in Russia by observing the teaching programs in the USA.

 

2010: Kim Partners with ROST

Kim began working with another Russian NGO called ROST (growth) and began visiting an orphanage in Vischgorod, Russia that is made up of approximately 60 children, ranging in age from 10 to 17, who have been labeled with learning disabilities. Toothbrushes, toys and personalized gifts were provided to the children to brighten their day. Petrova’s Promise established a Pen Pal Program with some of these children. On various visits throughout the years, Kim has delivered correspondence from children in the USA to the children of this orphanage to let them know that there are others out in the world that care about them. Petrova’s Promise also delivered books and educational supplies to help the children improve their English. Petrova’s Promise is committed to providing continual emotional support and much needed supplies to these children.

 

2013: Russian Government Bans Adoptions to US

The Russian government banned citizens from the United States from adopting children from Russia.

 

2014: The idea for Petrova's Home was born

Since Russia ceased adoptions to most other countries, Kim decided that Petrova’s Promise needed to find a way to help care for the orphans left in the orphanages, especially the orphans with special needs…to find a way to place these unwanted children in loving homes. It was at this time that the idea for Petrova’s Home was born. Petrova’s Promise had a vision to create a home and family environment for orphans with disabilities. Since this could no longer be accomplished through adoption, Petrova’s Promise decided to open the first ever charitable foster home in Russia for disabled orphans. Our dream was to provide a home and family environment for a few orphans that have physical or mental disabilities. While Petrova’s Promise would provide complete support for the children, Petrova’s Promise would also pay a highly qualified and loving parent or set of parents to do the daily care of these children. Our highest hope was that the parent(s) might have another child or children of their own who aren’t disabled. If this was the case, then all of the children could learn from each other. The orphan with the disability could learn age-appropriate activities of daily living form their ‘sibling’ and the typically developed child could learn patience and empathy from their ‘sibling’ that has a disability.

 

2015: Kim Partners with Alexey and Masha and their NGO, ROST, to work together in planning to start a foster home/Petrova's Home

Kim, who had already known Alexey, met Masha and the three decided to work together in forming our foster home.

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2015: Kim Meets Valya

Petrova’s Promise met Valya in an orphanage for children with disabilities. Petrova’s Promise decided to try and get Valya out of the orphanage and into our foster home that Petrova’s Promise was planning.

 

2016: The Search for the Foster Home/Petrova's Home Began

Kim traveled to Russia to tour various flats and homes in order to find the perfect home that would become our first foster home. 

 

2016: Petrova's Promise Purchases First Flat to kick off Petrova's Home

At the end of 2016, Petrova’s Promise purchased a flat in Moscow. When it was purchased, it was simply cinder block walls with nothing else. The entire flat needed to be renovated.

 

2018: Petrova's Home Renovations Begin

Renovations began on the flat. This took an enormous amount of time, as there was a lot of work to be completed. 

 

2019: Petrova's Home Renovations Completed

Renovations were completed on the flat.  Our first foster home was ready for a family! 

 

2019: Natalya and her family move into the foster home/Petrova's Home

Natalya and her four foster children moved into the foster home in May of 2019. Our first family began living in our foster home!

 

2019: Petrova's Promise Begins Supporting Helen and her foster children

Petrova’s Promise began helping to support Helen and her five foster children by assisting with medications, therapies, nurses and an additional caregiver to help Helen when needed for her work.

 

February, 2020: Petrova's Promise Begins to Support Veronique and Valya

Veronique is Natalya’s sister and offered to be Valya’s foster mother.  Petrova’s Promise assisted Veronique in obtaining guardianship of Valya. Once Veronique became Valya’s foster mother, Valya moved into Veronique’s home in Gorno-Altaisk in the Altay Region of Russia and Petrova’s Promise began supporting Valya.
 

September, 2020: Welcome Vova!

Petrova’s Promise assisted Natalya, Vova’s foster mother, in taking guardianship of Vova. Petrova’s Promise then began supporting Vova, Rudolf, Nadya, Gleb and Anya, along with their foster mother, Natalya.

 

October, 2020: Natalya Purchases Her Own Home

Natalya decided it would be better for Volva to live in a one floor home with a garden so he would not have to manage the steps to our third floor flat and so that he would have outdoor space to play.  She purchased her own home and Petrova’s Promise paid to have all of the renovations performed so that it was accessible for Volva to manage in his wheelchair.

 

January, 2021: Natalya Moves into Her New Home

Natalya, Vovo, Rudolph, Nadya, Gleb and Anya moved into their home!
 

February, 2021: Anastasia and Family Move into Petrova's Home

Petrova’s Promise began supporting Anya, Ksyusha, Rita and Sasha, as well as their foster mother, Anastasia, when they moved into our foster home.  She is looking forward to taking guardianship of two more children in the future.

 

July, 2021: Artem moves in with Katya and her family

Petrova’s Promise assisted Katya in obtaining guardianship of Artem and then bringing him into her home from the orphanage.  He became an official foster child of Katya and Valery in November of 2021.  

October, 2021 Kim visits Russia

Kim and John finally got to travel to Russia after two and a half years (due to the apartment being renovated and then Covid shutting down the world)!  They got to meet 22 out of 23 of the children in the care of Petrova’s Promise!  Prior to this trip, they had only met Valya.  They also got to see the apartment fully renovated!  It was a hugely successful trip!