Ukrainian orphans get a glimpse of Colorado life

BERTHOUD - Of all the things Vanya Andriievsky did during his stay in Colorado, he found the most joy in the saddle.

"I felt very good in a horse," Vanya said through a translator. "It was my first time."

The young boy was part of the 2nd annual Ukraine Cultural Camp in Berthoud.

He and the seven other kids in the camp are orphans. They live in Kherson, Ukraine.

Life for the group isn't easy. They don't get the food or the attention they need, making this trip to the U.S. a break like no other.

They arrived on July 28 and left Friday.

In that short time, they packed in a lot, including a Rockies game, camping, swimming and a trip to Centennial Village Museum in Greeley.

All of the field trips had an underlying motive: to get the kids in front of people who may not have considered adoption before.

"We want people to fall in love with the concept more so than a particular child," Clarke Stoesz said.

Stoesz and his wife, Kris, organized the camp through their nonprofit group, Ukraine Orphan Outreach.

The effort stems from their experience adopting three children from Ukraine.

"(We're trying to) break down barriers associated with adoption," he said. "(We want to) put a face to the plight of the orphan."

You can learn more about this program at www.ukraineorphans.org.