Now we will tell to you about our dream - the “Pelican Art Club”. It hasn’t yet been built, but it’s in the works waiting to be realized with your financial help and your time! Please join us!

The Pelican Art Club will be the embodiment of all that we base the Maria’s Children Organization on. It will provide a way of social adaptation for our graduates of the orphanages and other children who would otherwise have limited opportunities in life. A key facet of the club will be the vocational training and employment of the young adults so that they themselves can run the public catering establishment. The reason this restaurant will be called “Pelican” is because the pelican is the traditional symbol for the care of children.

Within the Pelican Club, all people will be given equal rights and treatment (unlike what exists in our society as a whole, towards orphans) in a work-like, professional setting. We do not want this to be a café/club in existence for the sole purpose of commercial profit (though we hope for progress and a self-sustaining budget); we want this institution to help those categorized as at risk.
Our basic purposes outlined:
Provide the young adults with a solid base of professional skills, specifically in public catering. A long-term goal will be to create an educational regime that will satisfy the national standards that will earn the students accredited diplomas of the state.
Increase the general level of culture among graduates of the orphanages
To instill in the children responsibility, initiative, a creative approach to problem-solving
To increase the self-esteem of the participants through their involvement in a socially significant and useful project
To develop and maintain the creative abilities of the children from our program
To construct a model for mutual and beneficial relations between people of various social groups
To change the attitude that society holds towards the handicapped and orphans
And finally, to involve the maximum number of volunteers as possible in making all of this happen

The basic target groups of The Pelican Art Club project are:

Graduates of the orphanages and other handicapped children who require help and support at the stage of transition into independence

Children from our organization who would benefit from learning household skills and culinary art training; ideally (in the long-term) most of the kids we employ will already have work experience
Children from large or poor families that will use the Club as a creative haven;
Foreign and native volunteers, ready to be engaged with children.

As already stated previously, the Pelican Art Club will not only be a public catering establishment (offering visitors/companies a business lunch and a traditional Russian cuisine menu), but also will carry out various creative programs for the public. When the club is fully established, it will run seven days a week.

A typical day (during the week) of the Pelican Art Club would be as follows:

10.00-13.00 Culinary occupations and the training of waiters by at least two professionals; the Club is open to visiting parents with their small children. This will be achieved with the help of one of our partners “Rosinter” providing some of it’s employees on a regular basis alongside volunteering chefs and restaurant managers. These separate trainings will be held for no more than ten pre-approved pupils at a time; they will learn by preparing the food under supervision while also learning the theoretical application of how to make a meal for 20-30 people.

While the staff is being trained and preparing the food, a teacher will give an art lesson to the children, while parents are offered tea and a light snack.

13.00-15.00 Business lunch is offered; Café open to the general public.

16.00-18.00 Oldest children from orphanages make dinner; art classes combining children from orphanages and visiting children are simultaneously held outside of the kitchen. Tea is offered to those not staying to eat.

18.00-20.00 Dinner for the children from the orphanage; free dinners for pensioners living near by is a long-term possibility. Unless a special activity is featured that day, the Club stays open for the public.

20.00-22.00 Closing; cleaning of the Club and preparation for the next day.

A typical day (during the weekend) of the Pelican Art Club would be as follows

11.00-16.00 Art classes for all visitors; Club open for patronage; Habitual visitors of club have an opportunity to drink tea with snacks; those older orphans who received education during the week serve as instructors for smaller children in how to prepare small dishes. Also, various seminars could be organized for those graduating soon from orphanages; such seminars would provide consultations regarding the social, legal and economic questions that might help them integrate more successfully. Conducted by professionals on a voluntary basis.

16.00-20.00 Communal tea time; In fact, this is where the advanced creative sharing would take place, as invited professional artists/musicans/actors would mingle with the employees. Youth performances and clowning activities will be organized for public display; other workshops can be held simultaneously.

20.00-22.00 Closing; cleaning of the Club and preparations for the next day are made.

The creative actions of the Club will be carried out in two ways: First, painting, sewing, ceramics, various kinds of needlework, origami, etc. will be regularly offered by our teachers from the studio and other volunteers; the schedule will be determined beforehand.
Second, the focus on global culture will be implemented through a series of rotating, permanent programs; every month or quarter will be devoted to studying the traditions of a certain national culture (for example, one month will be devoted to studying of culture of Japan, and the next will be about Italy).

The menu will incorporate the most traditional and popular national dishes; they will vary appropriately to the season. The interior design of the café will be done directly by our children; this way, the children can execute and demonstrate their growing imagination to the public while the Club maintains a close relationship with Maria’s Children.

More specifically:

The interior design will change depending on the national style being studied; elements of design will be provided by featuring the children’s works that they created specifically for that culture
The waiters will wear national costume, also created by children.
National dishes/cuisine will be featured on the menu;
Selected, traditional music of the nation will be played;
Creative seminars will be held on the history of the featured national culture.

As many of our programs have been, we intend to recruit an international team of volunteers to help us run the Club; we will also make sure we donate some of the money we raise through our annual auctions and other public presentation to the Club budget. All the children participating in Maria’s Children will have an opportunity to try for themselves all of the various activities; we hope that if they find particular interest in any of them, we can provide them training to help them pursue that interest. We anticipate some will return to us independently to work for the Club, while others will use the education we provide to pursue outside employment in the field of public catering. Another important aspect is the maintenance of communication between the graduates and the youngest children in Maria’s Children. We want to promote the formation of lasting bonds while also providing a healthy model of civil responsibility for the young ones to experience first-hand. All employees of our project will receive adequate wages from the first day of employment through to the last. We really consider that working in this café would be a wonderful springboard into adult life for our wonderful artists.

When we open, you need to come and visit!

If you want to help us please transfer a donation . Thank you!