St. John Shelter
“Sister Olga surrounds disabled orphans and seniors with love - the authentic human love that can save and heal.”
The shelter opened its doors in July 2010, on the day of commemoration of St. John of Shanghai, with the efforts of Sister Olga. Before sister Olga became a nun, she lived in San Francisco and was influenced by the legacy of St. John of Shanghai. After returning to Ukraine, she started to adopt severely disabled orphans from state shelters and later organized a living community. Sister Olga also took in disabled seniors abandoned by their families.
Initially the residents all lived together in a tiny house with one bathroom and no running water. Sister Olga worked hard to improve these harsh conditions, and another basic house was recently purchased with St. John Memorial Fund’s contribution. The shelter currently houses over 70 residents and gets even more crowded in the winter, when local homeless people seek shelter.
Sister Olga’s goals are simple: shelter and feed the homeless, treat orphans and destitute children with sympathy and love, and care for seniors. She runs the shelter family style, where everyone is loved equally.
The shelter greatly relies on donations, because government support for disabled children is not sufficient to cover all essential expenses, and there is no meaningful social support for seniors. They have operated without a reliable form of transportation for years, using old donated cars for medical visits and taking children to school. Used SUV and and wheelchairs for disabled kids have been purchased in 2021 with donations collected by the Fund.
Used SUV purchased in 2021
Thank you for your generous contributions!
Vovochka suffers from cerebral palsy
Thank you for your generous donations towards power wheelchair as part of Oct 2021 fundraiser!
Masha is unable to walk
Thank you for helping us to get new wheelchair for this lovely girl!