Rose Alaimo doesn't know any Russian orphans. She's never been to a Russian orphanage, or even to Russia itself. But all that is going to change this summer--if Rose gets our help. This young woman from Dallas, Pa. wants to spend three weeks volunteering at a Russian orphanage. But she needs to raise money for travel and other expenses. Not much, $1,800, but that's enough to stretch the budget of somebody who's in grad school studying to be a veterinarian.

That was one of the first things to surprise me about Rose, when I read her story in The Times Leader, a newspaper that serves the northeastern corner of Pennsylvania. Rose isn't studying Russian, or social work, or international relations, or medicine--any of the fields that might conceivably require a summer internship in Russia. After she is graduated from Cornell University in 2009, she wants to teach biology at the college level, preferably a small liberal arts place like King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where she did her undergraduate work.

No, Rose told me in an e-mail that she just seemed to feel called to volunteer in Russia and work with children. Through the Internet, she found Cross-Cultural Solutions, which organizes volunteer vacations to Russia, and 11 other countries, including South Africa, China, Guatemala and Brazil. The Russia program is in Yaroslavl, which is about 150 miles northeast of Moscow. OK, Rose does confess to being obsessed with Russian literature. After she started to read Dostoevsky two years ago, she found herself increasingly drawn to Russian language and culture. And she began to talk to local people who had adopted children from Russia.

"I think it's important in life to be a well-rounded person," Rose wrote me, "and not get pigeon-holed into doing only one thing. As a student in a competitive program like vet med, it is so easy to focus too much on exams and your own future and you start to completely lose sight of the rest of the world and what really matters."

So here's how to help Rose. The Cross-Cultural Solutions Web site lets you make a payment right into Rose's trip account. This link takes you to the main donation page. You will then need to enter Rose's e-mail address, which is RA244@cornell.edu, and click on the "I am a sponsor" line. If writing a check is more your style, make it payable to "Cross-Cultural Solutions" and send to Rose Alaimo at 55 Grandview Ave., Dallas, PA 18612. All contributions, online or by check, are fully tax-deductible.

"Regardless of what I'm studying," Rose told me, "I am a human being and as such I truly believe I have an ethical responsibility to help other people or animals who need it. What's happening in Russia to these kids is not OK and I would like to do my part and help spread the word."

Rose has promised to write about her experiences in Yaroslavl; let's see if we can get her there.

Image Credit: Spassky Church by Doc Kozzak