b'Community Service in the FSUHOT has always looked to partner withorganizationsthatencourage communityservice.Wethinkof thisastheultimateleverage teachingpeopletheimportanceof helping others while simultaneously giving help to the needy. Twoyearsago,wefoundtheright partnertoworkwithintheformer Soviet Union (FSU). HOT committed toa3-yearprojectthatencourages scores of young people to understand the importance of helping those less fortunate. We are piggybackingonworkdoneoverthelast25yearsintheFSUbyournewpartner,the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).For the past 17 years, JDC has successfully run a program (Metsuda) in the FSU training young people to give back to their communities.HOTs 3-year grant is primarily used to fund 2part-timecoordinators,onelocatedinRostov-on-DonandtheotherinKrasnodar.The coordinatorsareworkingwith76graduates of the JDC program to identify local unmet communityneeds,tocreateworkplans, activities, action groups, seminars and other events.ParticipantsintheHOT/JDC programnowdrivetootherpartsofthe country to give classes or seminars on their particularskillset.Oneoftheparticipants travelstogiveamonthlyHealthand Wellness Seminar to teens. Another, a Sports Medicinephysiciantravelstoworkwith seniors. The program is all that HOT thought itwouldbewithvolunteershelpingboth special-needs and at-risk children, and the elderly. And it is restoring traditions that had been lostduringyearsoflivingundergovernmentsthatdidnotencouragesuchpractices.Itis reversing years of isolation and making the population, young and old, realize they are not alone.WhileHOTsbasicfundingistoencouragevolunteerism,severalprojectsrequire programming costs and make up a wish list of:$4,538 for food, medicine, and other necessities for 18 seniors @ $21 a month$5,540 for 1,385 hours of homecare (bathing, cooking, cleaning) @ $4 an hour21'