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The Sunshine Fund

The Sunshine Fund was created in 1992 to implement programs that help young people in the United States and Russia raise self-esteem, gain experience cooperating with others, and develop leadership qualities that will enable them to play constructive roles in their communities. In its first year, the Sunshine Fund sponsored a series of projects which took young people out of the classroom and allowed them to experience learning in unique and exciting settings. In the summers of 1994, 1995, and 1996, groups of children from areas affected by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster participated in the Sunshine Fund program with American peers, working together to develop new skills, confidence, and lasting personal relationships. Other ongoing programs include horseback riding for disabled children, cross-country ski trips for disadvantaged young people, and history/ecology lessons aboard a sailboat in conjunction with the Center for Living Skills in Berkeley.

In 1995 the Sunshine Fund began supporting a tennis project. In June, 1996 fourteen high-ranking tennis players from Northern California went to the Russian Far East and competed in Khabarovsk and Vladivostok for two weeks. This was an extraordinary opportunity for young tennis players to become ambassadors of the future in the Russian Far East. In the summer of 1997, young Russian tennis players will be touring, playing tennis and staying in the homes of Northern California tennis families. This ongoing project brings young tennis champions together for their mutual education and international experience.

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