Salsa for Orphans: Charity begins on the dance floor By LIZ JANES-BROWN, Staff Writer Published in Maui News on January 25, 2004 The largest Maui newspaper since 1900. See the article snapshot See the story at the Maui News website An energetic young immigrant puts his passion to work, trading in high finance for benevolence and creating a model program in the process. Photo: Kirill Bogouslavski and Regina Ritcher demonstrate Argentine Tango at a recent fund-raiser.

You wouldn't think Russian orphans, salsa dancing and Maui would have much in common unless you have met Kirill Bogouslavski.

Born in the Ukraine, Kira moved to Vladivostok when he was 2 and lived there until the age of 25. He had earned his master's degree in computer science in Russia (with a passing foray into Japanese economics), then worked for a joint enterprise with the U.S. developing supermarkets in Russia. As part of this work, he went to Columbus, Ohio, to help with the training of Russian department heads for the markets.

He then attended Ohio State University and received a master's in investment management specializing in financial models, paying his tuition through work as a graduate assistant in the school's department of engineering. He worked as an investment management consultant in Ohio, then for about a year in Basel, Switzerland, with the Bank for International Settlements where he helped organize data and create a new level of technology for the institution.

"I felt like I had achieved my career goal," Kira said. "I was making a lot of money. I had built a reputation."

Knowing he had the credentials and experience to "make money, do whatever I want, when I want," he realized that wasn't bringing satisfaction.

"I was not fulfilling my purpose," he said of his life at the time. "I was living in Europe, traveling, not paying taxes, but that wasn't enough. I quit, took a sabbatical for six months to work on what I wanted to do next."

He went to Buenos Aires where he immersed himself in language classes and took classes in salsa and Argentine tango.

"I got the idea out there that I really wanted to do something charity related," he said, adding that his plan was to realize no income from the charity but "get a part-time job in a nice place."

He started from scratch. "I knew nothing about how to set it up, so I had to figure it out. I knew I wanted it project specific and 100 percent transparent. There would be no question of where the money was going and how it was used."

Perhaps because of his experiences as a young teenager, he settled on Russian orphans as his cause. As a youth, Kira helped in a program that took 50 of the most troubled youngsters from a number of orphanages and placed them in an outdoor environment for three months where they learned friendship and trust through showing them a different way of life.

"There were no rules, it was all by example," he said. "They learned that giving, not taking, was important. They would go back to the orphanages changed inside, like a flower that blooms."

After Buenos Aires, Kira headed back to Russia to identify the orphanages that were on the up and up and whose administrators were not out to line their own pockets. He identified six.

"I only want to work with people I can really, really trust," he said, telling the story of one man who was resourceful enough to find a railroad car that could be used for additional sleeping quarters for the youngsters and also rented out his own apartment when funding was cut and slept in a corner so he could buy food for the children under his care.

"I realized the need," he went on. "These people were very poor and yet they were giving everything to those kids. I decided to go full time and thought, if I live modestly, I can live two years on my savings."

His coming to Maui, a place he had visited before, was almost written in the stars. Within a week of deciding Maui would be a good place to be, Kira sold his house in Ohio, his cars and all the toys he had accumulated when he was on the fast track. He kept nothing but his kitesurfing equipment (which he has not yet had a chance to use) and one bag of clothes.

A call to the airline where he had racked up plenty of frequent flyer miles said he could wait nearly a year or fly to Maui that night. He then called a friend on Maui who just happened to be looking for a roommate.

"When I got off the plane, I felt Maui accepted me," he said. "Maui is a great support. For the first time in my life, I felt this great source of energy."

As he worked to establish his charity and develop its Web site, he needed to sleep only three hours a night because "my energy was in such balance." This initial phase, with Kira's expertise in computer science and systems analysis, was pure creation fueled by inspiration.

The Web site (www.iOrphan.org) is indeed remarkable, living up to Kira's desire to make everything transparent. On it, visitors can find everything about the organization from bylaws, articles of incorporation and nonprofit documentation to virtual volunteer opportunities to descriptions of each orphanage with photos.

Each project, such as the need for a washing machine for the Vladivostok Orphanage for Infants, is described with its cost. A running tally of how much has been given and how much is needed to complete the project along with the names of those who have contributed is there. Once the project has been funded and completed, there are before and after pictures and copies of letters of thanks.

Kira's father in Vladivostok and his mother and sister in St. Petersburg, volunteer to help at that end. Because of his international banking expertise, Kira is able to make sure very little, if any, of the donated money is lost in transferring from one currency to another.

Almost single-handedly at this point, Kira has established an international charity, all on a volunteer basis. And, best of all, he gets to live on Maui.

So where does the salsa come in?

Kira loves to dance.

"Ever since I was a little kid, I could imagine choreography in my head," he said. But, being male, he was encouraged in sports rather than dance. While in Ohio, he competed as a beginner in a ballroom-dance competition and won second place. But in Switzerland he discovered his true passions were salsa and Argentine tango.

The two dance forms are different, he said, but those who do either "dance because their hearts desire it."

Salsa is sporty, fast , passionate and creative, Kira explained. Argentine tango is sophisticated and precise and relies on a very strong partnership. "It's a connection so incredible, I've only experienced it twice in my life," he sighed.

Now we get to the Russian orphan connection.

Already part of Maui's salsa community, Kira sets up dances at Hapa's with proceeds to benefit the orphans. Admission is minimal, people can donate more if they wish, musicians either donate their services or ask very little compensation, and everyone has a good time. So far, Kira has put on three high-energy dance parties, the last one featuring performances by some of Maui's best dancers and attended by about 200 people. He hopes to get other dance groups, such as the ballroom dance organizations, interested in putting on similar benefits. Already, a ballroom-dance party benefit has been arranged for Friday night in Columbus.

Some people may take issue with money on Maui going off island when there are so many worthy and needy local causes, but Kira doesn't see it that way.

"There are so many causes that need our support," he said. "I'm supportive of sharing the wealth. It brings balance back into our world. Taking away something from yourself to give to someone else is a good feeling.

"If I felt that what I was doing would inspire people to give to their church to some other cause, I would feel good. There's already a pool of money. The question is how it is divided. Getting a chunk of the pie is not as important as making the pie bigger, not taking away from anyone else," he went on, referring to the third article of the organization's mission statement.

It reads: "Increase public awareness to the needs of all disadvantaged and less fortunate children."

"In my heart, I believe that should be first," Kira said.