About Us
Detsky Dom Partners was formed in 2006 to provide humanitarian aid to Orphans around the world and to bring cultural tours to the U.S. Detsky Dom literally means children’s home in Russian. This organization helps orphan children throughout the world, wherever we become aware of a need that we are able to fill.
One project the organization has undertaken is The Sweatshirt project. Money has been raised to provide children in the Russian orphanages with sweatshirts to keep them warm in the cold Russian winters. The logo that appears on the front of the sweatshirts was designed by Natasha Garces who was adopted from Russia in 2002. It illustrates the partnership of people across the seas, helping one another. Children and parents have raised the money to provide the children in Russian orphanages with sweatshirts.
Detsky Dom Partners is also an active supporter of the Harbor. The Harbor helps orphans in St. Perersburg, Russia after they leave the orphanage. If you would like more information, check out our upcoming events. You will learn about the organization’s humanitarian projects, upcoming cultural tours, and reunions.
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Board of Directors
Ron Stoddart, Chairman of the Board
Ron Stoddart has practiced adoption law for over 26 years and, for the past 15 years, has been the Executive Director of Nightlight Christian Adoptions. While maintaining the agency’s domestic adoptions, Ron developed an international adoption program which now includes Russia, Taiwan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. In 1997, Ron’s involvement in pro-life issues led Nightlight to initiate the first embryo adoption program called Snowflakes ®.
Ron is a co-founder of the Adoption Law Section of the Christian Legal Society and a past president of the Academy of California Adoption Lawyers. Ron and his wife, Linda, have four children, including one adopted domestically and one adopted from Russia. They also have 6 grandchildren.
Steve Hughes, President
Steve and Jan Hughes have seven adopted Russian children and one adopted son from California (in addition to their own two bio children). Since they were unsuccessful in their attempts to personally adopt all of the children in Russian orphanages, they decided to adopt those they could and to do everything they can to help those left behind. They have taken advantage of their numerous trips to Russia to familiarize themselves with the needs of the children who never found an adoptive family. They met many children over the years and never stop wondering about them and how they are doing. The statistics don't give them a lot of reason to hope.
Though they may not have been able to help all the children they met over the years, they are determined to help those they can through Detsky Dom Partners. Steve is the lead Safety Engineer for a major aerospace company. Their family is actively involved in High Desert Church in Victorville, CA.
Tom and his wife, Mary, have four biological children and have adopted two girls from Russia. Both care deeply about the plight of the orphans around the world, particularly in Russia, and want to do what they can to help them. Tom and Mary live in Yorba Linda and are members of Calvary Chapel East Anaheim. Tom teaches high school and is also an investment manager.
Kathryn Deiters, Secretary
Kathryn Deiters has worked with Nightlight Christian Adoptions since 2001 and is currently Director of Administration and Marketing for the agency. She and her husband have two children, a 20 year old son and their 21 year old daughter. They adopted their daughter from Russia in 1999—which is the reason for the passion Kathryn has for adoption and for helping the children left behind.
Kathryn loves her work at Nightlight and the time it provides her to talk about one of her favorite subjects—adoption. But in her time away from work, she enjoys time with her family, entertaining friends, and taking long walks in the hills of Yorba Linda, where she and her family live. Kathryn is a member of Richfield Community Church in Yorba Linda.
Susan Colombo
Susan Colombo and her husband, Jim, got involved with Nightlight when they were first adopting from Russia in 2002. They adopted Anastasia from orphanage #31 in St. Petersburg when she was just seven years old. In 2004, they took their second trip to orphanage #31 in St. Petersburg for their second daughter, Kasenia, who was almost 11 years old. For Susan, the adoption experience was quite an adventure. She was especially drawn to the older children in the orphanage, who were so full of life and hope, and ready to embrace their unknown futures. This is the reason why Susan is so motivated to help the children left behind.
Susan works with her husband in the Real Estate Investment Business. In her spare time, Susan is an AYSO volunteer and can be found on the soccer field most Saturdays watching her daughters play. The family loves to travel, entertain friends, ride bikes, dine and play cards. The Colombo’s live in Newport Coast and attend Mariner’s Church in Irvine.
Ted Rigoni
The direction our lives take can be changed in a significant way by something as random as a simple conversation. Several years ago, my wife Kari and I learned that one of the girls on our daughter’s softball team was adopted from Russia. That discovery led to a conversation, some soul searching, a long period of questioning, lots of paperwork, and then, in 2003, the adoption of Anya and Viktor from St. Petersburg, Russia. While there, we witnessed the living conditions within which the children existed, noting the few care givers, the small beds lined up in the sparse dormitory rooms, the faces of the children as Anya and Viktor said goodbye, knowing they were not going to a new country with their forever families, and this tugged at our hearts.
The feeling has stayed with me since then. It is said that one person can make a difference, if that person aligns and collaborates with others like-minded. Detsky Dom Partners gives me that opportunity—to work with others to help provide humanitarian support to those children left behind. A California native, I am the third child of eight, with three brothers and four sisters. My wise and I have two biological, and two adopted children (Anya, 17; Alexis, 16; Viktor, 15; and Brooke, 14); every minute of our hectic days are filled with all things family.
Dawn Pappas
Dawn Pappas and her husband, Ted, learned of Nightlight when Ted’s brother and sister-in-law began the process of adopting a child from Russia in the fall of 2003. By the time their new niece arrived in May 2004, they were in the beginning stages of adopting their own daughter from Russia to become the older sister to four other girls. Jayden at the time was almost 14, and their other girls ranged from 1yr to 10yrs old when she came home December 2004. Dawn continues to have a heart for the friends her daughter left behind as well as the other children in the orphanages and hopes that she can in some way help ease their transition into adulthood.
Dawn lives with her family in Fountain Valley and spends much of her time driving her daughters to numerous activities. She is very excited that Jayden received her driver’s license a couple of months ago and can drive herself to where she wants to go!! Dawn’s husband is a police officer and Dawn has recently returned to school to pursue a nursing career. The whole family is very active at Calvary Baptist Church in Huntington Beach.
Del Larsh
A few years ago, my wife and I visited St. Petersburg, Russia and fell in love with the city and culture. Three weeks later, one of the Nightlight/Detsky Dom Tours was performing at our church so we decided to go see the kids from St. Petersburg, Russia. We fell in love with the children in the performance and developed a passion for the children of the Detsky Doms.
Three years ago, we adopted a pre-adolescent girl from St. Petersburg. After visiting her Detsky Dom, I felt compelled to do more for these children and get involved with Detsky Dom Partners.
