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Hernando Today

From Ukraine, With Love

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By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: May 12, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - They gawked at alligators at Homosassa Springs.

They marveled at the mighty U.S. space program on display at Cape Canaveral.

And Disney World? A dream come true.

But for none of those attractions could compare to a three-foot tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed bundle of energy named Carissa Manners.

"She is a happy baby," Igor Novykov said as Carissa played with a bright blue matryoshka, or Russian nesting doll, that matched her eyes.

Novykov and his wife Lyuda Kulenko are adoption advocates from Ukraine who helped Tammy and Jim Manners of Brooksville in the couple's yearlong odyssey to adopt Carissa.

It's the first trip to the United States for Novykov and Kulenko, who arrived in Brooksville last week - and the first time they've traveled so far to visit a family and their new child.

"It's something special," said Novykov, who also teaches English at Kiev University, as he sat next to his wife in the home of Tammy's parents, Jim and Pam Wilfong. "It's impossible to describe."

The Manners met Carissa, who turn 3 years old on May 20, at an orphanage in Harkiv and knew instantly she was meant to be a part of their family.

Novykov and Kulenko said they knew, too.

Kulenko, speaking in rapid-fire Russian translated by her husband, said she could tell the Manners were nervous, "but when they saw the child for the first time, it was amazing."

The adoption process is a long, often arduous one for families who must navigate their way through the paperwork of bureaucracy and the streets of cities in a foreign land. Novykov and Kulenko, married for 15 years, have worked for the last seven to guide families through that process.

The Manners, who have two biological sons, Jacob and Jay, hired the Christian World Adoption Agency. They brought Carissa home last January.

To help make it happen, Novykov and Kulenko several times made the 11-hour train ride between Harkiv and the Ukrainian capital of Kiev where they live, Tammy Manners said. And they provided a feeling of security once the Manners arrived in the country.

"They were our angels," she said. "No matter what was going on, it was always 'Don't worry.'"

The Manners and the Wilfongs wanted to do something in return for the couple - not just for their help with Carissa, but for the scores of other children they've helped place with families. The couple also ensure that older children who aren't adopted make it to college.

They asked U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite's office to help the couple secure visas to allow Novykov and Kulenko to make their first trip to the United States.

Brown-Waite and her staff came through, Dennis Wilfong said, but it was close. Novykov and Kulenko still didn't have visas in hand just hours before their flight, but the documents arrived in time.

The couple landed at Kennedy Airport, took a whirlwind tour of New York City and then flew to Tampa the next day.

While in Brooksville, they visited Judge Kurt Hitzeman's courtroom in the county government center and the Brooksville Fire Department. Novykov spoke at a class at Hernando Christian Academy and on Friday, they were bound for the Florida Aquarium.

Novykov said they've found the people here "very open, kind and very warm."

They were surprised and pleased to learn that their visas aren't just for one trip, which is typical, but for five years.

They hope to return, but it could be tricky.

"We don't have much time," Novykov said, "because we're very busy in our jobs."

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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