The origins of Tikva date back to 1993 with the arrival in Odessa of Rabbi Shlomo Baksht and the creation of the Ohr Dessa Project. Rabbi Baksht pioneered the revival of the Jewish community of Odessa through community outreach, education and programs focusing on religious and cultural identity. But in the course of working to reach that goal, Rabbi Baksht faced an unforeseen challenge: the plight of hundreds of Jewish children who were living in unsanitary and inhumane state orphanages, who suffered abuse and neglect at home, or who had no home and were living on the streets. Unable to ignore their pressing needs, Rabbi Baksht turned his attention toward rescuing the Jewish children of Odessa when he established the Children's Homes in 1996. In 2001, the Children's Homes and the Ohr Dessa Project were combined into one organization called Tikva Corp.

Tikva has honored Sandy and Lenny Piontak for their vision and commitment to children who have been all but forgotten by the world around them. They are true role models for Tikva's girls and boys and for all who strive to create positive change in the world.

SANDY & LENNY PIONTAK - recipients of the Tikva Leadership Award

In 2003, when Effy Zinkin of Marc Ecko Enterprises asked Sandy and Lenny Piontak to travel with him to Odessa to meet the girls and boys of Tikva Children's Home, they did not know what to expect. They were concerned about how they would communicate, how they would cope with local conditions, and how they would bear the emotional toll of a place they feared would be depressing, hopeless, and overwhelmingly sad. What they found, however, was something quite different. It was, in fact, the warm, genuine welcome extended by staff and children and the culture of hope that permeates Tikva that overwhelmed Sandy and Lenny.

Despite the tragic circumstances in which many of Tikva's children enter our care, they are both resilient and resourceful. Girls and boys at Tikva find countless ways to laugh, love, and even work toward a brighter future in Ukraine or abroad. Sandy and Lenny intuitively realized that more could and should be done to help Tikva's children reach their innate potential and develop into responsible and productive women and men who give back to their communities. Always ones to lead by example, Sandy and Lenny adopted a "give till it hurts" philosophy of philanthropy and inspired their fellow members of the Tikva Board, business partners, and many of their friends and family, to do the same. Consequently, Sandy and Lenny have had a profound impact on Tikva's programming and facilities by bringing more funding and attention to the needs of these very under-served girls and boys.