About us

It all began in 2007 when Travis & LaRee Hansen moved to Moscow, Russia. Travis had just signed with Dynamo Moscow to play professional basketball. After two unsuccessful fertility treatments and a miscarriage, LaRee began researching adoption in Russia. While researching she came across heart-wrenching statistics of Russian orphans. At that moment, she felt deeply touched and inspired to help children in Russia and children around the world. Through friends in Moscow, Travis & LaRee found a baby hospital in Lyubertsy, Russia and began efforts to improve the living conditions. They started by remodeling a portion of the hospital, providing life-saving operations for the children and creating a group of volunteers to hold, feed and play with the babies and children. Their compassion and drive to improve the lives of children along with the founding sponsor Natures Sunshines' spirit of long-term social responsibility led to the creation of the Little Heroes Foundation.