The Fund was formed in 2009 to preserve cultural, spiritual and historical legacy of Russia, to maintain and retain our cult and historical sites and grave sites reminding us of wars and accidents, to help people who suffered from accidents and catastrophes and to support their families. The Fund was named in consonance with a member of the Academy, D. S. Likhachev’s thoughts on memory helping us to overcome time and death, and being the basis of conscience, morals and culture and his saying that ‘To keep, to cherish memory is our moral obligation to ourselves and our descendants. Memory is our treasure’.

The Our Memory Charity Fund was founded by a famous Russian archeologist, Doctor of History, head of the Department at Institute of History of the Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences, professor A. N. Kirpichnikov; an entrepreneur, associate professor at St. Petersburg State University of Communication Routes, Candidate of  Technical Sciences S. N. Poltorak and a director at Jalkala History and Ethnography Conservation Area N. M. Simankov.

First the founders were encouraged to create the Fund because they wanted to support the project of construction of  St. Leonidas Chapel in Jalkala. The memorial chapel in the name of a saint Orthodox martyr of the 4^th century Leonidas of Egypt is being built now at Jalkala conservation area (former V. I. Lenin’s Museum), in Ilyichevo Village, Vyborg Region, Leningradskaya Oblast, in remembrance of all who died in wars and accidents on the Karelian Isthmus. The initial idea was to both honor memory of the five young men who died at the 45^th km of Scandinavian freeway to Jalkala on the night from December 27 to December 28, 2008 and to commemorate all fallen in wars and accidents on the Karelian Isthmus throughout thousands of years of its bloody history. The names of the five friends, former classmates and graduates from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at St. Petersburg State University, were Leonid, Igor, Denis, Roman and Alexander; and it would be impossible to list all the rest of those to whom the Chapel is devoted. From the very beginning this project, the first Fund’s program, has been called ‘the tolerance memorial’ by the printed press. The same aspiration for commonality and tolerance in preservation of our history and cultural legacy lies at the roots of Our Memory Fund’s charity activity.

The second charity program the Fund declared was assistance in archeological excavations at Staraya Ladoga, the ancient capital of Russia. This project was initiated by the professor A. N. Kirpichnikov. According to the Chronicles, the legendary Varangian leader Rurik and his brothers arrived at Ladoga in 862 and started building the Old Russian Empire there. Excavations at Staraya Ladoga have actually proved that it was the first capital where the first Old Russia’s state institution was born, – and we are sure that many other dramatic discoveries are awaiting us in the future. This charity project of the Fund is aimed at preservation of Russia’s cultural and historical heritage, education and increase of the society’s spirituality by attracting enterprises and citizens (the younger generation in the first place) to a worthwhile cause – support of archeological excavations at Staraya Ladoga.

This and other goodwill projects by the Fund in accordance with its mission and goals need your financial assistance and support. We are appealing to all citizens and enterprises in Russia and abroad, to everyone who cares for preservation and development of our cultural, spiritual, historical legacy and natural heritage and who is able and ready to contribute financially, materially and personally to preserve our history, – and to help us realize our charity projects and wares. Your contribution to our memory will become a priceless contribution to our common treasure.