It isn't unusual for church groups to send gifts to far away places in need. One Kitchener women's group sews colourful bags and fills them with child-specific presents for "orphans".
What is exceptional about girls in an institution outside Ternopil, Ukraine is that they have been shunned and hidden away for many years because of physical and mental challenges.
Project Smile "усмішка" (oo-smeesh-kah) began after student volunteers from the parish revealed the true nature of the orphanage