The Russian-American Cultural Center “Heritage” (RACH-C) – a non-governmental, non-profit, educational, charitable organization, a corporation registered in New York on November 13, 2003; RACH-C has 501 C 3 status from the IRS.
The purpose of RACH-C is to preserve and disseminate Russian culture, and history and to be a positive example of Cultural Diplomacy.
Major RACH-C project highlights include:
- On the initiative of RACH-C, in 2012, the State of New York established the Month of Russian-American History; Since then, RACH-C has been the organizer and coordinator of the “Month”; The Coalition of State Organizations to Support the Month was created; the chairman of which is O.S. Zatsepina; RACH-C created, maintains and fills the site: Russian American History Month, organizes and holds a reception dedicated to the Month and organizes events that take place as part of the Month;
- RACH-C organized and conducted 11 annual international children’s festivals of cultures of the peoples of Russia in New York (since 2006); In the framework of the Festivals, children’s groups from Russia performed in different years, including the talented children of the V. Spivakov Foundation, children from 10 US states, Canada and Europe. From 2006 to 2008, a charity reception was held at the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations as part of the Festival, at which an auction was organized, from which the proceeds were used to help sick children in Russia.
- Since 2005, RACH-C was the first and for 8 years the only organization in the United States that distributed St. George Ribbons to all states of the United States and Canada;
- RACH-C was the organizer of Russian Salons at Columbia University, in which prominent representatives of Russian America participated (2005 – 2007);
- Together with the Foundation for the Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Abroad, RACH-C conducted the American advertising and educational campaign “Our Rights” (2014-2016); The campaign involved: television, radio, newspapers, lawyers, and a telephone advice line where compatriots could leave questions and receive replies. The campaign was very much appreciated and sought after.
- RACH-C organized and held 5 conferences on the history of Russian America (2005 – 2017), including at Columbia University (CU), at New York University (NYU), at the City University of New York (CUNY);
- Since 2007 to 2018, at the invitation of the Consul General of the Russian Federation in New York S.V. Garmonin, RACH-Chas became the organization that prepared and held the New Year Tree holiday (Yolka) at the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York.
- Two members of the RACH-C Board, (O.S. Zatsepina and A.B.Ruchkin) conducted a scientific study of the history of Russians in the USA, and wrote a book which was published in 2011 by RACH-C titled, “Russians in the USA. Non-governmental organizations of Russian emigration in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.” For the first time in the history of the study of Russian emigration in the USA, the book examines the systems of Russian public organizations created in America in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries by representatives of all migration waves. The book was presented at Columbia University in New York, at the House of Russian Abroad in Moscow, at the Russian Geographical Society;
- Since 2017, Representatives of RACH-C have created and are conducting a test conference on the history of Russian America;
- In 2016, at the initiative of RACH-C, an international children’s drawing competition was held dedicated to Cosmonaut Day, in which American and Russian schoolchildren also took part;
- From 2003 to 2011, RACH-C organized more than 60 concerts of Russian opera and classical music, in which both Russian and American opera singers took part;
- From 2003 to 2010, RACH-C organized more than 5 exhibitions of Russian-speaking artists at various venues in New York;
- Since 2012 for all 17 years, RACH-C has been helping to establish and register new public organizations in Russian America;
- RACH-C is a collective member of the ICRC (International Council of Russian Compatriots Abroad), OS Zatsepina – a member of the Board of Directors and the main representative of the ICRC to the UN, RACH-C organized and held 5 conferences of the ICRC at UN sites.
- Over the years, we have provided free local Russian Opera and classical music concerts.
The work of RACH-C has been aided by the much appreciated support and in partnership with organizations like: the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in New York, the Russkiy Mir Foundation, Rosstrudnichestvo, the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN, the Support and Protection of Compatriots Abroad Fund, A. Gorchakov Fund, IBC, ICRC, New York City Council, the New York State Senate, and Assembly the Russian Nobility Association in America, Moscow Patriarchy of Russian Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas Cathedral in NYC, Synod of Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and groups of Russian Americans from different states of the US.