A sports newspaper followed up on the story as Little Heroes was completing renovations on part of the hospital in Lyubertsy. Hansen said that story caught the eye of two Russian doctors, who are now part of Little Heroes. Word also got back to Utah, where nutritional supplement company Nature's Sunshine got on board.

Hansen said he expected the foundation to provide blankets, diapers and maybe some books for orphans or other Russians in need. This spring, Little Heroes helped a 2-year-old boy get a liver transplant.

"We were just trying to help out that one hospital," Travis Hansen said. "It kind of just kept getting bigger and bigger."

During a brief visit to Utah, Hansen ran a children's basketball camp with the proceeds going to Little Heroes.

Then he was headed back to Russia to train with the national team, although he wasn't sure he would be part of the final Olympic roster. Teams can have one naturalized citizen and Hansen said it's more likely to go to American point guard J.R. Holden, a veteran of the Russian league and national team.

If Russian officials can somehow change Holden's status, which they are trying to do, there could be room for Hansen and he said he would gladly accept the invitation to Beijing.

"We really have taken to Russia," he said. "They've treated us very, very well."