At the Olsen home, the two girls share a room. Oleena has taken over the role of caretaker, making sure her little sister brushes her teeth and gets properly dressed each morning. The girls love to take baths and blow-dry their hair, now soft from conditioner Carla suspect the girls have never before used.

At home in Sumy, in the northeast region of Ukraine, the girls are in separate orphanages due to their differing ages. They share a room with at least a dozen others — more if the room is big enough.

"They'll fill the room with as many beds as they can get in there," says Garrett. Still, he adds, the conditions aren't as bad as some might imagine when they think of orphanages overseas. "They're definitely not up to American standards, but they're decent for comparative orphanages around the world. The living conditions definitely aren't deplorable, but they're not the best either."

Of the 31 children brought to Utah, the majority are from the government-run Suprun Boarding Schools for Orphans and Abandoned Children, a school that houses about 250 children.

The Garretts' two adopted children, also half-sisters, are from the school. Twelve-year-old Emily was first, adopted four years ago, followed by 17-year-old Elizabeth two years later. The family is now hosting 11-year-old Andrew.

"One of our main goals in this foundation is to help people understand that there's a horrendous amount of children between the ages of 6 and 15 out there who need a home," Vern Garrett says. "And they're very healthy, physically and emotionally."

The children here now were selected based on many factors, including the requests of host families and a psychological assessment of each child.

Carla Olsen knows little about the girls' background, unaware even how long they've been in government care or what happened to their biological parents. She's curious, of course, but doesn't want to open old wounds. "Sometimes it brings up bad thoughts or feelings."

Oleena has spoken only generally of her life in Ukraine. A picture of the teenager posing in front of her orphanage will stay on the Olsens' refrigerator.

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E-mail: awelling@desnews.com