Joseph Papp was born June 22, 1921 in Brooklyn, New York. Aside from his incredible creative talents which forever revolutionized the Broadway theatre, he immersed himself in doing acts of good deeds especially when the care and welfare of children were concerned. During his trips to Russia he saw first hand the desperate conditions facing the handicapped, orphaned and neglected children in the Ukraine, which numbers in the thousands. It was then that he dedicated himself to do whatever he could to enhance the lives of these children caught in the midst of economic and political turmoil. His untimely passing came before he was able to fulfill his dream. Tzivos Hashem, with Gail Papp's blessing, has vowed to continue Joe's dream. Thanks to the successful Tzivos Hashem sponsored "Joseph Papp Children's Humanitarian Fund" Dinners, thousands of Ukrainian homeless, deprived and starving children are being given a second chance at life. The active participation of major super stars such as Meryl Streep, Jon Voight, Liza Minnelli and James Earl Jones, propelled support for the life-saving programs in the former Soviet Union.

The great impresario's Memorial Fund helps support the Esther and William Benenson and Family Children's Homes as well as the Joseph Papp Food Pantry. Both programs work around the clock to combat the intense poverty in the former Soviet Union which has reached disastrous proportions. The Children's Home's are open to youngsters faced with desperate mental and physical handicaps and situations. The Pantry hands out food and sustenance to starving and needy families.

A new program that the Papp fund is supporting, the first of its kind throughout the entire Ukraine. A 24 ft. Wheels for Life Bus with special perimeter bench seats, to give the bus a cozy, homelike feel, is always warm. By night, counselors from Tzivos Hashem's Benenson orphanages cruise the streets, stopping in the abandoned buildings and under the overpasses where street children seek shelter from the frigid weather. As they serve the food, the counselors try to talk the wary streetwise kids off the streets and into the Benenson orphanages or into caring halfway homes. By day, Tzivos Hashem staffers use the bus to travel the rutted Ukrainian country roads to bring food packages to hungry seniors who are raising their grandchildren but are too weak to travel to the Papp pantry. To date over 100 children have been rehabilitated thanks to the Wheels for Life Bus.