July, 2004 brought an event that several thousand people had been awaiting for a long time. It won't be an exaggeration to say that the summer of 2004 was a turning point for the Russian-speaking population of Atlanta.

In July, 2004 the Russian-American Federation was officially registered in the status of a non-profit organization.

What does it mean?

Listing every point is going to take a lot of time, but you really can't underestimate the importance of creation of the RAF.

Any group of people united by religion, nationality, or business needs an organizing force. In other words, it requires a center which not only coordinates its work, but also gives you a great feeling--a feeling of security.

This was the main reason for establishing the Russian-American Federation.

The Russian-speaking community of Atlanta had been working hard on uniting itself on the basis of common interests and goals and it badly needed a leader. Now we have an official representative in all legislative and executive structures and public organizations.

A political aspect is also very important. As American citizens, representatives of the Russian-speaking community together with American-born population form an electoral body that has a right to vote according to its opinion. Once again, this shows the importance of establishing the RAF's status as an organization of full value and enjoying full rights.

In perspective, the Russian-American Federation is a bridge between the Russian-speaking population of Atlanta and Russia. It's very important to establish a bilateral communication, that is why the RAF took active action to implement this idea into life. Among the first steps there is an establishment of the Honorary Representative of the Russian Government in Atlanta which means the opening of the Russian Consulate working in our city on a volunteer basis.

The next step was the elaboration of the plan of establishing the Chamber of Commerce. It will facilitate the chances of Atlanta's Russian-speaking businessmen to function successfully on the national and international markets. Such an organization as the Chamber of Commerce is an established social-political structure which helps to develop small and medium-size business using low-interest loans and provides it with juridical, informational, and organization support.

The subordination structure of the RAF is based on international standards.

The official leader is the President of the organization elected by the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors supports the President in his activities.

The official registration of the RAF opens new perspectives for the Russian-speaking community. The possibility to see more transformed into the possibility to do more.

The RAF is a personal matter of every Russian-speaking resident of Atlanta.