Hello all! I am from the city of Kamianske, Ukraine, and have been living in the USA for the past 12 years, currently in Utah. However, my father, grandmother, uncle, cousins, nephews, and most of my family and friends are still in Ukraine. My country is being invaded by Russia and cities are being bombed out, including hospitals, apartment complexes, schools - everything! Peaceful civilians are dying! I cannot stand still while this is happening in my country! Every time I talk to my family, my heart breaks into pieces.
Nevertheless, as you have seen, Ukrainian people are strong and brave and will stand till the end! I am lucky to have a few great friends in Kamianske who are tirelessly volunteering, trying to supply necessary materials and equipment to those most in need. This includes orphanages, hospitals, and those who are defending our city and our country. Because Kamianske is currently standing strong and is not being bombed, my team has the capacity to go out and purchase all the necessities such as diapers, baby food, blankets, medicine, warm clothes and shoes for defenders standing at checkpoints, other supplies such as flashlights, batteries, etc. However, we are still in dire shortage of protective equipment such as kevlar vests, hard hats, gloves, and other PPE.
This fundraiser started as my personal campaign to help my friends in Kamianske supply some donations to the checkpoints, however, we have received an overwhelming amount of support from all of you and have decided to make this an official fundraiser so we can help and participate in more causes, and where we can also update you on where the donations are going.
Please consider supporting this cause so we can help as many people as possible. Just in 2 days, we were able to fundraise over $10,000 and donations have already been taken to an orphanage, a hospital, a checkpoint in Kamianske, and additional donations will be taken to kids in Kharkiv - a city that has been hit very hard. We will post photo updates, and we are also keeping track of the purchases and receipts. We want to make sure that you see where your money is going and who you are helping with your donations.
I am extremely grateful to my friends on the ground for their work and for everything they are doing to help. And we all are EXTREMELY grateful for your donations!!! You are helping save lives and people are incredibly grateful knowing that there are so many of you who want to help!
There are also local Utah fundraising opportunities that I am a part of and some of the money may go towards buying donations (first aid kits, painkillers, bandages, sleeping bags, drones, walkie-talkies, and other necessary materials) in Utah and shipping them to Ukraine. Everything will be documented on this page.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for standing with Ukraine!
