We are excited to share with you our series Razom Says Dyakuyu. “Dyakuyu” means “thank you” in Ukrainian. Our work supporting Ukraine and getting humanitarian aid on the ground where it is needed most, would not be possible without the generous donations made by donors. With this series, we are highlighting some of the amazing donors and unique fundraisers that have supported Razom.
Razom says a heartfelt thank you to members of Cactus and Tryzub, who along with the Asian Community of Arizona united for the We Are Praying For Ukraine fundraiser, that took place at St. Paul’s Auditorium in Phoenix, AZ. Over $12,000 was collected and donated to Razom’s Emergency Response project that is focused on providing tactical medical aid to Ukraine.
An Arizona-based Ukrainian-American initiative, Cactus and Tryzub, was founded earlier this year by a group of volunteers who organized in response to russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“At Cactus and Tryzub we do political activism,” said fundraiser co-organizer Oli Stokolosa. “We organize rallies, events, and fundraisers to keep awareness about our beloved country Ukraine and deliver a message that the war is not over yet.”
On the evening of the event, representatives of more than nine Asian nations came together at St. Paul’s Auditorium to express their support for Ukraine while sharing their culture and traditions through visual and performing art. The highlights of the event were a beautiful Vyshyvanka Fashion Show by gorgeous Ukrainian and Asian models and the Moment of Dignity performance.
The hosts of the event, Oli Stokolosa and Ty Ng, introduced Ukraine and Ukrainian traditions to the guests and educated attendees about the #DontFundTheWar campaign that raises awareness of American brands that are still operating in russia and funding the war.
“Our generation came to this country to escape either poverty, persecution, or war,” said Ty Ng, who is a film director and human rights advocate. “And because it’s no longer happening to us does not mean it is not happening to someone else somewhere else. So, I feel it is our moral obligation to protect each other.”
Razom representative Yulia O’Connell flew from New York City to take part in the special evening and speak with attendees about how Razom converts our donors’ contributions into aid for the people of Ukraine.
Razom and all the people who we’ve been able to support on the ground in Ukraine during the war say “dyakuyu” to Cactus and Tryzub members and Asian Community of Arizona for their support in the Southwest!
Today, get a behind the scenes look at Razom operations through two major articles spotlighting our work. First, as a nonprofit operating in the U.S. and Ukraine, and second, as a volunteer powerhouse that’s shipped over 85,000 IFAKs to Ukraine. You’ll also get important updates on our events and fundraisers. In all the different ways you take part in this community, we are grateful!
Dear Razom Community,
Last week Razom got an exclusive feature in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, the most prominent publication on philanthropy in the US, titled “How One Tiny, All-Volunteer Nonprofit Raised $57 Million for Ukraine”. We are grateful to hear the story of our work from the outside and shine a light on some of the amazing people who are doing this work. If you’d like to get a peek behind the scenes of Razom’s operations and Emergency Response work, we recommend you give it a read. Here’s a quote from the piece:
“Having more than 130,000 people turn to you and give you more than $50 million to work with to try to help people is not an easy thing to come to terms with,” says Maryna Prykhodko, who is in charge of social media and advocacy. At 27, she is the group’s youngest board member. “Some people would be paralyzed or debilitated with this huge weight on their shoulders. Every day you have to get yourself ready for the task at hand.”
Thank you for your continued support and trust in us so that we can continue do the work. The work to save lives in Ukraine right now, and build a more prosperous Ukraine for the future.
Now onto some updates.
Week over week, the hospitals team coordinates in-kind donations from international organizations and local hospitals to ship and distribute medical equipment and medicines to hospitals in need in Ukraine. Below, what we were able to accomplish last week:
We shipped 30 jars of Weaver Conductive Ten20 Paste and 4 boxes of Topiramate (an anticonvulsant medication), generously donated by MD Soma Segupta from University of Cincinnati, to MD Mariia Pavliuk, a Pediatric Neurologist/ Neurophysiologist in the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery at St. Nicholas Hospital in Lviv. Conductive Ten20 Paste will be used to conduct EEG tests and detect possible seizure activities in the pediatric patients at St Nicholas Hospital in Lviv. Here’s what Dr. Mariia Pavliuk wrote back to us after receiving the package:
Thank you so so much! I received everything! And unpacked today! It somehow raised my mood, because today I discovered that a colleague of mine from Vinnytsia died because of missile attack that was couple weeks ago… he had burn injuries of more than 40% of skin and didn’t survive. He was my age, he had a family and he also built a plans how to improve pediatric neurology care in Ukraine. And now he is dead because of rocket which attacked him while he was at work… I am destroyed… Please take care, and thank you for everything you are doing for us! Big hugs!
Americares continues to support Ukrainian Civilian Hospitals with another generous donation of medication. Our trusted parter on the ground Zdorovi is in the process of distributing the medications to hospitals in need.
We are still in the process of distributing the Medela WoundVacs (and its necessary parts) to hospitals in need across Ukraine.
New generous donor Dukal, a medical equipment manufacturer, donated an entire 40ft container of gauze and sponges which is now en route via sea to Ukrainian Hospitals. These much needed medical supplies will be used in ORs across Ukraine during surgeries.
Razom has shipped over 85,000 IFAKs to Ukraine, and our team of warehouse volunteers in the US packs on average 6,000-8,000 IFAKs per week. Ever wondered what it takes to reach that kind of scale, and more importantly, who shows up to volunteer their time to do the work well and why? We recently published a beautiful piece about it on our website, spotlighting nine out of the 400 amazing people who do this work — a marketer, an IT pro, multiple husband-wife duos, a retired US veteran, a project manager, a teacher, and a doctor. Read their amazing stories here.
Please join us in Washington, D.C. for a Ukraine Action Summit! We invite individuals organizations — not just Ukrainian groups, either! — who are invested in advocating for Ukraine to Washington from September 18-21. The Action Summit is co-sponsored by Razom for Ukraine, the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, United Help Ukraine, U.S.-Ukrainian Activists, the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC), Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA), Ukrainian Catholic University Foundation, Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America, MedGlobal, the Syria Faith Initiative, the American Coalition for Syria, the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan, and Florida For Ukraine. Organizations interested in co-sponsoring should reach out to summit@americancoalitionforukraine.org This Action Summit will be an opportunity for organizations and advocates all over the U.S. to coalesce in Washington, D.C. and exchange best advocacy practices to continue educating our elected representatives about why the U.S. must continue helping Ukraine prevail. Your voice is critical both to our joint advocacy efforts, as well as to ensuring that members of Congress understand how important it is to help Ukrainians prevail against this ruthless invasion. Please be sure to register here by August 30, 2022.
This Saturday, August 13th at 3:30pm join us at Times Square for a protest to demand actions from the international community in order to release Ukrainian prisoners of war. Various international organizations have taken responsibility for the safety of captured Ukrainian soldiers, but all we see is the horrific killing of Ukrainian POWs as a result of a treacherous terrorist act by russia in Olenivka. Join us and speak out against censorship in social networks and inaction on the part of international organizations. We will not let the world forget about Ukrainians who defend the liberty and values of the entire free world. __ Цієї суботи, 13 серпня, о 15:30, Таймс-Сквер приєднуйтесь до нашого протесту та вимагайте дій щодо звільнення українських військовополонених. Різні міжнародні організації взяли на себе відповідальність за безпеку наших полонених солдатів, але ми бачимо лише жахливі вбивства українських військовополонених внаслідок віроломного терористичного акту Росії в Оленівці. Приєднуйтесь щоб висловитися проти цензури в соціальних мережах, брехні та бездіяльності міжнародних організацій. Ми не дамо світу забути про українських воїнів, які захищають свободу та цінності всього вільного світу.
There are a lot of amazing folks around the globe organizing events and fundraisers in fun and interesting ways, and this week we want to spotlight the Door County Candle Company, a small Ukrainian, family-owned, Wisconsin business that has donated over $700,000 to Razom through its Ukraine candle sales since the invasion. It’s doubling down its “Light to Unite” donation efforts to meet a $1M donation goal on or before Ukraine’s national Independence Day on August 24.
From now until 8/24, the company will be donating $5 from every online sale of its traditional yellow Lemongrass and blue Lakeshore 16 oz. candles– the official colors of Ukraine, and will continue to donate 100% of profits from its Ukraine candle.
This little but mighty shop has made tremendous impact on Razom thanks to the commitment and creativity of its young Ukrainian-American owner, Christiana Gorchynsky Trapani and her surrounding community, to fulfill record breaking amounts of orders.
Online: a round-up of incredible Ukrainian art for a cause!
Black and White Project Space is sponsoring Buy an Icon – Save a Life in Ukraine art auction featuring the work of Ukrainian artists Sonia Atlantova and Olexander Klimenjko titled Icons on Ammunition Boxes. Since 2015, they have painted on wooden fragments from military ammunition boxes left by russian soldiers on the battle fields in Eastern Ukraine, found by Ukrainian deminers and rescued by medical volunteers from the Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital (PFVMH). 100% of sale proceeds will go to PFVMH (ПДМШ), a Razom grantee partner. You can learn more about their amazing work here.
Awethentic Gallery has curated an Art for Ukraine collection featuring paintings and prints from a variety of renowned Ukrainian artists. Some of their works focus on the recent Russian invasion while others focus on the beauty of Ukraine. In the collection, 20-100% of the net proceeds will go to Razom and the World Central Kitchen.
The Art Auction for Ukraine showcase will continue to run until Sunday, August 14th providing access to the work of Ukrainian artist, both local and living in Ukraine right now while fundraising for Razom and Nova Ukraine.
In New York:
On August 13th and 14th at 7:30PM, the Irondale Ensemble Project in Brooklyn will bring “Mom on Skype” to New York City audiences. In a bomb shelter in Lviv, Ukraine, a young soldier on duty, rehearses a play that he has directed about the separation and disconnection of children and parents. His cast is comprised of 9 children between the ages of 10 and 14 including his own daughter. Children who, overnight, have had to deal with the realities of missiles directed at them, bombs falling around them, and the fear that at any moment a family member or they themselves might die. Come see these incredible kids and support their trip to the US!
On Saturday, September 24th, 6AM-6PM, New York Cycle Club’s 28th Annual Escape New York Ride (ENY’22) will have an opportunity to fundraise for Razom. Use Code RAZOM2022 to save $20 on registration and donate $22 of the registration fee to Razom. Riders who raise $500 or more will win a free jersey! For further details, visit enynycc.org/causes.
In Illinois:
Join Chicago from August 10th-12th to break the Guinness World Record for the largest cereal box mosaic by building a Ukrainian flag at the iconic Grand Banking Hall of Wintrust Financial. Your donations to the Chicago Children United for Ukraine Cereal Box Mosaic Project, coupled with Kellog’s donation of 5,000 boxes of cereal, will allow us to raise money for Razom’s work and that of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
In New Hampshire:
On Sunday, August 14th, 3-9PM, Bradford, NH is hosting a Stand With Ukraine Fundraiser at the Bradford Center Meetinghouse with all proceeds going to Razom. Join us for an afternoon of Ukrainian food and song, a local silent art auction, and music. Bring your picnic blankets and your own bowl, cup and cutlery to refuse waste.
In Minnesota:
On Sat, August 20th to Sun, August 21st, 10AM – 8PM SLAVIC EXPERIENCE is coming toBoom Island Park in Northeast Minneapolis. A welcoming space for people of Slavic heritage to commemorate, celebrate, and share the richness and diversity of Eastern European traditions and customs with the greater Twin Cities community.
In the UK:
On Wednesday, September 7th, 7-9PM the Young Professionals of the Danish-UK Association welcome Londoners to come and enjoy their end of summer concert at Box-Park Wembley. All proceeds from the evening will benefit Razom.
Thank you so much for reading this newsletter, for keeping up to date with Razom, and for your support of Ukraine. We’re so glad you’re with us.
Razom continues to work tirelessly to defend Ukraine’s freedom because it means saving lives and building a more prosperous Ukraine. These past few weeks, we’ve worked on scaling and systematizing our work between Ukraine and the U.S. as some of our team traveled to Ukraine. We’re still organizing rallies every week, breaking our own records of the number of IFAKs we pack in a day, supporting our partners, and delivering on the most urgent needs of first responders, defenders, hospitals, and IDPs in Ukraine. Whether you can give $10 or $1,000, every little bit helps.
Dear Razom Community,
We hope you caught our Impact Report published last month on our emergency response work since the start of the invasion in February. The scale of the work is immense. It simply would not have been possible for us to achieve so much without your support, and for that we are grateful. But we have a lot more to do and we are committed to sharing in the work with you, so without further ado-
When some of our US-based team traveled to Ukraine last month, Razom hosted a mini conference in Lviv to bring together our Ukrainian team, partners, volunteers, and grantees, and discuss how we can help each other to be as efficient as possible to make sure Ukraine wins this war with the minimum possible price in human lives and suffering.
Even though on that Saturday of July 16 Lviv had an air raid, our gracious hosts at the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) gave us access to a venue space that also doubled as a bomb shelter, allowing 150 people in attendance to carry on with the conference without interruption.
Dozens of organizations took part in the event including: Nova Ukraine, Patients of Ukraine, Zdorovi, BUR, Promprylad, Teple Misto, Avtomaidan, Rescue Now, and the Bohdan Havrylyshyn Family, among many others.
Honored guests of the event were UGCC Metropolitan Borys Gudziak, historian and publicist Yaroslav Hrytsak, musician and gallerist Pavlo Gudimov, and public and political figure Yulia Marushevska.
In July, Razom volunteers at our New Jersey warehouse set a new record of the most IFAKs assembled in one day — 3,076! Despite the hot weather, the team unites every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday to pack all kinds of supplies, from things that stop the bleeding to tactical medical backpacks. In the past month alone, they’ve assembled 30% of the 80,000+ IFAKs we’ve been able to ship to Ukraine since the invasion.
If you want to help (in Port Reading, NJ), join our Signal group to find all the details.
The continuous support of organizations in the US making in-kind donations of medical equipment and medicines to Razom has kept us incredibly busy fulfilling the deliveries of that aid with the help of our partners on the ground like Zdorovi and Patients of Ukraine.
Razom procured Medela WoundVacs along with all the necessary consumable parts (canisters & foam dressings) to be distributed throughout Ukraine. This equipment is headed to the hospitals in dire need of wound vacs, as a result of traumatic injuries inflicted on Ukrainian population.
Americares, one of our most generous partners who continues to send medications and medical supplies to hospitals all over Ukraine, procured supplemental nutrition for Ukrainian Hospitals. This highly caloric supplemental nutrition ensures that patients get all the nutrients they need while healing. Zdorovi is in the process of distributing this donation among the regions with most need.
Direct Relief also continues to support Ukraine via Razom by delivering 18 medical backpacks filled with first aid medicine and supplies. They’re in the process of being distributed by our team to paramedics who will utilize them to save lives en route to Civilian Hospitals.
A 40ft sea container of durable medical equipment (walkers, stretchers, wheelchairs, crutches, hospital beds) is on its way to Razom’s warehouse. This was made possible due to the generous donations from our partners at AFYA Foundation. We’ll be assembling and shipping another 40ft container here in Yonkers soon.
80 women’s kits with hygiene products, medicine, emergency contraception and water purifiers donated by Leda Health and Voice Amplified were distributed in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions (areas currently under occupation) by our partner March for Women’s Rights (@marshzhinok).
Please join us in Washington, D.C. for a Ukraine Action Summit! We invite individuals organizations — not just Ukrainian groups, either! — who are invested in advocating for Ukraine to Washington from September 18-21. This Action Summit will be an opportunity for organizations and advocates all over the U.S. to coalesce in Washington, D.C. It will be an opportunity to exchange best advocacy practices and to continue educating our elected representatives about why the U.S. must continue helping Ukraine prevail. The Action Summit will consist of: 1) an Advocacy Workshop, 2) a roundtable discussion with all representatives of organizations who are present, 3) meetings with congressional offices, and 4) a reception in the Rayburn House Office Building.
Your voice is critical both to our joint advocacy efforts, as well as to ensuring that members of Congress understand how important it is to help Ukrainians prevail against this ruthless invasion. Please be sure to register: https://sites.google.com/view/americancoalitionforukraine/summit?authuser=0 by August 30, 2022.
The form will ask you to indicate whether you are joining as the representative of an organization, and whether you have experience with advocating elected officials. The Ukraine Action Summit is sponsored by organizations in the American Coalition for Ukraine. Look out for more info on each organization!
This Saturday, August 6th at 3pm, we will have a silent protest across 9 locations in Manhattan. If you’d like to participate, please submit your information using this link: https://tinyurl.com/59yfmwft
We will hold the photographs of the war to show all the atrocities and devastation that #terrorussia brought to Ukraine. The war is not over. #StandWithUkraine and join our silent protest!
Цієї суботи, 6 серпня о 15:00, ми проведемо мовчазний протест у 9 локаціях на Мангеттені. Якщо ви бажаєте прийняти участь, надішліть свою інформацію за допомогою цього посилання: https://tinyurl.com/59yfmwft
Учасники будуть тримати в руках фотографії, що демонструють жахи і руїну, що принесла росія на Українську землю. Приєднуйтесь до нашої акції на підтримку України!
There are a lot of amazing folks around the globe organizing events and fundraisers in fun and interesting ways, and we will continue to spotlight those that cross our radar.
Online: a round-up of incredible Ukrainian art for a cause!
Black and White Project Space is sponsoring Buy an Icon – Save a Life in Ukraine art auction featuring the work of Ukrainian artists Sonia Atlantova and Olexander Klimenjko titled Icons on Ammunition Boxes. Since 2015, they have painted on wooden fragments from military ammunition boxes left by russian soldiers on the battle fields in Eastern Ukraine, found by Ukrainian deminers and rescued by medical volunteers from the Pirogov First Volunteer Mobile Hospital (PFVMH). 100% of sale proceeds will go to PFVMH (ПДМШ), a Razom grantee partner. You can learn more about their amazing work here.
Awethentic Gallery has curated an Art for Ukraine collection featuring paintings and prints from a variety of renowned Ukrainian artists. Some of their works focus on the recent Russian invasion while others focus on the beauty of Ukraine. In the collection, 20-100% of the net proceeds will go to Razom and the World Central Kitchen.
The Art Auction for Ukraine showcase will continue to run until Sunday, August 14th providing access to the work of Ukrainian artist, both local and living in Ukraine right now while fundraising for Razom and Nova Ukraine.
In New York:
On August 13th and 14th at 7:30PM, the Irondale Ensemble Project in Brooklyn will bring “Mom on Skype” to New York City audiences. In a bomb shelter in Lviv, Ukraine, a young soldier on duty, rehearses a play that he has directed about the separation and disconnection of children and parents. His cast is comprised of 9 children between the ages of 10 and 14 including his own daughter. Children who, overnight, have had to deal with the realities of missiles directed at them, bombs falling around them, and the fear that at any moment a family member or they themselves might die. Come see these incredible kids and support their trip to the US!
On Saturday, September 24th, 6AM-6PM, New York Cycle Club’s 28th Annual Escape New York Ride (ENY’22) will have an opportunity to fundraise for Razom. Use Code RAZOM2022 to save $20 on registration and donate $22 of the registration fee to Razom. Riders who raise $500 or more will win a free jersey! For further details, visit enynycc.org/causes.
On Thursday, October 6th from 6:30-10PM the Ukrainian Institute of America is hosting the Sunflower Gala fundraising for Razom’s humanitarian relief work. The evening will include a special menu designed by Veselka, and special performances by Pavlo Glyntov, Vira Slyvotzky, Alisa Smarichevskaya, and opera singer Ludmila Fesenko.
In Illinois:
Join Chicago from August 10th-12th to break the Guinness World Record for the largest cereal box mosaic by building a Ukrainian flag at the iconic Grand Banking Hall of Wintrust Financial. Your donations to the Chicago Children United for Ukraine Cereal Box Mosaic Project, coupled with Kellog’s donation of 5,000 boxes of cereal, will allow us to raise money for Razom’s work and that of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
In New Hampshire:
On Sunday, August 12th, 3-9PM, Bradford, NH is hosting a Stand With Ukraine Fundraiser at the Bradford Center Meetinghouse with all proceeds going to Razom. Join us for an afternoon of Ukrainian food and song, a local silent art auction, and music. Bring your picnic blankets and your own bowl, cup and cutlery to refuse waste.
In Minnesota:
On Sat, August 20th to Sun, August 21st, 10AM – 8PM SLAVIC EXPERIENCE is coming toBoom Island Park in Northeast Minneapolis. A welcoming space for people of Slavic heritage to commemorate, celebrate, and share the richness and diversity of Eastern European traditions and customs with the greater Twin Cities community.
In the UK:
On Wednesday, September 7th, 7-9PM the Young Professionals of the Danish-UK Association welcome Londoners to come and enjoy their end of summer concert at Box-Park Wembley. All proceeds from the evening will benefit Razom.
Continuing our Razom Says Dyakuyu (“thank you” in Ukrainian) series, we want to spotlight some amazing stories of generosity, support, and simple organizing to fundraise for Razom’s work in helping Ukraine. We’ve collected a lot of these stories over the past 4+ months, and they continue to sustain us and inspire us. Check out our Updates for the full stories.
Thank you so much for reading this newsletter, for keeping up to date with Razom, and for your support of Ukraine. We’re so glad you’re with us.
Kharkiv region was always considered one of the most russified regions of Ukraine. Sharing not only a border but close family ties with russia, Kharkiv residents often learned and spoke russian as their first language for many generations. Despite that in 2013-2014, they proved that patriotism is about love for your country and people that can’t be destroyed by the centuries of forced russification.
Today, Kharkiv is holding back the numerous russian army and withstanding the continuous ruthless attacks, both at the front lines and in residential areas. While the world is seemingly getting tired of the war in Ukraine, tireless volunteer work is a huge factor in supporting both military and civilians. Volunteers feed people, provide them with medicine and shelter. It is because of their work, people have a sense of protection and hope for tomorrow. That is why Razom for Ukraine actively supports the civil sector by providing them with grants and humanitarian aid.
For example, the NGO “Here and Now” (“Тут і Зараз“) has recently received a $12,000 grant that allowed them to provide food packages to temporarily displaced families in the Kharkiv region. At the beginning of the war, “Here and Now” activists collected money and resources among themselves and close acquaintances. Being true to their name, they tried to help however they could – here and now. In addition to feeding refugees, collecting and distributing humanitarian aid and medical supplies, they purchased and repaired 2 pickup trucks and 2 Land Rovers for Ukrainian soldiers. The organization that started with a group of relatives and friends has now helped thousands of people.
Responding to the immediate needs of the people affected by the war, “Here and Now” volunteers didn’t focus on publicity and spreading the word about their kind deeds, but on what they could do best – help Ukrainians in need. So we kindly ask you to visit, like and share posts on their Facebook page which will certainly cheer them up.
Learn more about Razom Grants program, and support Ukrainian volunteers on the ground by donating today.
This week, the Razom Advocacy Team completed 40 (!) meetings with different Congressional offices on the Hill!
The meetings centered around the offices of the Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee to make sure Ukraine has the support it needs from Congress to win the war. Members of the Razom Advocacy Team spent a total of four days meeting with offices back-to-back and speaking with staffers about House Resolution 1205 on condemning russia’s action in Ukraine as genocide, discussing further legislation for Ukraine in terms of military and humanitarian aid, offering updates on Razom’s work on the ground, and building relationships for continued support of Ukraine through Congress.
We thanked each office for their tireless work in support of Ukraine over the past five months – and you should too! Don’t forget to call and write to your representatives in Congress to thank them for their support of Ukraine and also let them know that you wish for that support to continue. Consider also inviting your representatives to the Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations in your community on August 24th! Congress will be on recess and most Members will be in their districts. Has your representative ever tried Borshch before? Call them and ask! Let’s help Ukraine – together, #Razom.
Most Westerners can’t imagine fleeing their homes running from bombs and rockets. Unfortunately, Ukrainians already experienced this in 2014, when Donbas inhabitants fled the first attempts to inflict “russian peace” on their land. The full-scale invasion forced millions of people to seek shelter, having nothing but a passport and a change of clothes. If it weren’t for Ukrainian charities, displaced people would have nowhere to sleep or eat. Charitable fund “Teple Sertse” (eng. “Warm Heart”) is one of the organizations that give these people hope.
Charitable fund “Teple Sertse” was founded in 2018 in Novomoskovsk, Dnipropetrovsk region. Before the war, they were helping low-income and multi-children families. Now the organization has expanded its work to help displaced and war-affected people. Food kits for military troops, diapers and baby food for children, sleeping bags and cots for air defense personnel, sweets and pasta for a restaurant that serves displaced people – volunteers from “Teple Sertse” manage to get all this done in just one day. The town of Novomoskovsk lies very close to Kharkiv, Lugansk, and Donetsk, but it didn’t face active military conflicts or air raids. That’s why it became a hub for displaced people from the affected regions. “Teple Sertse” also works beyond Novomoskovsk, helping people in the hotspots.
The war’s first months depleted the fund’s resources, and “Teple Sertse” reached out to Razom. The appeal resulted in an $18,000 grant. Thanks to this contribution, the fund was able to aid families with numerous children. They have packed and distributed 1,545 humanitarian packages to Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Donetsk inhabitants.
Charitable fund “Teple Sertse” is on Instagram @teple.serce and Facebook. Thanks to the detailed reporting and outstanding performance, the foundation has created strong, trusting connections with donors. Recently, Razom for Ukraine authorized another $12,000 grant that will aid many people affected by the war.
Razom Grants:
Given humanitarian needs change by the hour and come from multiple geographical points at the same time, Razom awards grants to grassroots initiatives in Ukraine who are responding quickly to the needs of civilians and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Learn more here.
We are excited to share with you our series Razom Says Dyakuyu. “Dyakuyu” means “thank you” in Ukrainian. Our work supporting Ukraine and getting humanitarian aid on the ground where it is needed most, would not be possible without the generous donations made by donors. With this series, we are highlighting some of the amazing donors and unique fundraisers that have supported Razom.
Theater has always been an important tool during dark times and today it acts as a creative outlet and a way to help Ukraine since russia’s brutal, full-scale invasion in February.
Razom is grateful to have become a beneficiary of Shakespeare with Benefits, a theater company of professional actors who perform a “bard-based variety show” and raise funds for various charitable organizations working towards the betterment of our shared society.
“As we watched the horror of Putin’s illegal and immoral war on Ukraine unfold, everyone desperately wanted to help,” said Kate Konigisor, founder and director of Shakespeare with Benefits. “So, as actors we did what we do best and mobilized our theater company to perform our show in order to raise more funds than any of us could have individually.”
On Tuesday, May 10, the actors performed in front of a packed house at the West End Theater in the historic Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew – a space that gives non-profit professional theater groups a platform. Viewers were captivated by the witty performances of well-known and lesser-known plays of the Bard of Avon. Two Razom representatives spoke with those in attendance about the work our volunteers do to help people on the ground in Ukraine.
In addition to staging the performance, the team of Shakespeare with Benefits actors organized an online GoFundMe campaign and put together a set of prizes to be raffled off. As a result, close to $14,000 was collected and transferred to Razom’s Emergency Response project.
“Razom for Ukraine was the perfect beneficiary because of the vital work they are doing in Ukraine, getting medical supplies where needed and so much more,” Konigisor said.
Razom and all the people who we’ve been able to support on the ground in Ukraine during the war say “dyakuyu” to Shakespeare with Benefits for their creativity and support!
We are excited to share with you our series Razom Says Dyakuyu. “Dyakuyu” means “thank you” in Ukrainian. Our work supporting Ukraine and getting humanitarian aid on the ground where it is needed most, would not be possible without the generous donations made by donors. Within this series we are highlighting some of the thousands of amazing donors and fundraisers that Razom has been very fortunate to gain support of.
Students at Northeastern University in Boston came together to fundraise more than $30,000 for Ukrainian relief efforts this spring. Ukrainian-American students Deanna Zawadiwsky, Terenia Hankewycz, and Zachar Hankewycz organized a Ukrainian Cultural Club at the University with Deanna becoming its first president, Terenia vice-president, and Zachar its treasurer.
The students sent Razom a detailed letter on how they started the club, fundraised, and got their community involved. We are reprinting their letter, written by current Northeastern University Ukrainian Cultural Club president Zachar, in the hopes that it may inspire other students.
Razom and all the people who we’ve been able to support on the ground in Ukraine during the war say “dyakuyu” to Deanna, Terenia, Zachar, and all the students at Northeastern University who contributed.
Letter from Zachar Hankewycz, Current President of Northeastern University Ukrainian Cultural Club:
At the start of the academic year, the Ukrainian Cultural Club didn’t officially exist at Northeastern University. We were an informal group of 5-10 Ukrainians who met up occasionally for social and cultural events (like cooking varenyky and creating pysanky). Most of us were from the Ukrainian diaspora, and many of us knew each other before college through Plast.
The night the war started, we all knew we had to do something. The thought of sitting through lectures or work as if nothing had changed was just unbearable, so we decided to hold a rally and fundraise the very next day. Each of us took a day off from work or classes. In the morning, we made signs and printed leaflets to hand out; at noon, we gathered in a central location on campus.
Our original group was small, and although we tried to publicize our event, we didn’t expect many participants on such short notice. But we were shocked – students showed up from all around the Boston area, from BU, Suffolk University, Berklee, and Tufts, to name a few. Many were Ukrainian, but we were also joined by students of various other backgrounds, stopping by between classes to hold a sign and support us.
Our initial fundraising goal was $1,000, and to incentivize donations, our group decided that we’d collectively match any donations we received that day. We ended up raising almost $4000 (not including the matching donations)!
After that, we decided two things: that we would continue holding fundraisers, and that we should become an official club. We wanted every Ukrainian student at Northeastern to know that they are not alone, that they have support. With the help of the Center for Intercultural Engagement, we were able to obtain official club status at Northeastern.
So the next week, we did the same thing. We prepared our signs, took a day off, and continued fundraising. Our members made leaflets, posters, stickers, origami flowers, and flag pins to help fundraise. One of our members organized a fundraising fair, and reached out to local businesses for product donations which we could sell. We were joined by the Art Blanche club for the fair, where we sold food and art, played Ukrainian music, and handed out leaflets about the war in Ukraine (and how people can help out). On April 7th, we coordinated a national vigil with over 20 Ukrainian organizations in American universities. Standing on the steps of the central building on campus, with the flag of Ukraine alongside the American flag on the rooftop, our members spoke about Ukraine’s history, its people, and their suffering.
Along the way, various other organizations at Northeastern reached out, asking how they could help. Alpha Epsilon Pi, BURSA (Burmese Student Association), Active Minds, Studio Art Club, Art Blanche, AMSA (American Medical Student Association), and others all held fundraisers for Ukraine, and asked us for advice on potential recipients of these donations.
We’re glad that we’ve managed to connect with so many Ukrainians, including fellow students, in the Boston area as a result, although we wish it was under happier circumstances. Everyone helped out, and everyone supported one another. At the start, there were few of us and we were disorganized; now, we’re an official club with many new members, and we plan to continue fundraising for as long as there is a need.
The war made it extremely difficult to acquire qualified advice on evacuation, legal, economic, and humanitarian issues. Because of the overburdening of official resources, the destruction of communication systems, and the volume of unverified content, people cannot receive critical information promptly. That is why initiatives like Visit Ukraine are so important.
Millions of Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in other cities or abroad. Fearful, with no guarantees about tomorrow or even today, people were left wondering what to do next. What documents are needed to cross the border? Where to go to get assistance in a new country? How can a foreigner leave Ukraine safely? How to get help in the occupied territories? How to return to Ukraine at no cost? Every day, a team of 25 competent specialists answers these and many other equally important questions. The Visit Ukraine hotline is open 24/7 to help refugees, displaced people, and foreign citizens affected by the war on Ukrainian territory.
Between February 24 and the end of May, more than 70,000 people received personal consultations via phone and other communication channels (website chat, Telegram, WhatsApp). The number of website users in May exceeded 137,000. Moreover, Visit Ukraine creates and distributes proven informational content translated into four languages for users’ convenience. Many disoriented people now have answers to questions that quite literally determine their fate, all thanks to the efforts of Visit Ukraine.
Razom for Ukraine provided the Visit Ukraine team with a $4,800 grant. These funds covered the purchase of technical equipment for 20 call-center operators, software, costs associated with distributing information about the website, and content support in Ukrainian and English. The grant also allowed for the addition of 5 call-center operators supplied with all necessary equipment, and currently, Visit Ukraine operators handle approximately 800 requests per day.
We are excited to share with you our series Razom Says Dyakuyu. Dyakuyu means “thank you” in Ukrainian. Our work supporting Ukraine and getting humanitarian aid on the ground where it is needed most, would not be possible without generous donors. With this series we are highlighting some of the amazing donors and fundraisers that have supported Razom.
Walking into elementary school P.S. 340 in Manhattan, our Razom representatives knew exactly where to go for their meeting with third graders who had raised funds for our Emergency Response project. The bulletin board next to one classroom displayed pictures of blue and yellow squares with Razom’s logo along with peace signs, Ukrainian flags, and multi-color hand drawn calls to action, “Help Save Ukraine,” “Peace to Ukraine,” and “Support Razom Together.”
Invited by the school’s principal, Razom volunteers came to visit the young students and accept a check for $2,103. The students wanted to hand their donation to us directly and learn about the ways the funds they collected would help Ukraine.
When the kremlin began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, families across the United States sat down with their children and discussed what individuals could do to help Ukraine. There is always something people in a position of safety can do to help those in imminent danger. Ellie, one of the students, and her family started having conversations on how they could help. They came up with the idea of collecting money that could be donated to help people in Ukraine. Within a few days, Ellie proposed an event and planned it in collaboration with her class.
“The whole school made bracelets and had a fundraiser sale in front of the school,” said a parent of one of the students who participated in the charity sale. Bracelets full of blue and yellow beads were arranged with white beads spelling out the words “peace,” “love,” and “Ukraine.” The bracelets didn’t have a set price. They were offered up for sale to the school community at whatever rates people wished to donate. Parents, teachers, and a wider community participated in the sale. Several hours later, the students counted over $2,000 contributed from the compassionate crowd.
“Everyone was very supportive. Some people gave us all the cash they had with them at the moment,” said one of the students when called on by a teacher to share their impressions with Razom volunteers.Gathered in a semi-circle in front of us, the students one after another posed questions and expressed their thoughts.
Razom and all the people who we’ve been able to support on the ground in Ukraine during the war say “dyakuyu” to P.S. 340 for their support!
