In acknowledgement of all the hard work volunteers, supporters, partners, and donors have put into Razom’s Emergency Response for almost five straight months now, we’ve put together an Impact Report. We’re making history together, #Razom, and we wouldn’t be able to do it any other way. So take a look, read it, share it, and help us continue this great work for Ukraine.
Thank you so much for your support and willingness to help Ukraine in such difficult times. So many of you are taking on efforts to support Razom and Ukraine that we are overwhelmed with requests, questions, and proposals. Our team of volunteers is up 24/7 working tirelessly to scale our efforts to provide what is needed in Ukraine, which can change hour by hour. Before reaching out to info@razomforukraine.org, review our Frequently Asked Questions below.
We can do this. Together!
Razom Team.
How can I send humanitarian aid packages to Ukraine?
Important! Razom is currently focused on shipping only the most urgently needed humanitarian aid that saves lives in Ukraine. This is tactical medicine and supplies, hospital supplies and equipment, and communication equipment (tech enabled emergency response). Razom is not delivering humanitarian aid in the form of clothing, food, toys, etc at the moment, but as the situation evolves we will update the community. We understand your wish to help asap but ask that you hold on to your packages of humanitarian aid (that doesn’t take the form of tacmed or hospital supplies), Ukraine will need it soon. Today the highest priority is life-saving medical aid. Thank you for understanding!
Here’s an official list of acceptable humanitarian aid from Razom. Large quantities of these supplies are accepted at our partners at Meest America with Razom covering the shipment cost. Every large shipment will require a properly filled out manifest.
If you want to donate tactical medicine off of this list for medics in the field in Ukraine, and you are in the US, please contact TacMedUSA@razomforukraine.org.
If you want to donate tactical medicine off of this list for medics in the field in Ukraine, and you are in Europe, please contact TacMedEU@razomforukraine.org.
Whom can I talk to about corporate funds and/or donation matching?
To discuss donation matching and/or large corporate, organization and funds grants & donations, please send your inquiries to donations@razomforukraine.org. There are upwards of 50 companies running matching programs with Razom today. You can find ways to donate to Razom, including all banking information and Razom EIN, on our Donate page.
Can I donate my time and volunteer with Razom?
Thank you for your desire to become a Razom volunteer, who are fundamental to Razom’s success and ability to make an impact in Ukraine. If you would like to become a volunteer, please fill out this form. Right now, we can’t promise to get back in touch with you immediately, but will email you as soon as we get a new volunteer request from our teams. That said, you don’t have to wait around for us to reach out to be able to support and make an impact for Ukraine:
Participate in informational efforts by advocating for Ukraine on your social media. Follow our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter accounts for the latest action items and subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest news on how you can advocate for Ukraine in your community and beyond.
Run a fundraiser on behalf of Razom or other organizations doing great work (you can find more here) and feel free to get as creative as you can. We’ve had people start personal fundraisers for Razom on social media, host benefit concerts, poetry readings, dinners, make tattoos, produce art, and more to get others involved in helping Ukraine. If you’d like to start a GoFundMe campaign, you can choose Razom as the recipient at their platform here. Email your questions about personal and small fundraisers for Razom to donations@razomforukraine.org.
How can I volunteer outside of the US? e.g. in Poland, Ukraine
Thank you for your willingness to help in this way! Razom operates out of the U.S. and Ukraine but with volunteers that span the globe. Given the major security risks our volunteers on the ground in Poland and Ukraine take every day, we are adding to those teams solely via our personal networks to ensure a trusted team. That said, you might find some helpful information on opportunities to volunteer abroad via these links below:
Information on planned rallies around the world can be found here. The list is crowdsourced – you can add information about a rally in your city or town to the list by completing a form on their website. If you don’t see any rallies nearby – consider organizing one, reach out to your local Ukrainian community, start a group on Facebook. Be proactive! Be creative!
Razom will regularly organize and promote rallies in the New York City area as well as rallies meant to bring people from all over the US together in Washington D.C. Just follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter to get alerts.
How does Razom spend its donation money?
Following russia’s attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Razom quickly mobilized an emergency response to save lives. Our priority is to provide critical humanitarian war relief and recovery depending on the most urgent needs as they evolve. Right now this means delivering humanitarian aid in the form of tactical medicine, hospital supplies, and communication equipment, as well as evacuating children with disabilities and their families, and advocacy. Razom maintains an admin rate of no more than 15% (historically averaged below 10%).
We are a US-based, registered 501c3 non-profit, started as a volunteer-driven organization founded after Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity in 2014. You can learn more about Razom on various pages of this website: checkout our Annual Reports from the past eight years, our Board of Directors, our projects and partnerships. Following russia’s attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Razom quickly mobilized its emergency response project to save lives. You can find regular updates on on our Updates page.
Do you help refugees?
We are aware of the large number of Ukrainians who fled or lost their homes as a result of the war. Razom is responding to this in a few ways:
Our advocacy team is spreading awareness about this part of the humanitarian crisis within the international community to make sure that governments are actively working to support refugees.
Razom volunteers from “Children, We Will Make It” (Діти, Ми Встигнемо) campaign are evacuating children with disabilities and their families to safer regions across Ukraine, and in some cases across the border to Poland. You can learn more about their work here.
We are supporting our long-time partners at BUR (Building Ukraine Together) who are helping internally displaced persons in Ukraine.
We have partnered with Ukrainian Jersey City to build out a project that will help displaced Ukrainians located in the Tristate area. For now, the team has created an informational resource for legal information which you can access here.
If you personally, or your organization, is willing to help displaced Ukrainians in a meaningful way, please fill out this form.
If you’re a Ukrainian migrant that needs help, fill out this form.
There are many other organizations, large and small, working in this area. Among them we recommend referencing the following resources:
If you haven’t found an answer to your question on this page, please write to info@razomforukraine.org with the subject “Read FAQ”. Allow us 48 hours to respond. Our resources are limited, but we are doing our best to follow up as fast as we can. Thank you for understanding!
ПОШИРЕНІ ЗАПИТАННЯ
Щиро дякуємо за підтримку та готовність допомогти Україні у такі важкі часи!
Ми надзвичайно перевантажені запитами. Наша команда волонтерів працює цілодобово, без вихідних, оскільки ми щогодини масштабуємо наші зусилля, щоб забезпечити те, що потрібно в Україні.
Через велику кількість повідомлень і запитів ми настійно рекомендуємо спершу шукати відповіді в цьому розділі «Поширені запитання».
Переможемо. Разом!
Команда Razom
Як я можу відправити гуманітарну/медичну допомогу?
Важливо! Наразі ми повністю зосереджені на найнагальнішій потребі в медичній допомозі – тактичні медзасоби та медзасоби і обладнання для українських лікарень. Наразі Razom (!) НЕ доставляє гуманітарну допомогу (таку як одяг, їжу, іграшки, тощо), коли ситуація змінеться, ми відразу сповістемо про це на наших каналах, як тільки почнемо збирати та доставляти гуманітарну допомогу. Ми розуміємо ваше бажання допомогти, але просимо вас притримати ваші пакети гуманітарної допомоги, бо вона дуже скоро знадобиться в Україні. Але сьогодні найвищим пріоритетом є медична допомога, яка рятує життя. Дякуємо за розуміння!
Наші партнери в Meest приймають наступні засобів першої допомоги та тактичного медичного забезпечення в великих обсягах, а Razom покриває відправлення – офіційний список необіхдної та прийнятної медичної допомоги (в великих кількостях)! Кожне велике відправлення вимагає правильно заповненого маніфесту.
Якщо ви хочете пожертвувати тактичну медицину для польових медиків і ви перебуваєте в США, пишіть на TacMedUSA@razomforukraine.org.
Якщо ви хочете пожертвувати тактичну медицину для польових медиків і ви перебуваєте в Європі, пишіть на TacMedEU@razomforukraine.org.
Для будь-яких пожертв для лікарень або з лікарень, будь ласка, зв’яжіться з нами за адресою hospitals@razomforukraine.org.
Куди писати щодо корпоративних грантів? Про donation matching?
Щодо великих пожертвувань та корпоративних, організаційних та фондових грантів, а також donation matching, будь ласка, надсилайте свої запити на donations@razomforukraine.org. На нашій сторінці Donate можна знайти всі способи пожертвування, включно із банківською інформацією та номером Razom EIN.
Чим я можу допомогти? Чи можу я стати волонтером у Razom?
Дякуємо за ваше бажання допомогти! Волонтери є основою успіху і здатності Razom допомагати Україні. Якщо ви хочете стати волонтером, будь ласка, заповніть цю форму. Наразі ми не можемо обіцяти, що зв’яжемося з вами негайно, і напишемо як тільки отримаємо нові запити на волонтерів від наших команд. Тим не менш, вам не потрібно чекати на нас, у вас вже є можливісті підтримати Україну вже сьогодні:
Беріть участь в інформаційних заходах, відстоюючи Україну в соціальних мережах. Слідкуйте за нашими Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, щоб дізнатися про останні ініціативи, а також підписуйтесь на нашу імейл розсилку, щоб отримувати останні новини про те, як ви можете відстоювати Україну у своїй громаді та за її межами;
Запустіть збір коштів від імені Razom або інших організацій, які роблять чудову роботу (докладніше ви можете знайти тут) і не соромтеся проявляти якомога більше креативності. Різні люди розпочинали особистий збір коштів для Razom у соціальних мережах, проводили благодійні концерти, читання віршів, вечорі, робили татуювання, створювали мистецтво тощо, все щоб залучити інших до допомоги Україні. Якщо ви хочете розпочати кампанію GoFundMe, ви можете вибрати Razom як одержувача на їхній платформі тут. Надсилайте свої запитання щодо особистих та малих фандрейзінгів для Razom на електронну адресу donations@razomforukraine.org.
Як я можу стати волонтером за межами США? напр. в Польщі
Дякуємо за вашу готовність допомогти! На жаль, зараз мизараз ми працюємо переважно зі Сполучених Штатів і зосереджені на доставці медичної та іншої терміново необхідної допомоги. Ми не можемо надати інформацію про точні можливості волонтерства за межами США, проте, можливо, ви можете знайти корисну інформацію та можливості за цими посиланнями або в інших організаціях:
Інформацію про всі заплановані мітинги можна знайти тут і перелік регулярно оновлюється. Ви можете додати інформацію про мітинг у вашому місті до списку, заповнивши форму на їхньому сайті. Якщо ви не знайшли мітингів поблизу – спробуйте організувати самі, зверніться до місцевої української громади, створіть групу у Facebook. Будьте ініціативними! Будьте креативними!
Razom буде регулярно організовувати та рекламувати мітинги в районі Нью-Йорка, а також мітинги, спрямовані на об’єднання людей з усіх куточків США у місті Вашингтон, округ Колумбія. Щоб отримувати сповіщення слідкуйте за нами в соціальних мережах або підписуйтесь на нашу електронну розсилку.
Як Razom витрачає зібрані кошти?
Після нападу Росії на Україну 24 лютого 2022 року проект Razom миттєво відреагував на надзвичайну ситуацію в Україні заради порятунку життя людей. Нашим пріоритетом є надання критичної гуманітарної допомоги найбільш нагальним потребам по мірі їх розвитку. Наразі це означає доставку гуманітарної допомоги у вигляді тактичної медицини, медичних товарів та засобів зв’язку, евакуацію дітей з обмеженими можливостями та їхніх сімей, а також підвищення обізнанності про війну в Україні. Razom підтримує адміністративні витрати не більше 15% (а історично, в середньому – нижче 10%).
Слідкуйте за нашим останніми новинами про розвиток і вплив нашого проекту та повний його огляд на нашій сторінці Razom Emergency Response.
Чи Разом є офіційно-зареєстрованою неприбутковою організацією?
Ми є зареєстрованою в США неприбутковою організацією зі статусом 501c3, заснованою у 2014 році після Революції Гідності. Ви можете дізнатися більше про Razom на різних сторінках нашого сайту: перевірьте звітність за минулі роки, познайомтесь з нашою радою, дізнайтесь більше про наші проекти та те, що вже було зроблено за 8 років. У зв’язку із загостренням надзвичайної та критичної ситуації в Україні, ми зараз працюємо над тим, щоб почати щоденні звіти на нашому акаунті, будь ласка, слідкуйте за оновленнями на нашій сторінці Updates.
Чи допомагаєте ви біженцям?
Ми знаємо про велику кількість українців, які втратили свої домівки внаслідок війни або змушені були покинути Україну. Razom реагує на це кількома способами:
Наша команда активістів поширює обізнаність про цей бік гуманітарної кризи серед міжнародної спільноти, щоб переконатися, що уряди країн світу активно працюють над підтримкою українських біженців.
Волонтери Razom з ініціативи “Children, We Will Make It” (Діти, ми встигнемо) евакуюють дітей з інвалідністю та їхні сім’ї до безпечних регіонів України, а в деяких випадках – за кордон, до Польщі. Детальніше про їхню роботу можна дізнатися тут.
Ми підтримуємо наших давніх партнерів БУР (Будуємо Україну разом), які допомагають переселенцям всередені України.
Ми об’єдналися з Ukrainian Jersey City, заради розробки проекту допомоги українським переселенцям у районі Tristate.
Якщо ви особисто або ваша організація бажаєте суттєво допомогти українським переселенцям, будь ласка, заповніть цю форму: https://forms.gle/sitAyYwaNQSjHPgBA.
Дякуємо за неймовірну підтримку України, українського народу та «Разом»!
Якщо ви не знайшли відповіді на своє конкретне запитання на цій сторінці, будь ласка, напишіть на електронну адресу: info@razomforukraine.org з темою “Read FAQ”.
Очікуйте відповідь впродовж 48 годин. Наші ресурси обмежені, але ми робимо все можливе. Дякуємо за розуміння!
At the Meest warehouse in Port Reading, New Jersey, hundreds of Razom volunteers of all ages and backgrounds have been hard at work since the early days of russia’s full-scale invasion. They are packing individual first aid kits (IFAKs) and tactical medical backpacks that get shipped to Ukraine and distributed to those who might find themselves in need of first medical help across the country, saving limbs and lives.
With music playing in the background, an organized assembly line powered by volunteers produces 6,000 to 8,000 IFAKs every week. The team recently broke a record – packing over 3,000 IFAKs in one shift.
Andriy Boychuk, who helps organize the process, starts his volunteer days at 7 a.m. Supplies bought off Razom’s Amazon wishlist get delivered, opened, and sorted at his home. He takes that over with him to the warehouse to start his shift at 9 a.m.
There are 15 items that go into an IFAK from tourniquets to gauze to burn dressing, and the warehouse works like a conveyor belt with people responsible for packing about three items each into the kit. Before the IFAK is closed, colorful postcards drawn by kids through the Encourage Ukraine initiative are folded in. Those IFAKs go into boxes, and everything is systematized and labeled so people on the receiving end in Ukraine know exactly what to expect, Andriy said.
Prior to February, Boychuk said he didn’t even know what the term “tacmed” – tactical medicine – meant. A marketer by trade, he spoke to Razom co-founder Mariya Soroka and simply said he wanted to help in any way possible. Today, he is the tacmed coordinator.
The war is not over, Andriy Boychuk said. The war is not a trend or fasion that can be trendy today and not tomorrow. Until it’s done, we have to take action, volunteer, donate. Everyone has to be active.
Yuliia Shama had volunteered with Razom’s Co-Pilot Project and participated in the organization’s book club before russia’s invasion. The week before the war started, Razom issued a call for help with medical donations and Yuliia joined the initiative. She was assigned to the emergency response team working on tactical medicine including finding and procuring important supplies, and consulting with military doctors and other medical experts on what would be needed.
Yuliia Shama & Andriy Boychuk
In the early days of the project, approximately 40 people in the United States, Europe and Canada were calling manufacturers and suppliers asking for quotes and looking for high-quality, licensed, and certified supplies, especially high quality tourniquets. “It was 24/7 work for many people to get these quotes and do negotiations,” she said.
In the early weeks, many suppliers donated or waived fees when they found out supplies would be heading to Ukraine. Within three days, the Meest warehouse was full of donations and Shama knew a detailed process and well-organized team was the best way forward.
Today, she’s managing the project in the warehouse and the process is completely streamlined from where to order items to tracking and packing. Donations to Razom are funding purchases of bulk medical supplies going into IFAKs and backpacks.
The most amazing thing, Yuliia Shama said, is to realize that many volunteers only recently met and come from very different backgrounds. We are a very effective team, and as a team everyone is so great. We are working with a lot of understanding.
Shama, who is originally from Kyiv, is in the warehouse three to four days a week and does inventory and makes sure everything is ready before packing starts. She keeps in touch with the supply team to know what is being delivered and manages the other coordinators.
Like many other volunteers, Yuliia is doing all of this on top of a regular job and lives an hour’s drive from the warehouse. Together with Anna Shapoval, who volunteers as a type of HR coordinator for our volunteer network, she found other volunteers and now there’s a team of 20 coordinators. A Signal group chat with over 500 members is moderated by five volunteers who answer questions, provide information, and help people sign up for shifts. As many as 150 people come to volunteer every week, she added.
“This project is on a roll already for five months involving a great amount of human hours of volunteer work that involves tons of communications,” she said.
Shama is immensely grateful to all the people and organizations contributing time, money, and energy to support Ukraine. “There are no safe cities or territories in Ukraine right now,” she said. “It’s important to continue to support Ukraine in any possible way to stop this terror.”
And Razom found a terrific partner working with Meest, Yuliia Shama said. “Meest are the best partners you can ever dream to have.”
In the early days of the war, Razom volunteers and board members approached Meest-America, Inc. about shipping humanitarian aid. They were already familiar with Razom and had lost nearly 85% of its business when the war began. Working together, they were able to revitalize their business on the one hand, and on the other, they were already involved in shipping humanitarian aid. The partnership was a no-brainer.
Razom’s website and Meest’s system are now connected for tracking humanitarian aid that is arriving at the warehouse, and the Razom team is using about 15% of the 92,000 square foot warehouse for packing IFAKs. Donations to Razom cover the costs of shipping aid and the Meest team works on areas including receiving shipments, pallet prep, documentation, and organizing export shipments.
Sergiy BlednovOlena Blyednova
Sergiy Blednov and his wife Olena Blyednova began volunteering in the middle of March. Living only 25 minutes from the warehouse, Sergiy arrives in the morning and makes sure things are organized so volunteers can begin packing aid without any delay. As a coordinator, he organizes items, informs colleagues of any materials running low, and keeps track of all inventory in a spreadsheet. He helps oversee and control the process from getting items to the warehouse all the way to preparing shipping.
Blednov, who works remotely for an IT company, is able to arrange his working day to fit with volunteering. He’s also taken on other crucial responsibilities including bringing pizza at lunchtime and picking music stations to listen to as they pack. With high summer temperatures, Sergiy is installing fans to make sure it’s cooler and volunteers are comfortable working.
For the Blednovs, who have family in Ukraine including their own daughter who went to volunteer with female veterans, volunteering is critically important work.
The war hasn’t finished yet, says Sergiy. We are still fighting and we need more help… We are saving lives and that’s a good reason to help Ukrainian soldiers. But it’s not just for soldiers, it’s for people living in Ukraine with shelling. It’s what we have to do.
For Olena, it’s important to get to know volunteers, make sure every volunteer is comfortable and feels welcomed and also answer any questions on Ukraine. Along with packing, she’s the photographer for the group and posts plenty of photos, so everyone remembers all the volunteers who have come to help.
“It’s tiring work, but when we are all together it’s like family. We will keep going as needed,” she said.
Neil Gussman
Neil Gussman, a retired US veteran, commutes from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, leaving around 6:30 a.m. to drive to the New Jersey warehouse several times a week. Gussman, who has no direct ties to Ukraine, walked into Razom’s East Village office soon after russia’s full-scale invasion, and said he wanted to help. Throughout his career, he’d worked in a grocery warehouse, had experience working at a freight terminal, and as a tank commander in the Army moving supplies. He knew he could help Razom’s efforts.
“Ukraine is on the right side. They got invaded for no reason at all,” he said.
Neil, who has documented his volunteer work on his personal blog, keeps all the boxes on the production line full and has memorized where everything is located – “as soon as something gets low, I fill it up,” he said.
He’s enjoyed the camaraderie of working in the warehouse. “I’m going to keep volunteering. If there’s anything else I can do, I’m going to do it,” Neil said. “Making these medical kits, it really makes me happy to do it, so I’ll keep going.”
Julia Contino saw a Razom Instagram post asking for volunteers and she and her husband Joey signed up and started volunteering in April. They’ve been coming once or twice a week ever since working full shifts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or half shifts from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Joey has become a warehouse coordinator. When Julia’s sister Iryna arrived from Ukraine, she joined in making it a family effort.
Julia CantinoJoey Cantino
“We jump in and pack all the IFAKs. It’s like an assembly line. Once we start, we don’t finish until they are pushing us out and they are closing the warehouse,” Contino said.
Julia moved to the U.S. from Ukraine in 2011 and still has family in Ukraine and friends serving on the frontlines of the war. These days she and her husband carefully plan out their work schedules weeks in advance to make time to volunteer. Together they organized a walkathon to help Ukraine and collected $15,000 in donations for Razom before they started going in to volunteer. They’ve been able to see where the money they raised is going and how it is helping, she said.
Every time Julia is packing she thinks to herself that the next person to open the first aid kit could be a soldier or a wounded person. “Every time you pack it, you put a little bit of your soul into every one of those IFAKs,” she said. As media attention fades around the war, Contino said “we cannot afford to stop, if we stop Ukraine will disappear… we have to keep going. It doesn’t matter how tired we are.”
And it’s not just volunteers coming into the warehouse in New Jersey that support the medical aid efforts. There are two main procurement hubs – one is in Canada managed by Antonina Kumka, and second, on the other side of the country in California’s Bay Area, led by Olena Stadnyuk. They put together lists of the most important supplies, monitor supply levels, connect with big producers for bulk purchases, and procure medical devices including wound VAC machines.
Over the last several months, Olena has navigated supply chain constraints, including tourniquet delays from a large producer and the chip shortage impacting medical devices.
“We spend a lot of time on quality control and only buy special tourniquets from certified well-known providers,” she said. Olena advises anyone sending aid to Ukraine to “Please buy tourniquets which were tested and approved by the Center for Tourniquet Testing like CAT, SAM XT, SOFT or TMT” because untested tourniquets can fail just when they are needed and can cost someone their life. “It is better to buy less or none, than to give someone an illusion of protection only for the tourniquet to lose its grip and for the person to die from massive blood loss” says Stadnyuk.
Olena Stadnyuk
A medical doctor by training, Olena has been sending medical supplies to Ukraine since 2014 when the war in the Donbas region first began. She uses her medical contacts on the ground in Ukraine to speak with the doctors she trained with to understand their wants and needs.
“Children are continuing to die. Women, men are continuing to die in Ukraine, and it needs to stop. We need everyone’s support to stop it because we cannot do it on our own,” she said.
This work is successful and effective due to the efforts of so many motivated people around the world, that we can’t fit them all into this piece. The scale of this work would not have been possible without your generous donations, large and small, and if you’d like to learn more about and support Razom’s Emergency Response efforts funding medical aid shipments, click here.
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.
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!
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.
It is with deep gratitude for solidarity and support that one of the representatives of Razom for Ukraine traveled to JFK airport on 12 July to accept the kind donation of $31,000 from the Terminal 4 team.
The contributed funds had been collected by John F. Kennedy International Airport JFKIAT through the coin collection program of Terminal 4. Within this program, for a period of two months, several coin collection boxes were installed throughout the concourse to provide the passengers and employees with an opportunity to make their contribution towards Ukraine’s achievement of decisive victory. The strategically placed boxes offered people to donate to Razom as well as to learn of additional ways of supporting our organization’s humanitarian relief efforts.
Throughout March and April, the passengers of “one of the most active air terminals in the New York area” made their charitable donations and familiarized themselves with Razom. Having strived to achieve justice for our shared humanity through many other philanthropic actions — such as employee volunteering and community outreach — the JFKIAT team acted on their charitable financial contribution experience and matched the gathered funds for an even greater impact.
“We are devastated by this war and the detrimental impact it has been having on millions of people in Ukraine,” said Roel Huinink, President and CEO of JFKIAT. “We stand with the people of Ukraine, and we hope this donation will help to provide relief and support.”
If we think of the hundreds of thousands and maybe even millions of people that had learned about Razom having passed by the coin boxes with the organization’s logos at the JFK terminal, it is safe to say that JFKIAT’s fundraising project is the gift that will keep on giving.
With Razom volunteers working tirelessly on achieving the speedier victory, we are grateful and say dyakuyu to JFKIAT for their trust in us as an organization to turn their support into the aid to the people of Ukraine!
You can mail a check to 140 2nd. Ave., Suite 305, New York, NY, 10003
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Oblast Competitions
In 2018 we’re planning to cover expenses for 30 teams (6 people per team) at Oblast STEM competitions. Total Budget is $4500
Ruslan Batytskyi
Director, writer and cinematographer with three completed award-winning shorts as well as a feature documentary in post-production. After starting his filmmaker career at 2009, Ruslan brings his skills in project management, process analysis and systems models (received during obtaining MA in cybernetics 2003-2008) and applies them to the creative thinking and artistic thought-processes of film. He also holds BA in Film and Television directing (from the Kyiv National University of theatre, cinema and television by Karpenko-Karyi).
“A chance to participate in The Co-Pilot project it’s an amazing opportunity to help others and to tell the story that will engage and inspire people around the world”
2017 Trip Itinerary
We are gearing up for our 2017 Mission trip. It’ll be a 3-month adventure during which we plan to work with neurosurgeons from several centers from all around the country. Dr.Tomycz has also been invited to deliver an address at the annual Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv.
May 20: arrive in Kyiv, Ukraine
May 22-26: meet with area surgeons at participating centers
May 29- June 9: two week master class with Igor Kurilets MD at the International Neurosurgery Center
June 12-13: Visit to Medical Institute of Sumy State University
June 14-16: Ukrainian Neurosurgery Conference 2017 in Kharkiv
June 19-23: one week course and master class operating in complex spine and craniocervical with Ukrainian spinal surgeons and trainees from Romadanov Institute and International Neurosurgery Center
June 24-July 7: Come back to United States for two weeks
July 10-21: two week master class with Dr. Schlegov at the Neurovascular Institute
July 24-August 4: two week master class in pediatric neurosurgery with surgeons at Lviv Children’s Hospital
August 5-18: travel to out-lying centers of excellence (Stryii, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa)
August 21-31: operate with surgeons at Central Military Hospital and International Neurosurgery Center in Kyiv
September 15: leave Ukraine for United States
Surgical Mentors and Medical Support Staff
The best way to train surgeons is by providing hands-on mentorship and assistance in the operating room. One of the primary goals of the Co-Pilot Project is the continued recruitment of high quality surgeons from United States and Canada to spend time with Ukrainian counterparts, consulting on patients and performing procedures.
Surgical Mentors traveling to Ukraine
Jefferson Miley, MD – neurointerventionalist
Jonathan Forbes, MD – skull base neurosurgeon
Matthew Geck, MD – orthopedic spine surgeon
Not all of the healthcare volunteers will be able to travel to Ukraine but they still will play an important role from home. Utilizing contemporary technology, including live streaming of surgeries and communication via social media the medical support staff will advice and mentor Ukrainian neurosurgeons as they confront difficult cases.
Medical Support Staff
Bido Patel, MD – neuroradiologist
Chandra Krishnan, MD – neuropathologist
Ginger Harrod, MD – neuro-oncologist
Advisory Staff
Tim George, MD – pediatric neurosurgeon
Jim Rose, MD – vascular neurosurgeon
Ryan Murdoch, MD – orthopedic spine surgeon
Patrick Combs, MD – craniofacial surgeon
Nestor Tomycz, MD – functional neurosurgeon
Aaron Stayman, MD – vascular neurologist
Jim Rutka – pediatric neurosurgeon
Ben Warf – pediatric neurosurgeon
Participating Centers in Ukraine Page
Since our exploratory trip in 2016 we have identified a cohort of motivated and talented surgeons who are hungry for additional instruction and eager for collaboration.
Igor Kurilets, MD (International Neurosurgery Center)
Ivan Protsenko, MD (Romadanov Institute)
Kostiantyn Kostiuk, MD (Romadanov Institute)
Vitali Ganjuk, MD (Central Military Hospital, Kyiv)
Taras Mykytyn, MD (Lviv Children’s Hospital)
Dmytro Shcheglov, MD (Neurovascular Institute)
Luke Tomycz, MD
Dr. Luke Tomycz is the newest addition to the pediatric neurosurgical team at Dell Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Tomycz finished first in his high school class of over 200 students and attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA where he double-majored in biology and chemical engineering. He accepted the prestigious Dean’s Full-Tuition Scholarship to attend medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he first developed an interest in neurosurgery. After medical school, he began his formal neurosurgical training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN where he trained under the late Noel Tulipan, MD, a pioneer in fetal neurosurgery for myelomeningocele. During his seven-year residency, he spent two years obtaining an in-folded fellowship in endovascular surgery, becoming proficient in the treatment of aneurysms, AVMs, Moya-Moya syndrome, and complex dural AV fistulae of adults and children. After this, Dr. Tomycz spent an additional year at Seattle Children’s Hospital performing a large volume of complex epilepsy surgery with Jeff Ojemann, MD. Following an exhaustive job search, Dr.Tomycz was attracted to Austin as the city was in the process of launching a new medical school at the University of Texas.
Dr. Tomycz specializes in all aspects of pediatric neurosurgery including brain tumors, epilepsy, Chiari malformation, tethered cord syndrome, CSF shunting, and intracranial endoscopy. As one of the only dual-trained, pediatric and endovascular neurosurgeons in the country, he is particularly interested in Moya-Moya, brain aneurysms and AVMs, arteriovenous fistulae, and other complex neurovascular disorders in children as well as adults. His research interests include the use of engineering innovations to improve treatments for hydrocephalus and he has published on a wide variety of neurosurgical topics. Outside the operating room, Dr. Tomycz enjoys playing guitar and hiking in the mountains. He has travelled extensively to perform neurosurgery and take part in short-term medical mission work – in Cuba, Kenya, Honduras, Ecuador, and Ukraine.
Dr. Tomycz grew up with four grandparents who told stories of their youth and taught their grandchildren the language of their homeland – Ukraine. His parents were both born in refugee camps following the second world war, and came to this country in the early 1950s with virtually nothing. His father excelled in academics and went into medicine, and both Luke and his brother Nestor followed suit, pursuing a career in neurosurgery. During a long period of study and training that lasted more than 15 years, Luke resolved to return to the homeland of his grandparents and provide the kind of high quality care that children receive in the United States.
Mariya Soroka
In 2014 at the peak of protests in the Maidan, Mariya joined several fellow Ukrainians living in New York City to create Razom, a young, energetic, and progressive start-up which seeks to amplify the voice of Ukraine to an American audience. An active member of the board, she is responsible for organizing cultural events as well as cooperating with government representatives, activists, and various civic groups and human rights organizations in support of Ukraine’s quest for democracy.
CPP info
Mariya is also heavily involved with fundraising for Razom’s projects via crowdsourcing, charity events, and online petitions. After graduating from Penn State University with a BA in Advertising and Public Relations and a dual minor in Entrepreneurship and International Studies, Mariya spent over 5 years in Manhattan working within the content marketing industry. She believes in the enormous potential of dedicated volunteers around the world working to rebuild Ukraine one project at a time.
Mariana Magala
Mariana Magala was born in Lviv, Ukraine. She graduated from The University of Chicago in 2013 and holds a B.A. in Economics and Slavic Languages and Literature. Currently, Mariana is a Strategic Analytics Manager at Interline Brands (subsidiary of The Home Depot) in Jacksonville, Florida. She specializes in analytics, business strategy, and nonprofit development. Mariana was the co-chair of a pro-bono consulting group for nonprofits in Chicago for 3 years and is currently the treasurer for a young professionals group at MOSH (Museum of Science and History in Jacksonville).
Mariana joined Razom’s Neurosurgical initiative in 2016. She is very excited to collaborate with the team and develop the initiative into a highly successful program.
