A Year of Gratitude and Service

Principle #5 – See the goodness in people and honor their service to others.

I hope you all had a fun holiday with your family and friends. It seems like the holidays come and go so quickly…I guess time flies as we get older! We had a fantastic Christmas with family. We took a birthday cake to Dana’s niece, who is lucky to have a birthday on Christmas day. We had fun celebrating her special day.

Christmas in Poland is much like ours. At the Dębniki Community Center in Kraków, the KDU team, Ukrainian women, and children decorated a Christmas tree, made Christmas postcards, created beaded ornaments and jewelry, and visited Santa. If you have Facebook, I encourage you to check out the community center’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/swietlicadebniki.

With our well wishes from KDU, here is the summary of Ukrainian families served in 2022:

• More than 7,000 people were helped.
• More than 2,800 visited the pantry/charity shop.
• 1,355 children visited the daycare.
• More than 1000 visits by adults and teenagers in our daycare every month.
• More than 20 vans with humanitarian supplies were sent to Ukraine refugee centers, the Nest, and the Falcon.
• A fantastic team of people from Ukraine, Poland, the UK, and the United States created the community center.
• Worked with many fantastic organizations, to name just the ones our paths have crossed the most: Fundacja Let’s Help Together, Благодійний Фонд «Наш Сокіл» (Charitable Foundation “Our Falcon”), Fundacja WOLNO NAM (SLOW US Foundation), Fundacja Nidaros Громадська організація “Єдність” / Organizacja publican “Jedność” (Public organization “Jedność” / Organizacja publiczna “Jedność”), Team Kraków dla Ukrainy (Team Kraków for Ukraine,) and last but not least the Ukrainian Relief Initiative.
• Dozens of volunteers, hundreds of people from all over the globe supporting our business, countless handshakes, many tears, and difficult decisions, but also huge smiles of gratitude and (we’re sure of it!) friends for a lifetime.
• So much has happened in 2022! We are grateful for your love and support!
• We LOVE our NEIGHBORS, near and far! We’ve all been tested, and we’ve still accomplished so much. Our drums have grown worldwide. We are happy to walk into the New Year with you.
• And our wish for you and ourselves this New Year is peace. We can handle everything else together!

See you all in 2023!

 

The URI and KDU leadership teams are now meeting once a month to keep us all updated on the current needs. We discussed the frontline in Ukraine and learned there are currently 55,000 women soldiers on the front-line defending Ukraine. They need personal hygiene products, thermal clothes, vitamin supplements, flashlights, and power bars.

We all know how cold this winter has been. Many of us across the United States were affected by the blizzard in December. Some areas got 55 inches of snow, subzero temperatures, and high winds, which took out power across the country. Many people died from the cold. Now imagine a country with no electricity for months on end. This is what Ukrainians are facing this winter. Ukraine Relief Initiative, with the help of KDU, is purchasing generators to help Ukrainians get through the winter.

“Relieve the crisis. Thoughtfully. With discipline and heart. Now!”

Can you help relieve the crisis with a donation to help these brave Ukrainian women on the front line and Ukrainians stay warm this winter? Please see below for ways to contribute. Thank you for your continued love and support and for being in my circle of light! My wish for 2023 is for everyone to have peace, love, and health. Happy New Year! Be positive and stay safe. #peaceforukraine #loveforall

Much love,
Cindy

 

HOW TO MAKE FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UKRAINIAN RELIEF INITIATIVE
All contributions are fully tax-deductible through HCC, our registered 501(c)(3) passthrough charity.

TO CONTRIBUTE BY CHECK:
Make your check payable to **Hispanic Community Council** – (VERY IMPORTANT: not to Ukraine Relief Initiative) and send it to the following address:

HCC – URI
c/o John Kersey
208 Liberty Street
Warren, PA 16365

Please indicate “Ukrainian Relief Initiative” in the check memo and include a note with your contact info (address, phone, email).

TO CONTRIBUTE ELECTRONICALLY BY PAYPAL:
Use this link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=WMYJHS9UVMWY2. PayPal goes through the “Hispanic Community Council,” our 501(c)3 passthrough organization.
In the memo, please include your name, address, phone #, and email so we can process your tax receipt.