Principle #1 – Help Ukrainian friends overcome the trauma of war through play and laughter.
We’re home again…at least for a little while! We had a blast visiting Deb and her family in North Carolina. But it’s always nice to get home. When we landed, the airport was packed with people going to Comic-Con. It took a couple of days to adjust to the Pacific Time Zone, then we were off and running again. We saw people dressed up for Comic-Con, visited friends, attended a few Zoom calls with Uri and KDU, and attended several Padre games.
Unlike our underperforming Padres, our Ukrainian friends and Polish partners continue overperforming. It is inspiring to remember that the women and children have left everything behind and are rebuilding their lives in a new country where they don’t speak the language. They continue to have the courage and the strength to put one foot in front of the other.
The Świetlica Dębniki Community Center in Kraków, Poland, has been busy this summer. Currently, the community center is helping 629 Ukrainian families. Check out the numbers below of Ukrainians’ participation in events for June. Impressive!!!
Piper, our extraordinaire from Pennsylvania, visited the community center last week. She and volunteers from her very generous circle of friends rounded up food, hygiene products, medical supplies, and lots of Legos! She and Michał Piasecki took supplies to The Nest (Ukrainian shelter) and The Falcon (Oksana’s Hospital) in Ukraine. Thank you, Piper, and your big circle of family and friends, for your love and continued support for our Ukrainian friends.
Legos…did someone say Legos! Thank you, Piper and friends, Łucja Malec-Kornajew and her family, and students from Florida for all of the Legos! The homes of the children at the community center are a distant memory. Their childhoods have been turned upside down by the war. They can recreate their homes, their favorite playgrounds, parks, and schools they left behind with Lego bricks. Using play therapy helps them deal with their war trauma and even brings them a little bit of laughter. After all, who doesn’t like to play with Legos?
The lives of our new Ukrainian friends have been changed forever. And like Legos, they are creating new lives brick by brick. If you would like to join me, Piper, URI, and KDU in helping to sponsor the Świetlica Dębniki Community Center in Kraków, please see below for ways to donate. If you have or continue to contribute, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We can all make a difference by donating or lending a helping hand. If you want to volunteer in Kraków, please respond to this email. Or you can spread this message to your family and friends. URI + KDU: “1 + 1 = 1,000” Thank you, thank you, thank you! I appreciate your continued support of our life’s journey of having fun and making the world a better place with love and kindness. Be positive and stay safe. #lovewins #peaceforukraine #supportukraine
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.