Principle #6 – We Are Working Together to Help the Ukrainian Crisis
It’s been an exciting month. The URI/KDU fundraiser on March 12 at Koi Zen Cellars was a huge success. And Fundacja Kocham Dębniki, featuring the Świetlica Dębniki Community Center, was highlighted in the Kraków media! Bringing awareness to the Ukrainian crisis is essential to helping Ukrainian families settle in their new country.
“Relieve the crisis. Thoughtfully. With discipline and heart. Now.”
The URI/KDU fundraiser was so much fun. About 50 friends and family attended. And even Lena, the Świetlica Dębniki Community Center coordinator, joined in the fun from Kraków via Zoom. Guitarist Gerald Dukes generously donated his talent as entertainment. He set a relaxing atmosphere where everyone could mingle and have meaningful conversations. There was a silent auction with pictures donated by local artists, including Dana…just sayin’. I shared my experience volunteering with URI in Poland. And I talked about the lifelong friends I have made with the URI and KDU teams. Lena shared her story of relocating her family from Ukraine and how she came to Olga and Michal, the founders of KDU. She also told stories of other Ukrainian women in the community center. Their stories touched the heart of all attendees. Thank you for your generous donations from all who attended and from those who could not attend but donated anyway; we raised $8000.00! Thank you to Barbara and Kevin for hosting the fundraiser, Lisa and Darius for providing their beautiful winery and sharing 20% of the wine sales, Gerald Dukes for sharing your time and talent, the local artists for your beautiful art, and all of you who donated. Because of you…we can continue to help relieve the crisis for thousands of Ukrainian women and children. URI + KDU: “1 + 1 = 1,000”
Barbara Gunning and Cindy; Gerald Dukes and Cindy
Cindy and Lena from Kraków; Silent auction.
Fifty friends and family attended the fundraiser.
Fundacja Kocham Dębniki (KDU) was in the media! They were guests on the local radio station in Kraków. They talked about life in their neighborhood in the Dębniki District.
L to R – Lucja Malec-Kornajew, Olga Piasecka Niec, Sylwia Paszkowska-radio host, and Olga Lany
Ukrainian blogger, Orest Zub, visited two Kraków organizations supporting people supporting the Ukrainian crisis. One of these organizations is… our Świetlica Dębniki Community Center. Check out the video with Orest and our most loyal volunteer, Bartek Kamiński. The community center is featured in the first 14 minutes of the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYlokU6uR_E
For International Women’s Day, the community center welcomed women with a special rose. Here is the message the community center shared with their women neighbors:
“Hey, women and girls. May you be able to decide for yourself, your fate, your body, your job, your money, your place of residence, your studies, and whether you like something or not. You may dance, cry, and laugh whenever, however, and with whom you want. Now and always, in Poland, Ukraine, USA, Turkey, Syria, and around the world.”
– Świetlica Dębniki Community Center
Our beautiful Lena, Świetlica Dębniki Community Center Coordinator.
I could not have said it better myself. Ukrainian women have been traumatized by Putin’s war, yet they are strong for themselves and their families. These women are courageous and lean on each other for support. And with the help of the community center, we can provide daycare, Polish and English language classes, a food/clothing pantry, and psychotherapy. They have found employment and homes, settled their children in school, and learned a new language. If you want to help them on their journey, the donation information is at the end of this email. Please share the stories of these Ukrainian families with your friends and family. It takes a global village to help each other. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate you all and feel so fortunate to have you as part of my circle of love. Be positive and stay safe.
Love from Arizona – Padres Spring Training
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.