We raised $15,000 during our 2022 Ukrainian Vyshyvanka Festival!
On this beautiful Vyshyvanka day, celebrating Ukrainian heritage in the Carolinas and honoring Ukrainian freedom-loving people, we are happy to report that our newly-formed NC nonprofit, Ukrainians in the Carolinas, raised $15,000 during our (from now on annual) 2022 Ukrainian Vyshyvanka Festival! In addition to these funds, we also raised $5,000 during our April and May markets and other smaller fundraising events. We didn’t know whether we would be able to raise enough money to cover the costs of purchasing an ambulance, but because of your generosity and our incredible volunteers who worked tirelessly to make these events possible, we reached our goal! THANK YOU!
There are hundreds of volunteers who joined our efforts to help us support and advocate for and promote Ukraine in the Carolinas, especially at our Festival! Huge thanks to Tanya Guinn and David Guinn and the Triangle Church of Christ for helping organize and hosting our event! We are so fortunate to have Bria Blessing back in the Carolinas, this time with her husband Jesse Pohle, to share their beautiful music with us! We are also incredible grateful to Natalya Thomasian for her beautiful vyshyvanka collection, to her amazing team of talented models who proudly displayed our Ukrainian heritage, and to Natalia Berezhna for helping us with technical and musical arrangements and serving as the voice of our fashion show!
Our market was overflowing with all things Ukrainian! In addition to our own amazing and talented bakers, artists and salesmen and women who worked tirelessly to advertise, support, plan, set up, bake, create, safeguard, and clean up, we welcomed our partner organizations to use our platform to raise funds for Ukraine! Huge thanks to Mila Lukash and her amazing team of varynyky-makers of Saint Sophia Ukrainian Catholic Church – they raised $900; Galyna Karpenski and her dedicated volunteers of Fine Whines and Lickers – they raised $1,300; Donna Goldstein and Ukrainian Association of North Carolina – they raised $850; Irena Reed of Help Ukraine from Winston Salem – they raised $320, our guests from NJ Tamara Anastasia Syby and Ukrainian Jersey City who raised funds to support Ukrainian refugees in the US, and Myroslava Sokyra who raised funds to support Chernigiv refugees in the Cherkasy region. We were also grateful to have our partner organizations from Columbia, SC, Myrtle Beach, SC, Charlotte, Fayetteville and many other new friends from all over the Carolinas join us at the Festival to celebrate and support Ukraine together!
We are especially grateful to NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall for standing up for Ukraine and voicing her unwavering commitment to freedom-loving people of Ukraine during her Festival address. We were honored to have MG Guerra and the Vietnamese Association of North Carolina attend our Festival as our Honored guests and strongest supporters! Thank you for supporting the people of Ukraine!
While Ukraine is fighting to preserve its identity and protect its territorial integrity, we are working to support their worthy efforts from the Carolinas! Thank you for helping us help Ukraine!
Photo credit to our own talented Oleksandra Polii.
