NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS: TEAMMEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
At Sunflower Seeds Ukraine, our work depends on the dedication and creativity of our volunteers and supporters. This month, we’re shining a spotlight on two individuals whose contributions have made a lasting impact—one through the success of our Dine Out for Ukraine campaign, and the other through a new initiative to support a village school near the front lines.
Austin Kulachkosky: Dine Out Hero
We hope you had a chance to visit one of our participating venues during last month’s Dine Out for Ukraine event. The wildly successful event took months of planning and hundreds of volunteer hours to pull off. To all the volunteers who signed up restaurants, managed our social media accounts, staffed tables, attended meetings, designed graphics, or helped us with any of the other million and one things that needed to be done to pull off such a massive event spanning multiple cities, we can’t thank you enough for your contribution.
We wanted to make sure to highlight the contribution of one team member in particular, whose enthusiasm, connections, and hard work helped make the event a success: Austin Kulachkosky. (Austin also happens to be our Meet the Bees spotlight of the month, so visit our Patreon page to learn more about him!)
Austin, who has a background in the culinary arts, used his restaurant contacts to sign up 8 venues for Dine Out, which collectively raised almost $2,500. His strategy? He went in person to each one, told them about the amazing work we do, and convinced them to be a part of the event.
On top of that, Austin spent 10 hours baking two stout sponge cakes with chocolate ganache. (He’s sort of famous for these cakes–be sure to give them a try whenever you get the chance.) Chancy’s Irish Pub in Wheat Ridge was kind enough to sell slices on our behalf, raising another $400. Thank you for your help, Austin!
Chip Heldman, Helping A Village in Need
You may recall that in April, Sunflower Seeds Ukraine team member Chip Heldman took a trip to Ukraine. While there, he spent some time at a school in the village of Zdovbytsya, where he learned that one of the school’s two boilers was broken. Without it, the school will not be able to stay heated this winter. On top of that, Chip also learned that the bomb shelter (the school’s basement) only has a single bathroom to serve all 500 students in the event of an air raid.
Chip, determined to help the students, sprang into action on his return to the U.S. He immediately began raising awareness and collecting donations both amongst his personal contacts and with Sunflower Seeds Ukraine. Contacts within Sunflower Seeds Ukraine then coordinated with the headmaster of the school, Yurii, to determine estimates for the cost of repairs. This is when we learned that the school is also in need of a PA system to warn students of impending air raids. A volunteer from the village is willing to install the system for free if we can provide the supplies.
It took a village, but Chip’s initiative led to the creation of our Help Repair a Village School in Ukraine! Campaign. We’re now well on our way to raising the $25,000 needed to complete the required renovations. If you can, please learn more and contribute to this time-sensitive campaign.
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It’s important to remember that with determination, we can be the change we want to see in the world. If you’d like to get involved, please consider joining our volunteer team and find out how you can help save lives and strengthen the resolve of Ukrainian Defenders.
