ForestKids Ukraine

The result was a 6-week stint volunteering with “Children of Hero’s”, the name given to the more than 25,000 Ukrainian kids who have lost a parent in the war. But as often happens, it was I who “got volunteered” nearly every day in a million different ways by every single teen, mom, wife, grandmother or child that I worked with. Many of these kids had lost their homes, friends, schools, extended families and entire childhood communities – IN ADDITION TO A PARENT - as the Russians continued a brutal assault on Eastern Ukraine, forcing more than 10 million residents into refugee status in Western Ukraine or abroad as they fled 100 miles of frontline fighting and carpet bombing of civilian targets. As a Russian speaker I was able to work with several different groups across Western Ukraine.

My first post was in Northwestern Ukraine, near the Belarussian border, with miracle worker and tireless humanitarian, Ruslan Telipskyi’s, “Children of the Heavenly Legion”. There I worked with families in the Lake Svitiaz region; mothers, wives and children of all ages who had lost their sons, husbands or fathers in the war. Next, I traveled to the beautiful, ancient city of Lutsk to work with Telipskyi’s “Volinsky Region Youth Library & Community Center” and “Patrons For Soldiers” ; two amazing organizations that support Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines and the families of wounded, killed or missing servicemen.

My final volunteer post was in Ivano-Frankivsk at Stanislav Onyshchuk’s First Volunteer Surgical Hospital Brass, an incredible facility that provides FREE surgery, rehabilitation and medical care to soldiers coming straight off the front lines. Additionally in Ivano-Frankivsk, I worked with Ukrainian teens enrolled in the SuperHero’s leadership program at Onyshchuk’s partner organization the Veterans’ Hub.  

Then I headed to a tiny, rural Ukrainian village not far from the Polish border to co-lead a week-long, intensive, restorative, sleep-away camp of 15 outstanding Ukrainian teens who had lost their fathers to the Russians. With English lessons, nature immersion, games, dance, recreation and art, we laughed, learned and cried our way to deep friendships at the stunning Polish-led Center for Integration called Zamlynia, again under Telipskyi’s “Health Recovery & Renewal” program.

Next up was an adventure to the Carpathian mountains region to the historic town of Truskavets to work, live and play with a unique group of teen “Children of Heros”, from all over Ukraine at Oksana Motyka’s English language immersion, sleep-away Tutor Camp.  Here I offered nature lessons in English to 14 teens who had lost their fathers in the war and many who had traveled from Eastern cities currently under assault by Russian forces.  We hiked the Carpathians, explored the surrounding forests and learned about the ecology of Ukraine while also learning English!