United Help Ukraine’s 2016 Summary Letter
Dear supporters and donors of United Help Ukraine,
With the start of New Year 2017, we write to provide you an update of our major activities in 2016. Because of your generosity, 2016 proved to be another productive year. First and foremost, with your support we helped a considerable number of people and we are grateful to you for helping us raise $88,296 in 2016 toward that important work. This sum brings the amount of funds raised since United Help Ukraine’s establishment in June 2014 to a total of $245,140.
In 2016, UHU focused its efforts on the following four major initiatives: Medical Aid, Defenders Aid, Humanitarian Aid, and Raising Awareness. Please note that program spending reflected in this letter are shown only for delivered and finalized projects. Our total project spending in 2016 was less than total funds raised $88,296, because we received large donations at the end of December 2016. These funds were immediately put into our ongoing and new projects to deliver additional aid to Ukraine and we will provide reports after they are finalized.
Our Medical Aid initiative projects were very effective this year and accounted for $23,693 of the total funds raised. Below are some of UHU’s major accomplishments in this area:
♦ A 3D scanner (purchased in 2015) was delivered to the rehabilitation clinic ‘Nodus’ in Kyiv and is utilized by Ukrainian doctors in their treatments of soldiers, including both drafted and volunteer warriors.
♦ UHU shipped its second 40-foot container to Ukraine with 20 pallets of medical supplies. The supplies were donated by the Brother’s Brother Foundation and were distributed to various hospitals in Ukraine, with a special focus on hospitals close to the front lines. UHU paid $5,150 for shipping and $1,250 for processing. The estimated value of the medical supplies shipped is $250,000.
♦ UHU raised over $14,796 towards medical treatment and support of wounded Ukrainian warriors. Major recipients are:
Roman Kubyshkin — $6,035.00 toward rehabilitation treatment;
Anatoliy Fateiev — $2,200 toward purchase of a motoroller;
Ruslan Robert — $2,130 for medical treatment and support; and
Yuriy Dudchik — $1,020 for heart surgery.
♦ UHU covered “extra luggage” costs and arranged shipping of at least 5 suitcases of medical supplies with people traveling to Ukraine. Each suitcase contained 50 pounds of medical supplies with monetary value ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 per suitcase. Medical supplies were donated to United Help Ukraine by the Brother’s Brother Foundation.
♦ United Help Ukraine also started a program entitled “VETERANSPORT” and spent $2,250 to send the first group of five paramedic families for rehabilitation to the Carpathian Mountains.
Our Defenders Aid initiative utilized $14,566 towards:
♦ First aid kit components, including 221 packs of QuikClot and CELOX Z-Folded Gauzes (blood-clotting medicine) and 175 CATs (Combat Application Tourniquets), distributed among various units at the frontlines. Since UHU was established in June 2014, the cumulative total of the first aid kit components includes 300 fully assembled first aid kits, 1,546 packs of QuikClot and CELOX Z-Folded Gauzes, 545 CATs, 500 Israeli Bandages, 5 Tasmanian Tiger First Responder Backpacks, and many other first aid medicines;
♦ Purchase of 13 gasoline generators, one gasoline saw and one compressor to be used on the Ukrainian front lines; and,
♦ Shipment of over 400 sets of uniforms, 100 pairs of boots and thermal clothing, including underwear, socks, and gloves. Some of these items were donated during our “Socks and Underwear Drive” to provide socks, undergarments and t-shirts to the wounded at Ukrainian hospitals and defenders at the front lines.
Our Humanitarian Aid initiative was also very productive, with $8,874 committed to the following important efforts:
♦ We packaged 170 boxes and shipped over 6,000 lbs (≈ 3 tons) of clothes, medicine and uniforms. Each box weighed on average of 45lbs and held enough clothes for 4-6 kids or 2-3 adults. We estimated that since the launch of UHU’s humanitarian initiative in September 2015, we have packed a total of 838 boxes and shipped 39,509lbs (≈ 19.8 tons) of humanitarian aid, thus helping approximately 5,000 people through this initiative.
♦ In 2016, our shipping expenses were $6,030, bringing the total shipping cost for our humanitarian aid initiative since UHU’s inception to $29,466.
♦ Similar to last year, we continued a drive to collect toys and children’s clothes via Amazon.com for Christmas presents to be sent to Ukrainian warriors’ children. We received toy donations valued at over $4,500. The gifts were distributed to children of fallen pilots from Brody, children of Battalion Donbas defenders, children of fallen warriors in the Kyiv region, and to 60 children in the Volyn region whose fathers were killed or missing in action. We are glad to inform you that all gifts were delivered just in time for Christmas and New Year.
♦ UHU received a donation of a 24-foot truck filled with approximately 14,000 new t-shirts and hoodies. We held two sorting and packing events to pack all these donated items. Because of the support of one generous entrepreneur, UHU shipped the entire container of these t-shirts and hoodies to Ukraine free of charge. T-shirts and hoodies are still being distributed to defenders at the front lines and to the wounded at hospitals.
Our Raising Awareness initiative was extremely busy in 2016. UHU hosted or took part in 23 events, fundraisers, and protests. Please see below full list of events.
Finally, we draw your attention to UHU’s administrative costs and its continued commitment to operating at a minimum administrative costs margin. UHU’s 2016 administrative and organizational fees totaled $2,046, which included: liability insurance we are required to carry to hold public events, such as concerts and fundraisers; website hosting fees; checks, postage, PO Box annual fee and a tent for UHU fundraisers. A total of $640 of donated funds was used to cover these administrative costs, while UHU membership fees covered the remaining $1,406. This means that UHU’s operation costs are less than 0.7% of donations ($640 out of over $88,296 raised in 2016). We want to say a special thank you to our members and numerous volunteers who donate their time and talents to our organization’s cause. Only because of patriots like you we are able to operate at less than 1% in administrative costs and continue to raise funds and awareness to benefit Ukraine and her brave men and women.
We sincerely thank every one of you for trusting our judgment and supporting our initiatives during the past year, as well as prior years. It is only with your generous support that we were able to help so many in need during this difficult time. We continue to work only with trusted volunteers, and they are our direct link to recipients of our humanitarian aid. Our recipients are immensely grateful for your support; they are amazed and deeply touched every time they hear that more aid is coming from so far away. It means so much to all of them to know that people who have never met them and who live at such a great distance truly care about them and about Ukraine, and continuously strive to help them.
As we enter 2017, we will continue all of our initiatives starting with the first aid kits which are still a #1 need at the front lines, to the wounded warrior support, and to helping children who have lost a family member in war with Russia in Eastern Ukraine. We strongly believe that every single person can make a difference, whether it is by providing financial support, writing a thank you letter to a soldier defending Ukraine, or by spreading a word of truth about Ukraine and the current situation there. We ask and hope for your continued support of our initiatives in the near future.
United Help Ukraine hosted or took part in the following 23 events, fundraisers, and protests in 2016:
01. 02/19/2016 Charity Concert to Commemorate the Fallen Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred
02. 03/09/2016 Rally at the Residence of the Russian Ambassador in support of political prisoners
03. 03/12/2016 Taras Shevchenko 202 Birthday celebration
04. 03/19/2016 Easter Bazaar at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church
05. 03/19/2016 Pianists for Soldiers: Classical Music Concert
06. 04/24/2016 Screening of the movie From Chernobyl to Crimea and Donbas
07. 04/25/2016 Charity Dinner fundraiser at Centreville United Methodist Church
08. 06/05/2016 Anychka Charity Concert
09. 06/09/2016 Rally at Russian Embassy “Free Russia”
10. 06/10/2016 White House Rally In Support of Security of Poland And Eastern Europe
11. 07/11/2016 Packing and shipping of over 170 boxes of t-shirts
12. 07/17/2016 Memorial March to Remember Victims of MH17
13. 08/21/2016 Ukraine’s Independence Day Festival at Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church
14. 08/27/2016 Vyshyvanka Run
15. 09/17/2016 Washington Ukrainian Festival in St. Andrew’s Ukrainian church
16. 09/25/2016 Turkish Festival to represent Crimean Tatars
17. 10/15/2016 Volunteering in Insane Inflatables Race
18. 10/28/2016 Ukrainian Embassy – Honoring Ukrainian soldiers
19. 10/30/2016 Supporting and cheering our Ukrainian wounded team at U.S. Marine Corp Marathon
20. 11/19/2016 SKAY Charitable concert
21. 12/10/2016 Bria Blessing Charitable Concert
22. 12/11/2016 Holly Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church Christmas Bazaar
23. 12/17/2016 Auction of Ukrainian kids drawings at Ukrainian School Holiday Bazaar and St. Mykolai Show