Student raising money for bomb shelters in Ukraine

Yaroslav Hnatusko, also known as Yaro, a native Ukrainian, is raising money for bomb shelters for his home country.

Hnatusko is an MBA student on campus, but his home is in central Ukraine in a city called Kryvyi Rih. He hopes to help his country even when he is over 5,000 miles away.

“My reaction was immediate,” Hnatusko said. “I knew I had to help, there was not too much time that I thought about it.”

Hnatusko emphasized that family is very important to him. When the first bomb dropped in Ukraine, without hesitation he checked on his family.

“Even before the war we had a good sense of family; I know they will never give up,” Hnatusko said. “For my family, all they have had are peaceful environments. It has all been taken away.”

In response, Hnatusko has launched an initiative to not only build bomb shelters in Ukraine, but also to help people with food, water, medicine and more. He hopes to bring back stability by these efforts.

With his initiative Restore Ukraine, more people will have access to meals and housing in the city after funds are gathered.

Hnatusko’s GoFundMe states, “In addition to military targets, Russian troops have been bombing civilian areas including schools, children’s, and maternity hospitals.”

“Our support gives them faith,” Hnatusko said.

Restore Ukraine is distributing 3,500 meals per day and giving shelter to Ukrainian residents, but Hnatusko says that just is not enough for the whole city and that a meal once a day for a person is not adequate. There are also many people actively helping the Ukrainians on their own.

“In our team right now, we have over 40 volunteers, who are not paid, that risk their lives to deliver supplies across the city,” Hnatusko said.

Since Hnatusko has launched Restore Ukraine, thousands of dollars have already been donated.

“The goal is $1 million before September 1,” Hnatusko said. “We are around 10% toward our goal at this moment.”

Hnatusko is hopeful that East Tennessee will continue to support and donate toward Restore Ukraine.

“Ukraine needs to know that we are fighting for them right now even from across the ocean,” Hnatusko said.

If you would like to more information about the Restore Ukraine initiative, email Yaroslav Hnatusko at hnatusko@etsu.edu and donate via the Restore Ukraine GoFundMe or at https://restore-ukraine.org/#rec419273175.