CVHS grads help Ukrainians resist Russian invasion
Helen Nesteruk, a CVHS graduate from the class of 2002, never imagined her family would raise thousands of dollars in aid for their home country, Ukraine. But in a mere ten days, Nesteruk and two cousins (also CVHS graduates) spread the word about their fundraiser, explained their motives, and raised $54,000.
Nesteruk, who was born in Odessa, Ukraine, still has family in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv as well as Odessa, a city in the southwest region of Ukraine. “My family in Odessa signals every morning on Whatsapp that they are doing okay,” Nesteruk said. “One of them lost a job though, and they tell me of air raid signals one to five times a day.”
As the conflict was escalating, Nesteruk wanted to help defend her home country.
“When I found out that Russia actually started to invade, my blood started to boil over. I started to see the refugee crisis and myself having a son of 14 months, it is really hard to see. UNICEF and other big organizations began to save people but it takes so long for supplies to get to Ukraine. The difference between my fundraiser and an official big organization is there are no bureaucratic fees, I’m wiring the money directly to a bank account and the person on the other end is giving the money to different volunteers,” claimed Nesteruk.
This money goes towards a myriad of basic necessities and supplies for Ukrainian citizens. “We’ve delivered food, water, thermoses, and heavyweight blankets to children’s hospitals. Bomb shelters are super old and have no insulation or electricity so if sick children have to go down there, it’s very hard,” said Nesteruk.
She isn’t only helping ordinary citizens through delivering basic necessities though, but is also aiding them in taking up arms to defend themselves if needed. “We aren’t supporting the military itself, but there are regular citizens taking up arms to try and defend their towns,” she said. The donations pay for “gloves, night vision goggles, binoculars, knives, etc.”
Nesteruk initially conceived this fundraiser with the goal of collecting money from people she knew by asking around, yet the fundraiser has grown remarkably past her initial idea. “I’m getting donations from people I’ve never heard of before which is phenomenal, which is saying something about humanity and there’s definitely good souls out there,” praised Nesteruk.
You can help Ukrainian civilians by donating directly to Nesteruk using the means below.
Venmo: @Helen-Nesteruk
Paypal: @helennesteruk
Cash App: $HelenNesteruk
Dogecoin: DLpLNdVBGVV2FQSBQEfd19wC8cRAQxzvzc
Bitcoin: bc1q3md8km29gn4sh3vrc6ed75ed4f6v9qptvykc6a
ETH and ERC20: 0x6A72f2F7815699eBa33C36EDF69699DEC497C79e
I think that it is very inspiring to see a CVHS graduate raising money for Ukraine and trying to help not just her family but other families as well. I’m very glad to see that many people have contributed to Nesteruk’s goal of raising money and that she has gained a large sum to donate to Ukraine. I hope that the conflict can be resolved peacefully, although things are not implying that this will happen anytime soon. I believe that everyone should try to help in some sort of way and that Nesteruk is doing a great job at inspiring others to do the same.
I think it is a really inspirng and amazing thing that this CVHS graduate is raising and donating money to people in Ukraine. These people really need the support. I can’t imagine what its like having family in a country where there is war going on, so I think it is amazing that this person is staying not only strong, but doing what she can to help people in her home country out.
The work that Nesteruk is doing is amazing. Surpassing her initial goal as much as she did is so astounding and empowering. It shows that humanity still exists amongst all of the recent crazy and disastrous events. Hearing that such efforts are coming from a CVHS alumni makes it feel more realistic that you can truly make a change as long as you are dedicated to your cause.
I think it is really cool a graduate from cvhs raised this much money for Ukraine. It just shows you can really do anything you set your mind to and even surprise yourself with your abilities. She is doing this for a good cause and it is inspiring.
I think it is great that a CVHS graduate is supporting the people in Ukraine. I like how she is helping other families rather than just supporting her own and encouraging more people to support Ukrainian citizens. I think that this has a positive impact on our school and gives CVHS a better look.
I think it’s very empowering that Nesteruk has helped so many people along with her family. As well as the fact that they were able to take matters into their own hands, since big organizations do take a long time to provide supplies to the Ukrainians in need. I’m glad that we’re talking about past students who are helping the world through struggle.
I think it is inspiring that a CVHS grad is raising money to support people in Ukraine. Nesteruk is not only supporting her family in Ukraine but also other families. What she is doing is great and people should always support and help others when they are in need.