Christmas came early this year to the children of Ukraine, thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian Support Group ministry and the largesse of St. John’s parishioners and friends. The Ukrainian Christmas Shop, the brainchild of USG Co-Chair Sandie Stoianovici, raised over $9,500! Shoppers packed the West Avenue Lobby where they bought Christmas ornaments, chocolates, ceramics, textiles, lacquerware, socks, stuffed toys, and more, all made by Ukrainian artisans. Hand-carved and painted St. Nicholas and Santa wood figures were particularly popular and sold out in record time as did the delicious fresh-baked Ukrainian breads and pastries.
The proceeds will be used to buy a second open neonatal resuscitation system for Dnipro Hospital. The first resuscitation unit was made possible by the $7,240 donated at the recent Ukrainian Third Sunday Supper. In addition to the total of $16,651 raised at both the Christmas Shop and Supper, a significant number of additional donations have been made directly to St. John’s Ukrainian Humanitarian fund and these will be used for general support of Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine.
None of this would have been possible without the support of USG co-chair Sandie Stoianovici, who organized both events and continues to be instrumental in all Ukrainian fundraising efforts! We also thank our Ukrainian fundraising partner, St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral and Humanitarian Center, who supported each event, preparing the Ukrainian feast for the Third Sunday Supper and hosting three tables of Ukrainian goodies and gifts at the Christmas Shop. Finally, we thank our many volunteers and especially all our wonderful donors who gave so generously this Christmas season to support the children and artisans of war-torn Ukraine.
-Rob Hartmann