Olga, Petro, and their two children Bohdana, 8, Mykolo, 7, and Ivan, 5.  are from Cherkasky, Ukraine.  In May 2022 they arrived in the U.S. seeking safety for their family at a time of peril in their country.  Both Olga and Petro are ear, nose, and throat doctors and had an excellent business serving their fellow Ukranians until the war took over and they had to flee for their lives.  They arrived in the US with little funds, only what they could carry, and were given temporary asylum.  Suddenly they found themselves in a new country speaking little English and adjusting to an entirely new life for them and their small children.

One day Petro had taken his son to a birthday party and there he met David Kagel, grandfather to Rothko who was a school friend of Petro’s son Ivan.  Communicating in the little English that Petro could speak, David quickly learned that not only Petro and his family but hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians had to flee in unprecedented ways.   David asked Petro, “We want to help your country – what can we do?”  

With David’s desire to help, he enlisted his brother Douglas, who also has a passion for helping others, and then asked their friend Thomas to get involved.  Thomas himself was a refugee and when he was a young boy he vividly remembers a treacherous sea crossing from Vietnam eventually landing in Canada when he was a young boy.  The three of them together started working to collect clothes and blankets that could support those back in Ukraine.  Hundreds of people and donations were given so that the first shipment could be sent.    

It just so happened that right before the first container was arriving, Olga and Petro felt safe enough to return with their children.  Their hope was never to remain in the U.S., but rather return to support their fellow Ukrainians and live and work in the country they love.  They returned in time to receive the first container shipped to Ukraine. 

The movement continues and as David in Los Angeles, Douglas in Portland, Oregon and Thomas in Toronto, Canada  all work together to support the people of Ukraine.  As the war has continued now for three years, the needs of Ukrainians have changed.  After sending 5 tons of clothes to refugees in need  Petro, Olga, and their children and our team in the US have refocused our efforts on helping local schools in this war-torn country.    The government has frozen all funds for school programs. So SUT is now actively seeking donations to build soccer fields, basketball fields and other sports facilities and try to help traumatized students find a few moments of relief on their athletic fields each day.