Ukrainian Patriot provides medical and humanitarian aid to Ukraine
Fifty per cent from each copy of Planted will go toward aid in Ukraine. (Fill out this form if you’d like a copy.) Each time I raise $750, I will donate the money to a different place.
Since russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine started on February 24, 2022, tens of thousands of Ukrainians have died and millions have been displaced from their homes.
As a Ukrainian Canadian whose great-grandparents emigrated from Ukraine, as someone who has lived and travelled in Ukraine, and as a human being, I have felt helpless, heartbroken, and lost while following news about the war. I’ve also felt immense pride in and support for Ukraine and Ukrainians. I believe in them, I have hope for them, and I know they will win this war. But they need our help.
About Ukrainian Patriot
One organization dedicated to helping Ukrainians — dedicated to saving lives — is Ukrainian Patriot (UP), which was launched on day 5 of russia’s full-scale war. UP is the first organization I am raising money for through Planted.
UP, a non-government organization (NGO) registered in Canada, the United States, and Ukraine, is made up of volunteers who procure and deliver medical supplies, protective equipment, and military aid in Ukraine. The volunteers gather the supplies within Ukraine when possible, and if the supplies are unavailable, UP will bring them in from other countries.
UP volunteers talk with humanitarian aid workers and civilian battalions in Ukraine to find out what items they need. The team then collects donations to purchase the items and delivers them directly to those who requested the supplies.
Ukrainian Patriot purchased a mini-bus to help people caught in the crossfire. In June, UP volunteers evacuated nine people from Bakhmut, which is in the Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine.
UP’s focus is volunteers supporting volunteers. The team is constantly responding to what people need at each moment. They have evacuated people to safer cities. They have manufactured gear for the Territorial Defence Forces (part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine). They have delivered medical supplies, medicine, thermal blankets, and first-aid kits to people who are unable to access these necessities. They have rescued and cared for pets who had to be left behind when people fled their homes.
You can learn more about the aid UP is delivering on its website, Facebook, and Instagram, and you can donate to UP at this link.
My connection to Ukrainian Patriot
I lived in Ukraine from 2017 to 2018 to study dance, language, and culture. When I was living in Kyiv, I trained with the Virsky Studio dancers. These dancers are in a two-year program that prepares them to audition for the Virsky company, which is the national folk dance ensemble.
While in Kyiv, I met Lana Nicole Niland. Lana was born in Canada and moved to Ukraine in her 20s to train with the Virsky Studio dancers, making it into the company. After she retired from dancing with Virsky, she stayed in Kyiv. That was two decades ago, and Lana is still proud to call Ukraine home. She’s the owner of Postmark Ukraine, which creates Ukrainian dance costumes as well as formal and casual wear that honours Ukrainian culture.
On July 18, Lana shared on Facebook an update on what she has been up to in Ukraine, such as delivering diapers, generators, and medical supplies, stopping in at an orphanage to drop off goods, and putting together individual first aid kits.
I knew of Lana before I moved to Ukraine because I purchased a pair of character shoes, which I wear in Ukrainian dance, through Postmark. While in Ukraine, my friends and I wanted another pair or two, so we ordered them through Lana and went to her apartment to pick them up one day.
Just as we were leaving with our beautiful new shoes (Postmark really does offer the best Ukrainian dance footwear), it came up that I studied journalism and was posting about my time in Ukraine on my blog. Among many other titles, Lana is the editor-in-chief of What’s On, an English-language magazine based in Kyiv that focuses on culture and entertainment. (The magazine has been on pause the last year and a bit.)
Lana said she was looking for a writer for What’s On, so I sent her some work samples later that day, and I started a monthly column with the magazine the next month, giving a Canadian’s take on the Ukrainian lifestyle.
Though that column ended when I went back to Canada, I did some writing and editing for What’s On a couple years later (and I got to cover some pretty cool stories, like one about the project Bubny in Ukraine).
Lana is also a well-known name in Canada’s Ukrainian dance community, and she is one of the co-founders of the Rodovid Academy of Ukrainian Dance, which I attended in 2019.
Like I said, Lana does a lot. And she’s one of the most inspiring people I’ve met, someone who has shaped my outlook on life, one of those people who has had a major effect on me, even though we’ve been in the same room only a handful of times.
Something that’s come up in multiple conversations I’ve had with Lana (including when my friend Hannah and I interviewed her for our podcast), and something she’s brought up in her writing and in videos, is she says to trust your gut, that that feeling is there for a reason, that it can guide you to where you’re meant to be.
In May, donations to Ukrainian Patriot allowed the team to purchase armour plates and vests that are protecting 20 brave volunteers in the Territorial Defence Force in Chernihiv.
At the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lana was living in Kyiv and would post daily videos on Facebook to give updates on her safety and what things were like where she was. She also made calls to action for people outside of Ukraine on how to support Ukrainians. And even though she was living through war, she was the one telling others to stay strong, giving us motivation and hope to get through our days. That’s something I’ve felt from others I’ve talked to in Ukraine too — each time my mom checks in with her cousins in Ukraine, they tell us to hold on, to stay strong and healthy. This is yet another display of the enormous hearts Ukrainians have.
Watching Lana’s videos became a part of my daily routine, a routine that, like many others, was filled with the cycle of looking at news updates, checking social media to see if people I knew in Ukraine were posting and therefore still alive, scrolling news updates again, fact-checking what I was reading by looking at multiple sources, going back to social media, and so on and so on and so on.
In one of Lana’s videos, she said she was working on a fund to help Ukrainians, and in another, she announced the start of Ukrainian Patriot.
In the past five months, Lana and the UP team have helped countless people and animals, saving countless lives.
I know that all the money UP raises is going directly to people who need it, and I thank everyone who purchases Planted because your support is helping organizations like UP continue their work.
If you have Facebook, I recommend following Lana (and of course Ukrainian Patriot). Every post she writes draws you in, puts you right on the ground in Ukraine with her, gives you insight that you might not get in the news articles you’re reading.
“NATURE KNOWS THE DESTRUCTION THAT ABOUNDS AND YET FINDS WAYS TO MOVE REGARDLESS, NOT UNLIKE MANY OF US HERE.”
Where to Purchase Planted
To support Ukrainian Patriot and Lana’s work by purchasing Planted, fill out this form.
Once you send me the requested information, I’ll email you the total, and you can send me an e-transfer. If you’re picking up the book, I’ll give you some time options of when to come by.
The book is $25 with free Winnipeg pickup. Shipping to Canada is $4 per book, and shipping to the U.S. is $6 per book (for shipping outside Canada and the U.S., send me an email, and I’ll find out the cost). If you’re outside Canada, you can pay by credit card here.
The ebook will also be available shortly if you prefer that format.
Thank you for your support. Slava Ukraini! Heroyam slava! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!