Volunteering
As an Ukrainian-American, the February 24th, 2022 Russian invasion of the land of my youth devastated me. Channeling my devastation into action, I founded Support Ukraine With Us, a non-profit providing on the ground assistance in war-impacted areas. I was able to raise around $600,000 for aid since beginning of the war.
"Call For Freedom": Bells Play Initiative Project
_ | Schools/Towers | Country | City |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sather Tower, UCB | USA | Berkeley |
2 | St. Nicholas Church/Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University | Ukraine | Kyiv |
3 | Saint Michael Golden-Domed Cathedral/Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University | Ukraine | Kyiv |
4 | Church of St. Josaphat/Borys Grinchenko Kyiv Metropolitan University | Ukraine | Kolymia |
5 | Hoshiv Monastery Ukrainian Greek -Catholic Church | Ukraine | Hoshiv |
6 | University of Twente | The Netherlands | Enschede |
7 | City Carillon of Enschede | The Netherlands | Enschede |
To mark the day of the invasion and show solidarity with the Ukrainian people, I organized the ringing of Ukraine’s national anthem on the UC Berkeley Campanile on February 24th, 2023. The following year I met Annabel Hou, and we teamed up to continue the initiative with one goal: to bring smiles across the globe.
Now a national campaign with multiple universities participating, playing the Ukrainian anthem on campuses brings warmth to the hearts of those who hear their national hymn on this somber day.
This was true for a young Ukrainian refugee who heard about our 2024 UC Berkeley bell performance and ran from her nearby high school to raptly listen. This simple act on her part motivates me to bring our campaign to more campuses and cities across the country.
For the 2025 campaign, we were able to gather 50+ (!) towers around the world to join our initiative.