GSU employee conducts second donation campaign for Ukraine

Lana Ukraine Campaign

After sending over a thousand humanitarian aid items to Ukraine in the spring, Svetlana “Lana” Rogachevskaya and her south suburban partners are conducting a second donation campaign to help those in need.

Rogachevskaya, Executive Director of the Governors State University Center for Performing Arts who lived in Ukraine until 19 years old, has joined organizations like Tet-A-Tet and Shir Tikvah to collect first aid kits, ibuprofen, trauma kits and tourniquets. This campaign builds on an effort they began in the spring, where they collected over 600 medical items and about 500 hygienic items that were flown on a charter plane to Poland, which was then delivered to Ukraine.

She said she was “surprised by the kindness of strangers” who donated that time around and wanted to build off that momentum.

“We saw items coming in from all over the United States because we put the word out on social media - Omaha, New Jersey, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Vermont,” she said. “It was good to get this done and I know it's a small drop in the ocean of needs but it’s something that helps.”

Though donating is important to help the people of her home country, Rogachevskaya said it’s not the only way Jaguars can help. Another important way is to “educate yourself about what’s going on in Ukraine,” she said.

“Know what’s happening because this is not just happening to one country,” she said. “It’s a global community and it’s affecting everyone in different ways. Knowing and talking about it and having access to truthful information is important.”

Donations can be made to Tet-A-T, a nonprofit organization that will donate medical supplies. For more information, contact UkraineFirstAid@gmail.com. Donations for this shipment will be accepted until June 1 but the group will continue to accept PayPal donations throughout the summer.