"Light will win over darkness."
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
During the summer of 2022, I travelled to Warsaw, Poland (on my own expense) to bring some art experiences to Ukrainian refugee youth that continue to be supported by an amazing initiative through the American School of Warswaw - #ASWforUkraine. With the generous support of some incredible donors from the states, I was able to bring two large duffle bags full of art materials, books, and toys for the refugee youth including a group of orphans from Vinnytsia! I was able to offer a couple week-long workshops for the youth - children drew, painted, designed their art journals, created sun prints (cyanotypes - a photographic technique), played, built, and sang together. While there, I also traveled 40 km outside of Warsaw to a small town called Grzebowilk to spend a weekend with a group of Ukrainian orphans from Vinnytsia. Here, as well, children had the opportunity to create, play, and sing together.
Starting January 11th, I will be offering a weekly, after-school art workshop for Ukrainian refugee youth (K-3) in Chicago, Illinois who are enrolled at St. Nicholas Cathedral School which is located in Ukrainian Village. This school welcomed over 75 Ukrainian refugee children since the start of the war in February 2022. This workshop will occur every Tuesday after school for two months. Then, the plan is to continue offering the workshop for older refugee children (grades 4-8) starting in March. 
This fundraiser is to raise $ for basic art supplies, bilingual books, and some building toys for the workshops. I have extra journals and some watercolor paper from the summer fundraiser but all other supplies/materials were left with the refugee families and orphans in Poland. My own time is voluntary.
While this whole experience is to offer the children a safe space to play, explore, create, and simply be, I am concocting ideas/plans to present to the school in organizing a school-wide art exhibition and greeting card sale of reproductions of their work to support the refugee families this spring.
Please consider supporting this initiative as we begin 2023! You can follow our journey on the Facebook page ART for Ukrainian Refugee Youth.
Thank you for your consideration! Slava Ukraini!
With gratitude,
Olenka Bodnarskyj
