The war changed lives in a matter of days. On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation started a full-scale war against Ukraine. I was lucky enough to join the fight for victory quickly. I am a member of the Board of Directors of Ukraine’s CEO Club, whose members have united to defend Ukraine instantly. During the 40 days of the war, teammates raised more than 200 million hryvnias for the Army. We promptly set up coordination committees to provide the Ukrainian military with everything needed. I joined the fundraising and procurement committee. My area of responsibility was fundraising and budget allocation for other committees. Each of the committees is in direct contact with the Army Forces, the Territorial Defense, and the military hospitals to provide emergency assistance with the most critical needs on the ground. Many of my friends and even strangers sent money to the CEO Club fund. The minimal contribution was 20 cents with the words “all that is left…”, the maximum – tens of millions of hryvnias.
Many of my friends and even strangers sent money to the club’s CEO fund.
The minimum contribution was 20 kopecks with the words “all that’s left…”, the maximum is tens of millions of hryvnias.
I quickly got to understand weapons. Now I easily collect materials for a sniper pair, distinguish and coordinate the purchase of plates for body armor: ceramic, polyethylene, steel. I understand the patterns for tile socks and the specifications of pickups suitable for the military. I know precisely why even the old one, made especially for the Army, is better than the new one but only adapted for use in war.
Further, during the first days of the war, the CEO Club fund paid tens of millions of hryvnias for body armor, helmets, thermal imagers, and medicines. Our philanthropists sent us money because they trusted us and knew about the strength of the CEO Club. Or just knew me personally and wanted to help the Army effectively.
I determined my primary volunteer direction by the 2nd day of the war. In the morning, I left the bomb shelter and received a message: “Read my post on FB,” – written by Yegor Grebennikov. – “Do you know who needs help now?!”. One of the first Ukrainian businesspeople, Yegor, publicly stated that he wanted to donate vast money to win the war. At that time, the hospital in Zaporizhia received the wounded from the South. Before the open war, I talked to a local volunteer, Ms. Oksana. Yegor paid for materials for the surgical department. Everyone uses “the weapon” one has.
A few days later, Ms. Oksana called me again and asked me to pay another bill for UAH 625 000.00. That was for buying the Laboratory Analyzer, which could significantly optimize the work of doctors.
During these days, I often asked for money from strangers, and I asked not thousands, not hundreds of thousands – millions. This time, I did not know how and from whom to request more.
Oksana said doctors work around the clock, receiving dozens and hundreds of wounded a day because the South was the hottest front. Doctors were in urgent need of an Analyzer.
Everyone uses “the weapon” one has. Mine is to communicate (building connections) and negotiate. So, I pulled myself together and began to act.
Serhiy Tigipko had already paid several of my bills for the front. And yet, I’m calling Serhiy Popenko, CEO of TAS. You are wonderful, people! You paid the hospital bill in a few minutes. A small but significant victory for me personally. Everyone uses “the weapon” one has.
Since then, I have focused on helping hospitals receive military and civilian casualties. The CEO Club Fund of Soborna Ukraine, KERNEL, Odesa-based InterChem, and my friends joined to help raise funds for hospital equipment.
I am even more proud of my team’s achievements. In the first days of the war, ARENA CS managers contacted volunteer organizations and offered help. Currently, we are actively cooperating with various volunteer groups and organizations – we help our Army Forces and Terdefence on a volunteer basis with purchases and logistics of equipment. We created different teams with colleagues: some provided the Army with food, others with clothes, and the last team with weapons. All the teams are in direct contact with the Army Forces and the Terdefence. And are also part of separate volunteer groups. Communication, logistics, and systematization of processes are the strengths of our colleagues, and these are the qualities we use to strengthen the volunteer movement in Ukraine. We find the impossible – from berets of size 49 “for tomorrow” to pickups and bulletproof vests “for three cents.” We use both our own and borrowed funds.
In addition to the Army, the ARENA CS team coordinated the nutrition of the Department of State Protection employees, Terdefence, and refugees in Kyiv, medicine collection, and contacts with major pharmaceutical companies across Europe. Colleagues are in touch with the Army Forces, Terdefence, and military hospitals, identify and systematize real needs, and take responsibility for the search, collection, and logistics of materials to the Terdefence and the Army Forces. Everyone helps as much as they can in tough situations. That is the strength of the Ukrainian community!
There are small victories of ordinary people in the great war.
I know exactly why I do charity and volunteer work. My daughters, aged 3 and 7, have to grow, study and live in a free and prosperous Ukraine. Therefore, our volunteering will not end on battlefield victory. There will be another front. We will struggle for the Ukrainian economy, and the reconstruction of our cities and villages will start almost immediately.
And in this field, I also have a wide range of acquaintances, knowledge, and experience. Glory to Ukraine.
