Dear friends,

We would like to share an important update and explain as transparently as possible how the purpose of our fundraiser has changed and how your donations are being used.

As you may remember, this fundraiser was originally created to support two Ukrainian girls, Katya and Yulia, who lost their mother during a Russian missile attack in Kramatorsk in April 2022. Our goal was to purchase safe housing for them, and for more than six months we took every possible step to make this happen.

Unfortunately, we were not able to help this particular family.

The legal guardian had the opportunity to independently choose housing in the Kyiv region or further west. Our colleagues in Ukraine provided free assistance with the housing search, and volunteer attorneys were ready to support the purchase process, review documents, and handle the legal side. Several safe and suitable housing options were identified. However, transactions that had already been agreed upon were repeatedly canceled at the guardian’s initiative.

Over time, we encountered unstable and unpredictable behavior: the guardian refused to register property in the children’s names, attempted to gain control over the funds through various means, and insisted on purchasing homes not only in unsafe areas close to active hostilities, but at times almost directly on the front line. This directly contradicted the safety-first purpose of our fundraiser.

We could not responsibly transfer funds to an adult without clear guarantees that they would be used solely in the children’s best interests.

We sincerely regret that we were unable to help these girls. We worked persistently and explored multiple ways to support the children directly, but it ultimately proved impossible to do so safely and legally.

Immediately after the fundraiser ended last fall, together with the Ukrainian Cultural Center “Toloka” (Washington State), we were able to secure additional donors, which increased the total amount raised. The expanded funds were then consolidated and transferred to Ukraine to the verified charitable foundation “Vidrada – 2022” for safe and targeted use.

After a careful verification and selection process for a new family — which also took significant time, as it was important for us to confirm genuine need and ensure full transparency — the funds were directed to a displaced family from Pokrovsk: Kateryna Matsiuk and her two young children. The family had completely lost their home during the terrible war and did not have the ability to afford rent or purchase housing on their own.

A home was purchased for them in the Kyiv region.

The total cost of the purchase was $5,300.

They now have a safe place to live where the children can grow and feel as secure as possible under the current circumstances.

The remaining funds continue to be held by the “Vidrada – 2022” foundation and, when possible, will be used to purchase housing for another family in a similar situation. We are already searching and will share further updates.

Thank you for your trust and support. Because of you, help truly reaches those who need it most.

With care, gratitude, and heavy hearts,

Kate and Tanya

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Hello, dear friend!

My name is Kate Morozova, and on June 8th, I will run a half marathon on Bainbridge Island near Seattle.

Not for sport. I’m running to support a Ukrainian family — two sisters whose lives were forever changed by a Russian missile strike.

In April 2022, the train station in Kramatorsk, where women and children were waiting to evacuate, was hit by two Russian “Tochka-U” rockets.

The girls’ mother, Marina, was killed instantly.

Her elder daughter Katya, then 12 years old, suffered severe shrapnel wounds and a complex knee fracture.

She was saved by a stranger who shielded her with his own body — he later died in the hospital.

Since then, Katya Iorgu and her younger sister Yulia Iorgu (9 years old at the time) have been living under the care of their aunt Olga Lyalko and elderly grandmother Nina, who is gradually losing her eyesight. Nina’s home is also located in an active war zone, making it impossible for them to live there. They no longer have a place of their own to return to after the war — the apartment where they once lived with their mother was destroyed by another Russian missile strike in March 2025.

Katya lives with a disability and receives treatment at the children's hospital Ohmatdyt in Kyiv.

The hospital is helping with rehabilitation. Volunteers are continuously working to raise funds for rent.

But no one has the strength — or the means — to continue renting housing for the family.

Yulia is still attending school, but she doesn’t even have a space of her own to study or rest. The family has lost nearly everything — their homeland, their closest loved one, their home, and the hope of ever returning to it.

I’m running to raise money for a small house near Kyiv — a place where Yulia can study in peace, and Katya can continue her recovery and prepare for college.

Our goal is $10,000-12,500 — enough to purchase a modest but permanent home.

The fundraiser is managed by a kind and trusted Ukrainian woman, Tanya Zayka, known by many for her tireless work supporting Ukraine.

Thanks to Tanya, we also have the opportunity to double the collected amount through the support of benefactors who work directly with her.

All collected and doubled funds will be transferred directly to a Ukrainian bank account in Kyiv to complete the legal purchase of a home for the affected family.

Why am I doing this?

Because for over three years now, this war has forced me to live a frozen life, waiting for some kind of good news.

I can’t wait anymore. Let’s start making small — but truly good — news ourselves.

If you’re reading this, you’re already close.

Donate any amount if you can. Share if you feel moved.

Help us give these girls and their family a new beginning — with even just a little peace, a roof over their heads, and hope.

And I will run — for both of us.

With love,

Kate