A great friend of mine and many, an authentic musician and entertainment industry professional, Andy Wolfson, needs our help. In his time of need, I humbly ask for your support and allow me to share a few words about his character. We all know these times are difficult for many of us, but it hurts to see a person who always gives his best go through so many challenges over the past 3.5 years.

I first met Andy at a house show in Highland Park over 6 years ago. After befriending me, he was determined to collaborate and create musical masterpieces with a full band. Our mutual appreciation for each other’s cultural background and his status as a political refugee brought us closer together, leading to the formation of our band, OPPA. While all of us contributed, Andy carried the heaviest load as a bandleader — hustling through side jobs, finding opportunities, and setting clear goals for us.

Even when he faced misfortunes, they never slowed him down. Despite being in need himself, he continued working toward his dream of creating music and spreading a message of positivity in the world. Because of these efforts, a wide circle of friends and extended family has formed around him, and our community can say much more about his character beyond just my testimony.

At this moment, I want to thank you in advance for any donation you may offer. I truly believe that our collective act of kindness will reward all of us. I am certain that our support for Andy will not be in vain. He is an incredibly loving person, a talented musician, and I consider him my brother.

I encourage you to read his statement, where he explains his situation in detail, including the exact expenses, invoices, and goals. If possible, please send your donations directly to him so that he may benefit from the full amount of your generosity.

With gratitude,

Cesar Hernandez aka Yung Pringles

Statement from Andy:

These past 3.5 years have been the toughest and most challenging time for me personally, starting from being assaulted and carjacked in early January 2022, losing my car, and falling into debt.

The idea of starting a GoFundMe began to feel valid back then, to climb out of the financial hole and continue working on my self-financed releases.

But then, at the end of February 2022, the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began, and my priorities shifted toward helping my Motherland as much as I could, even though I was in need myself at that time. No matter how difficult my personal life was, I felt I should tough it out because of the horrors my Motherland was — and still is — dealing with.

I did my best, and so did my attorney, but the legal process was extremely slow. Eventually, we were awarded restitution, but it covered only about 60% of the total loss and was paid in installments over a period of 2.5 years.

At that time, my parents were living in Israel. Since my family has Jewish heritage, they had moved there to escape the war in Ukraine. But in October 2023, war broke out in Israel, forcing my parents to leave their somewhat stable life and step into the uncertain, challenging life of refugees. With the help of some dear friends, we were able to secure U4U refugee status for them in the U.S. After almost a year of being scattered across Europe, they finally arrived in the U.S. in May 2024.

As a family, we were doing our best, and things seemed stable for a little while. But in early 2025, my mom had to return to Europe to help my sister, who is a refugee in Germany. By doing so, she unintentionally cancelled her refugee status. Eventually, she had to go back to Ukraine and settled in the western part of the country, hoping for a more peaceful daily life.

In June 2025, after almost 10 years of waiting, I was finally invited to my green card interview. I received notice about 2–2.5 weeks before the interview date, which meant I had to spend a lot of money urgently updating my case, providing documents, and making sure everything was done correctly to avoid any issues. These days, it’s quite a risky and unpredictable process, even if you are fully eligible to receive a green card.

I had to spend even more money because of the urgency and the lack of time to complete a heavy load of legal work. This pushed me into more debt, and I still owe my attorneys for the work they have already done. Since the process is not yet finished, I expect further legal expenses down the road. My attorneys are high-class professionals and people of good character, they have been extremely helpful and patient, but I can’t expect them to do more work until I pay for what they’ve already completed.

My interview ended up being rescheduled — but I was never notified by USCIS about the new date. Instead, they only notified me that I had missed it. I filed a request to reschedule, but now I am facing even more uncertainty and financial loss. The U.S. has become a dear home for me, and I would never want to miss the chance to continue building my life and pursuing happiness here.

My father has been extremely helpful financially, but he is also rebuilding his life after losing so much while escaping two wars, supporting my mom in Ukraine, and helping me. He works as a truck driver almost every day (taking only mandatory reset days off), practically living in his truck. But his resources are not endless, and even though he would be willing, he cannot help me more than he already has.

In early August, I was involved in a freak car accident. My car started drifting, hit divider curb and flipped upside down. I was completely sober, and the police at the scene didn’t even question my sobriety based on my behavior. My car was totaled. Since it was leased, I am not getting any money from the insurance settlement. This has put me into even more debt and hardship, as my work depends heavily on having a reliable car, traveling long distances, and starting work very early in the morning.

For the first time in my life, I am legitimately in need of financial help from my community, friends, and even kind strangers — just enough so I don’t fall through under financial pressure, risk deportation, and see my past 10 years of life in the U.S. flushed away.

I’m not trying to raise all the money to cover my debt — only enough to pay for the legal work that’s already been done ($11,000), plus $3,500 for a down payment to finance a reliable car, and 500$ to cover some of GoFundMe interest. With these tools, I can continue working hard, pay the rest of my bills and debt, stay off the streets, and avoid deportation.

A total of $15 000 would give me a solid chance to stabilize and resolve the rest (about $18,000 more) on my own. I hope soon after that I will be able to give back to the community in a proper way.

Sincerely,

Andrii Tatarenko aka Andy Wolfson