Help Ivanchenko refugee family come full circle

The Ivanchenkos are a large, ambitious Ukrainian family who had their beautiful lives and successful business upheaved by the war in February 2022, and after spending most of the year in limbo in Germany, they safely arrived in Minnesota in December 2022. Now they need lots of help to get restarted and come full circle. My son’s in-laws are their U.S. sponsors, and my wife helps their children with their figure skating pursuits, so my role in all this is to help connect them to any help to get past basic living expenses and on to thriving once again!

While their basic (food, shelter, education, health, transportation) needs are met by their U.S. sponsors for 2023 and 2024, they desire to become self-sufficient at the earliest possible point. While grateful for all help they receive, they are a very giving family and motivated to provide for themselves and others, rather than be burdensome to anyone any longer than necessary.

Help get their children here

They are currently most interested in getting their remaining children here! Two adult children and each of their spouses all need to get out of there and get over here! They are praying that additional U.S. sponsors will sign up to help make this happen, but they will need funds to help with transporting everyone.

Beyond that, they intend to start and operate at least one business here, and now that they finally have social security numbers and a bank account, they are ready to do the hard work to get things restarted!

Help get their business inventory here

Sergey operated a successful business selling shoes and other items in Ukraine and had just ordered a full year’s worth of inventory the week before the war started, which they left behind along with their beautiful home and cars…can you imagine having to leave everything you have?! They are now working to get the inventory shipped to the U.S.; however, that takes money for shipping and storage once here!

Help restart their business

He also has an arrangement to sell in the U.S. a unique product called vestibular training spinners (used by figure skaters, but also by therapists for such things as vertigo). This is a relatively new market in the U.S., but he has ambitious plans to expand that market! Until he learns to speak English well, he will need language translation help.

He will also need business consulting help to assess the U.S. market and determine how best to offer his products in the U.S. While he operated a website that served them well before the war, to be effective in the U.S., the site needs to be updated as well perhaps a second website started, and that will take the help of various business advisors and technical support. While volunteers are being sought out to help with all this in any way, it’s very hard to find talented people who have the time and the will to share it, so it will help to have sufficient funds to pay any necessary fees for this help.

Help get a vehicle so he can work

Sergey is talented at construction work including plumbing, electrical, sheetrock taping and painting, and tiling, and so he plans to also make himself available for this type of work until his business is up and running successfully. However, they only have one vehicle currently, so funds for a reliable used pickup or van are being sought.

They will pay it forward

Once they are successfully back on their feet and GoFundMe support is no longer needed, you can expect this family will be “paying it forward” in ways that include:

• Growing the church

Just before the war Sergey and his wife Yuliia finished four years of Bible training, and while they had been helping mainly with teaching children, they now are excited to share their story with anyone, and how God is so loving, and provides help in so many wonderful ways, even when faced with very adverse circumstances. While passionate about many things, helping others to know and love Jesus is what matters most to them!

• Sharing of meals

Even while they have barely anything now, they are still eager to host, and we’ve already enjoyed multiple meals and conversations with them. We know that will continue as things start to improve for them.

• Employing people

Sergey knows his math and physics, as well how to operate a business, and given his energy, ethic, and experience, he will no doubt open markets and opportunities that will help provide gainful work for many others.

• Excellence in figure skating

This family has a passion for figure skating, and to say they love it is an understatement! Along with their faith in Jesus, figure skating has been the one thing that has kept this family going through the tragedy they’ve been through. They are high achievers, and their love for the sport has brought them success! Both of their adult daughters, Katya and Anna, are Masters in their sport in Ukraine, and Anna was the Ukraine Senior Ladies Silver Medalist in 2019. Their son, Misha (13), was the Ukraine champion for his age in 2021. He is extremely motivated, and has his sights set on being a champion in America! Lisa (9) and Alexandra (5) also love the sport and are demonstrating great skills and lots of potential! Only time will tell for their 2-year-old Sergey! Dima (15) focuses on the musical side of all this and helping with translation and related technology. As you can imagine, skating costs add up very fast in America, yet this family is committed to doing the work needed to achieve their best. While most of their skating expenses for 2023 are being covered by a private donor, your help with this is welcome, and helping Sergey build back his businesses will be invested well into these children!

Summary

In summary, your financial support will be used to help fund:

• Transporting the remaining seven Ivanchenko family members to the U.S.

o $3,000

• Shipping and storing business inventory

o $6,000

• Business services including translation, market assessment, website, technical and communications support

o $12,000

• Reliable used pickup or van to be used for construction work

o $9,000

• Figure skating expenses

o $0

o You are welcome to help with this however you wish

o The family might establish a separate fundraiser for this if becomes necessary

• Total:

o $30,000

Prayers welcome

This family indeed has many needs, large and small, and would appreciate most of all your prayers, but of course any financial support you can provide. All financial support will go to the Ivanchenko family’s bank account, used strictly for the needs listed in this fundraiser’s summary.

Contact

To learn more about their story, check out this short video that Misha (age 13) put together... https://gofund.me/37d6d47e. To support them in any way with contacts, resources, prayers, volunteer time, etc., please connect with Yuliia Ivanchenko via Facebook. And if interested in being a sponsor to a Ukrainian refugee family, such as their adult children, see www.uscis.gov/ukraine. Thank you and may God bless you!