Help the Krainiuk-Izotina Family Escape

Hello, my name is Jeff. My wife Roamy and I are starting this campaign to raise money so we may bring the Krainiuk-Izotina family to the United States under the Uniting for Ukraine program https://www.dhs.gov/ukraine

Background:

The Krainiuk-Izotina's are a family of 7 who are currently living in a school dormitory in Lithuania with many other families displaced by the war. They will be forced to leave by the end of August when the school's regular students return for the fall semester. We desperately need to raise funds to get them to the United States where they can begin a new life.

Who are the Krainiuk-Izotina's:

Eduard and Iryna hail from Luhansk in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, where they were quietly raising a family 5 children.

Eduard worked as a wrestling coach in a local school. Iryna taught English and worked as a cook.

In 2014 Russia invaded the Donbas region, and war came to the family for the first time.

When their home was shelled, they were forced to leave Luhansk.

The family relocated to Kyiv and began rebuilding their lives. Eduard found work coaching wrestling while Iryna worked as a cook to make ends meet.

The family thrived, and the children were all becoming champion wrestlers. Even little Sofia!

This spring war returned to the Krainiuk-Izotina's when Russia invaded Ukraine again. This time the bombing and shelling came to the capital Kyiv and once again they were forced to leave when their home was destroyed.

For the past few months, Eduard and Iryna moved their family west, trying to escape the war. They found the school dormitory in Lithuania, where they've been safe but crowded with many other refugee families.

Iryna and I text and e-mail, and I have tried to keep their spirits up, telling them we are working on getting them to the US. Their strength and determination continually humble me. Here is part of a text conversation Iryna and I recently had;

"we are no longer afraid of anything, believe me, we left the Donbas from one war, then we had to run away from Kyiv again! It is important for us that our children live well and have a future. While we have life we must try. We have 5 children and I dragged everyone to Lithuania and went to work in a restaurant without knowing the language and everything is fine. What is there to be afraid of? Already we have survived the bombing sitting in the corridor of the house. If you survive that, then everything will be fine!"

How will these funds be spent:

If our fundraising is successful, we will fly the Krainiuk-Izotina's to the US. The funds will be used to cover travel expenses en route and all the expenses of setting up a home for a family of 7 here in the US. Uniting for Ukraine allows for 2 years in the United States. We plan to use any excess funding to hire an immigration attorney who will assist in obtaining permanent residency.

Why are we doing this:

We have been asked many times why and our answer is simple. We cannot sit back and watch as good people have their lives destroyed by this needless war. We cannot save everyone, but we will try and save this family. We hope you will join us in bringing the Krainiuk-Izotina's to the United States.