The Unwilling Traveler's - Three Ukrainian artist

Hi, my name is Max and I am fundraising for Artyom and his parent Elena and Yuri. My girlfriend is Elen's Sister and we are doing the best we can to help this beautiful family. All three were forced to leave Ukraine on March 18 were forced to leave their homes due to local bombing. The bombing and the journey have been most difficult for both Elena and her 10-year-old Artyom. This is their story.

The Young Artist Artyom was born on June 10, 2012, in the small village of Malyutyanka, not so far from Kyiv, Ukraine. He lives with his mother Elena and father Yuri. A beautiful couple with California good looks and creative minds and lifestyles. They own a small country cottage in the village of Malyutyanka. Both parents are amazing artists and tattoo artists by trade. For Artyom, a 10-year-old elementary school student, having creative parents helped to nurture his art gift. He has always been delightfully curious and an adventurer. While still very young, he began to draw, paint and sculpt little figurines made from various materials. At times, he can get lost in his creations and imagination for hours. He is drawn to his curious nature and he draws what he sees. Whether it's a gallant hero of a fairy tale or a character from a book. He captures the character he favors and he comes up with his own opus featuring his heroes. He is an inventor of his own universe, creates his worlds, and knows no bounds. From the ripe age of six, he was drawn to express himself and was enrolled in an art studio in Ukraine. Creativity is his nature like his parents and creating art is undoubtedly his favorite pastime.

Like any boy his age, he loves to ride his bike, play football (soccer), and horse around with his friends. He loves taking trips with his parents to the beach and truly loves to swim. All things any 10-year-old boy with love. Unfortunately, on February 24th that all came to a screeching halt. Ever since Ukraine was attacked it has been unstable for Artyom and his family. The bombing was consecutive and terrifying for Artyom and his mother. They both cried every night in fear. Artyom lived with the fear that soldiers would take his dad away and hurt him. Yuri like any good father did his best to comfort and protect them. A difficult task when you are hearing missiles whizzing by your home. In March Artyom's creativity was being stifled by the swelling fear of war and danger. This once feverishly inventive little boy was being thwarted by the sounds of war permeating the nearby fields and woods he recently played in with his friends. On March 18th, the family decided to leave Ukraine looking for a safe haven. Since then they have traveled to Bulgaria and now Poland for a few months hoping to find concrete accommodations and safety. Sadly, jobs are scarce and living space is as scarce. In most cases, residents don't rent to Ukrainians because they want them to keep moving. At its core, this story is about family but the deeper story is about this amazing young creative boy that has caught my attention. My new nephew is a young artist with his entire life before him.

Today on November 12th of 2022, they leave for Germany. Once again with great uncertainty and hope for the best they will depart Poland. Exhausted and taxed by this neverending story all three are ready to find a new home. They contacted a Ukrainian friend who happens to live in Germany. She is aiding them to get all the forms filled out for displaced Ukrainian refugees looking for safe haven and work. They are hopeful even though they will be starting life again at ground zero. Despite these tumultuous and uncertain times our young artist Artyom has been attending school online. The positive thing is that because of modern technology he is able to communicate with his friends back home in Ukraine. Some are scattered, but at least he has one constant.

Finally, our family needs our support, so let's round up our resources and prayers so we can help this family find a home right away for the sake of their 10-year-old who has already gone through enough. Thanks for reading :)