A Soulsbyville resident was raised for the first twenty-two years of her life in Ukraine.
Nadiia Solo was Friday’s KVML “Newsmaker of the Day”.
Over a decade ago, Nadiia moved to the Mother Lode. However, her mom, sister, brother-in-law and nephew still live in Ukraine.
“My heart breaks watching all of the current events in Ukraine.” said Solo. “Currently, my immediate family is safe but they just don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
At first, Nadiia had no idea what she could possibly do, being so far away from her family.
“I talk with my mother and my sister several times a day,” Nadiia said. “The sirens go off about eight times a day. That sound means that they need to take cover. I monitor everything I can from here and we all keep each other updated. I am stressed. This entire situation is the only thing that is on my mind.”
Nadiia has thoroughly researched legitimate ways that she can help her family, friends in the safer zones and those who are located in hard hit areas.
“Unfortunately, there are many scammers so I’m being careful where the funds go,” said Nadiia. “I sent money to my family directly and it was distributed to other relatives. However as of right now, sending cash to individuals is not as critical as sending it to legitimate organizations that can make specific purchases. Humanitarian help is very critical right now. I am buying products and I found a centralized location here in the USA, where I can ship the boxes and they will be sent over to Ukraine for free along with other donations.”
Nadiia has set up a paypal account, where the donated money will be used to raise funds to help women and children in Ukraine. She will be either sending the funds directly to a verified source or purchasing essentials and shipping them to Ukraine. Her goal is $10,000.
You are also invited to view Nadiia’s Facebook page, where she is keeping the public updated on her family and her fundraising efforts. You do not need to be a “friend” in order to view the updates. The link is here.
The “Newsmaker of the Day” is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Written by Mark Truppner.
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