A charity evening with a silent auction, “Heroes Support Heroes” was held in Washington on April 20.
A special part of this event was the performance by the famous Ukrainian violinist and future veteran Moisei Bondarenko, whose performances from the front lines inspire thousands of people all over the world.
An auction was also held during the evening, where painting made Ukrainian defenders, postcards with signatures of Ukrainian military leaders, and other unique items were sold. About 700,000 hryvnias were raised at the auction to support veterans, their families and children.
“The United States of America has the longest experience in the world in terms of developing veteran policy. We are using their best practices that will be able to meet the needs of our veterans,” Yulia Laputina, head of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, said during the event.
This event was organized as a part of the visit of the delegation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, headed by its Minister Yulia Laputina, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. The delegation also included Ukrainian veterans: Moisei Bondarenko and Oleksandr Holopotelyuk.
“Organizing such an event is not about “collecting money”. We establish contacts with representatives of the American Congress, other governmental and non-governmental institutions, and businesses. Over time, this will open up broader perspectives and opportunities for our veterans. And also, the world becomes one big veteran community where we all know each other through a single handshake,” emphasized Nataliia Kalmykova, The CEO of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
The largest amount of money was collected from the sale of the Special Operations Forces flag. It was purchased for 185 thousand hryvnias.
The second most expensive item was the battle flag of the “Badgers” – a separate battalion of Ukrainian marines. Visitors bought it for 130,000 hryvnias.
Photo report from the event:
