The City of Elmhurst, Elmhurst District 205, Elmhurst Park District, Elmhurst Public Library, and Elmhurst University have joined in organizing an event on Wednesday, April 6th to support the people of Ukraine. Various local organizations will be participating and all are welcome to attend. Together, Elmhurst community members will stand in solidarity with the heroic people of Ukraine as they fight to maintain their democracy, while showing support to those who are concerned for their loved ones abroad, the millions who have been displaced, and for those grieving lives lost.
A moment of togetherness. A candlelight vigil will take place on Wednesday, April 6th, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in Wilder Park. The community will be invited to join in a moment of togetherness which will include words spoken by our community leaders, the Consul General of Ukraine, personal stories from members of the Ukrainian community, a moment of silence, and a reading of the State Anthem of Ukraine. The event will be recorded and posted to the City's YouTube page, ElmhurstTV. Attendees should follow signs for public parking options which include the Wilder Mansion Parking Lot, Adelaide Parking Deck, and Elmhurst University's Alexander Parking Lot.
A day of giving. Please consider making a financial contribution to established organizations that are working to support refugees of this crisis. Before making a contribution to a charity, research how the organization uses its donations, and ensure that your donation is designated to support the crisis in Ukraine.
Some places to start your research are BBB Wise Giving Alliance ( https://give.org/ ), Charity Navigator ( https://charitynavigator.org ), or Charity Watch ( https://charitywatch.org ), which is available in print at Elmhurst Public Library as Charity Rating Guide & Watchdog Report ( call number: 361.76 Cha ).
Many reputable organizations are offering relief to the Ukrainian people including those who are being displaced. Below are listed some of those organizations that are in need of monetary donations to help their relief efforts.
SavetheChildren.org
ProjectHope.org
GlobalGiving.org
DirectRelief.org
wck.org
usaid.gov
refugeetrauma.org/ukraine
ukrfreedomfund.org
Donate for Medical Aid and Military Protection
https://www.comebackalive.in.ua
Launched in 2014, Come Back Alive became the biggest organization providing support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Funds support the Armed Forces of Ukraine through financing purely defense initiatives. Since 2014 they have provided around 1000 thermal imagers and over 250 UAVs. In addition to the material support, they increased technological capabilities of the Army through providing 1,500 tablets with Armor software aimed at stopping the artillery. Come Back Alive also organizes trainings to equip our military with crucial skills. In 2015 they launched trainings for medical workers, artillerists, snipers, minesweepers, and defense analysts. After coming back from the front line, their military members have access to sport rehabilitation and veteran business opportunities. Their organization does not use funds for purchasing arms. Their mission is to help save lives of Ukrainians and help our warriors defend Ukraine.
https://razomforukraine.org
A US-based and registered 501c3 non-profit organization, founded in 2014 after the Revolution of Dignity. You can learn more about Razom on various pages of this website: check reporting from the previous years, their board, their projects and what has been done. They are focused on delivering tactical medicine items, hospital supplies, and tech enabled emergency response supplies that facilitate the delivery of this aid. They send on average more than 70 pallets of aid to Ukraine each week. They have scaled our operations significantly since February and continue to expand their capabilities. To deliver aid in Ukraine, they collaborate with partners on the ground such as Kryla Nadiyi (Wings of Hope), Euromaidan-Warszava, and Ukrainian Education Platform.
https://www.rsukraine.org
Revived Soldiers Ukraine is a US-based tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Gifts are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN): 47-5315018. Revived Soldiers Ukraine is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing aid to the people of Ukraine in support of their fundamental human rights and medical rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers. With the help of committed supporters, they can continue their work to assist families and soldiers in Ukraine. They retain the right to use no more than 10% of the funds for operational costs.
https://bank.gov.ua/en/news/all/natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv-spetsrahunok-dlya-zboru-koshtiv-na-potrebi-armiyi
National Bank of Ukraine/Special account to raise fund’s for Ukraine’s Armed Forces
Donate Humanitarian Aid
https://help.gov.ua/en Official government site collecting Humanitarian Aid for Ukraine
https://donate.wck.org/give/394390#!/donation/checkout
Working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals immediately. Now, they’ve expanded their efforts to serve millions of meals to people across the region in Romania, Moldova, and Hungary. WCK is also partnering with restaurants inside of Ukraine to get hot meals to anyone in need. Together, they’ve raised over $5.5 million USD for World Central Kitchen’s Ukraine response, which is inclusive of $750,000 USD in matching funds from the Tripadvisor Foundation. In response to the generosity of Tripadvisor’s traveler community, the is matching the next $250,000 USD in donations here.
Since their founding in 2010, WCK has provided tens of millions of fresh, nourishing meals for communities around the world. Donations today will be used to support emergency food relief efforts for Ukrainians in need.
Take In Ukrainian Refugees
https://www.shelter4ua.com/en
The mission of this small website is to connect people who need help due to a war in Ukraine and those who are ready to provide it.
https://www.ukrainetakeshelter.com
UkraineTakeShelter.com is an independent platform helping to connect Ukrainian refugees with potential hosts and housing. This website is a public bulletin. They encourage everyone with spare space to post a listing and to mark their listing as filled once they have successfully taken in refugees.
https://www.umana.org
The Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA) – Illinois Branch is a tax exempt 501-c3 non-profit organization seeking donations to provide critical medical and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
https://www.rsukraine.org
Revive Soldiers Ukraine is a 501 c3 charitable organization dedicated to providing medical and humanitarian aid to injured Ukrainian soldiers and families. Revived Soldiers Ukraine is seeking donation to provide medical care to hundreds of wounded defenders, who are fighting for their country and freedom.