Help Ukrainian Refugees in Poland - Winter '24 Edition

UPDATE!

I'm heading back to Poland - again - this December.

There are still thousands of Ukrainian Refugee families and kids who should not be forgotten.

I've been working with Refugee Center in Kielce Poland since my 1st trip, and will - again - return as a "Secret Santa" with gifts of toys and sweets for the ~200 or so kids that location continues to support.

100% of your donations will be used for toys I'll give away and supplies I'll donate to the Center.

Hello, everyone - I'm back at it!

After a successful fundraiser last year (we raised and donated over $120K worth of supplies to Ukrainian Refugees in Poland!) I've set my sights on a "same, but new" initiative.

This time around I'm raising funds to purchase and distribute up to 5,000 (yes - five thousand!) soccer balls to Ukrainian Refugee Kids and Teens who are still in Poland.

Around 8.1 million people have been displaced from Ukraine into Europe with more than 1.5 million settling in Poland. These people (mostly women and children) have fled their homes in search of safety and are now living in temporary shelters or with host families - most have no place to go back to. They continue to rely on help and support from others and are not in a position to "splurge" for sports and fitness equipment.

I've seen 1st hand the joy a simple soccer ball can give a child. And I want to extend that feeling a hundred- or a 5-thousand fold.

Soccer is a universal language that can unite people from all backgrounds. It's a way for kids to have fun, get exercise, and develop new friendships (with fellow refugees as well as Polish kids) on- and off- the pitch.

And it's a chance for them to forget about the war for a little while and just be kids.

I'm hoping to raise enough money to purchase 5,000 soccer balls and will distribute them personally during my trip to Poland in mid-May.

I'm again focusing on Lublin and Kielce; as well as extending my reach to Wroclaw - all 3 cities I'm personally connected with, and all 3 with a sizeable population of Ukrainian Refugees.

I'm working with local organizations (professional soccer clubs, youth sports groups and local government and non-profit organizations) to distribute the balls to refugee camps and host families.

We're also planning to host a series of soccer clinics and maybe even a tournament for the kids.

And I will - as I have last time - match up to $20k in your donations and use every single cent to support Ukrainian Refugees in Poland. Any funds above and beyond will be used for hygiene products, food and other goods for the families.

And yes - there will again be lots of chocolate and Ukraine-themed lollipops for the kids.