Sending help to the HOMELAND
Rome resident raises funds to help Ukraine
Thirteen years ago, Victoria Grindstaff moved to Rome from Kharkiv, Ukraine. As her family and native country are the grips of a war, she’s doing all she can to send some help back home. And recently the Rome community came together to help her.
Eight months ago, Russia invaded Ukraine and Grindstaff’s family and countrymen and women were thrown into a war.
“My parents are still there, my grandparents and my extended family,” said Grindstaff who came to Rome to attend nursing school at Shorter University. “My parents are safe at the moment. They had to evacuate to western Ukraine but my grandmother and extended family are still in Kharkiv.”
Grindstaff cousin is in the Ukrainian armed forces. Like many others, he was just a civilian, an engineer in a plant, when the war broke out and he volunteered to defend his homeland.
In August the people of Ukraine celebrated their independence day and Grindstaff called her cousin to thank him for keeping her country independent.
“He’s a paramedic and in a reconnaissance team,” Grindstaff said. “So I asked him, what do you need the most? What can I help you with that will keep you alive?”
Her cousin replied that they needed a small, all terrain car to use as transport for his unit. They need vehicles to transport wounded soldiers and civilians. He knew of a car that his unit could buy for $9,000 U.S. dollars so Grindstaff made it
her project to raise that money.
“I put it all over social media and people shared it,” she said. “I reached out to Shorter University and the School of Nursing were so welcoming. I spoke to the whole nursing school about my family and what life is like in Ukraine right now and they they just gave me a check for a thousand dollars. That was a great start to my project.”
Grindstaff also visited schools and churches, making boxes of cookies to sell and speaking about conditions for the people of Ukraine.
She received donations at many of the places she visited. She visited Divine Salon where all the technicians and customers bought cookies and donated money. Pleasant Valley South Baptist Church helped her finish up the fundraiser by donating more than $2,000.
“In four weeks I raised $10,000 with the help of the whole community,” Grindstaff said. “It really showed me how much this community supports me and my country and it encourages me tremendously. It shows us that we’re not alone in this difficult time.”
In October she sent the money to her cousin who purchased the car and Grindstaff said it’s being used in front line missions, transport wounded soldiers and civilians.
“They don’t have anything,” Grinstaff said. “They’re dealing with the second largest army in the world. That car could be destroyed tomorrow and they’ll need a new one. Cars look like colanders from all the shells and bullets. But this is an off-road car that can help them with transportation and evacuation.”
Grindstaff said she is extremely touched by the warm support she received during her fundraising and for all the donations, large or small, that helped her to reach her goal.
“I would like to ask the Rome community to please keep praying for Ukraine and supporting the country,” she pleaded. “The war is still going on. This has been my pain for more than eight months. So important for other countries to show support.”