DENVER — Fourteen Ukrainian children finished a long, two-day journey to Colorado Wednesday afternoon and were greeted with the warmest of welcomes at Denver International Airport.
The children will be staying in Colorado for the next two weeks before returning to where they are currently living. They were sponsored by Ukraine Aid Fund, a Colorado nonprofit that worked with the Ukraine National Guard to select the children.
“The ages of the kids are from nine to 16," said Ivanna Filippova, who works with the Ukraine Aid Fund. “They either lost a father, or some of the kids, we don't know what happened to one of the family members. They're missing.”
The Ukraine Aid Fund has planned dozens of activities for the children, ranging from a mountain trip to a Meow Wolf visit. Several families will host the children during the trip, including Inna and Valery Kmyazhev.
“We are from Ukraine, too, but we came here to the United States 30 years ago," said Inna. “How many kids are going to lose their future? Their parents? The war is not finished yet.”
When the children arrived, they were met with a large crowd decked out in blue and yellow, with gifts for them all.
Ukraine Aid Fund officials say they beat their fundraising goal for this trip. They raised $25,000 — going over their $20,000 goal — and hope to do a similar trip for a different group at another time.
To learn more about the Ukraine Aid Fund and how to help, click here.
