Maya's Hope Lotus Ball, 15th Annual Gala

This year, as Maya’s Hope prepares for our 15th Annual Lotus Ball, I’ve set a personal goal to raise $3,500 for the children we serve in Ukraine and the Philippines.

For me, this work is deeply personal.

I grew up in Ukraine and lived there until I was 22 years old. It is the place that shaped me, and helping children there carries a meaning that is difficult to put into words. Knowing what children and families in Ukraine have endured and being able to dedicate my work to helping some of them connects my past with what I do every day.

My journey with Maya’s Hope began in 2015, when I started as a volunteer. I never imagined then that, more than a decade later, this organization would become such an important part of my life. For the past four and a half years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a Program Manager, working closely with the children and families we support.

Then, in 2024, my connection to our work became even more personal when I traveled to the Philippines for the first time. After years of knowing children through names, photos, stories, program updates, and the work we do from afar, I had the opportunity to actually be there, to meet children we support, spend time with them, and experience firsthand the people and communities behind our programs.

There is something very different about meeting a child whose story you have followed from thousands of miles away. Suddenly, the emails, spreadsheets, fundraising goals, and day-to-day work have a face, a laugh, a personality, and a future.

I came home carrying those moments with me.

Ukraine is where I come from. The Philippines allowed me to see our mission up close. And Maya’s Hope has given me a way to connect both through something I deeply believe in: helping children have the care, dignity, opportunities, and hope they deserve.

In two months, we will gather for the 15th Annual Maya’s Hope Lotus Ball, and I’m asking my friends, family, and community to help me reach my personal goal of $3,500.

Every donation (whether it’s $25, $50, $100, or more) gets us closer. But more importantly, every gift represents someone choosing to stand behind a child and say: your life matters, your future matters, and you are not forgotten.

I have been part of Maya’s Hope since 2015. After all these years, and after seeing this work from Ukraine to the Philippines, I believe in our mission more deeply than ever.

Please help us continue bringing hope to children in Ukraine and the Philippines.

Thank you for being part of something so close to my heart. ❤️

Maya’s Hope works to improve the quality of life of orphaned, impoverished, and special-needs children on a global scale.