2022 Village Awardee: Razom for Ukraine, 140 2nd Avenue
Each year, Village Preservation honors the invaluable people, businesses, and organizations that make a special contribution to our neighborhoods at our Annual Meeting and Village Awards. This year, on June 14, 2022, at 6 PM we will be celebrating seven outstanding awardees — RSVP HERE to attend in person and HERE to participate virtually via livestream.
New York City is home to the largest Ukrainian population in the United States, and the East Village has long been the heart of that community. 2022 Village Awardee Razom for Ukraine has been working around the clock to support the people of Ukraine with humanitarian aid since the Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022.
Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, was formed in 2014 by Dora Chomiak and friends such as Lyuba Shipovich in 2014 in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the conflict in the Donbas region. Fast forward to 2022, and in the three months following the Russian invasion, Razom has provided more than 200 tons of tactical medicine, hospital supplies, and communication devices, delivered by volunteers and partners throughout Ukraine.
Razom has built an inspiring network of partners, volunteers, and donors that support the Ukrainian community. Their projects are designed to have tangible, immediate impacts, and provide opportunities for scalable growth to ensure that the impacts lasts. From 2020-2021, Razom was very active in efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the war began in February of 2022, they quickly went into emergency mode and began shipping critical medical and humanitarian supplies to Ukraine. Please see their website if you wish to donate supplies, volunteer, or help in other ways.
In addition to raising support here in the East Village, Razom is working to evacuate vulnerable populations. At the start of the war, Razom volunteers in Ukraine began evacuating children with disabilities and their families from at-risk areas. Working with partner organizations, Razom has developed an evacuation system and scaled up its capabilities for evacuations to bring as many people as possible to safer regions in Ukraine.
Razom also works to advocate for Ukraine by educating about policies that strengthen and support Ukraine and its relationship with the United States. Their advocacy team has built connections with civic leaders, activists, and elected officials in Ukraine and the United States, to relay critical information to the public, media, and government officials.
We could not think of a more deserving organization to be recognized with a 2022 Village Award. Don’t miss out when Razom accepts its award on June 14th. RSVP HERE to attend in person and HERE to participate virtually via livestream. Learn more about our annual meeting and awards, including past awardees and videos of past ceremonies, here.