UDS is dedicated to helping Ukrainian defenders win the war against the Russian invaders. In this edition, we ask you to support Ukrainian voices by calling your members of Congress. Guidelines are in Political Advocacy for Ukraine
Equipment provided from August – November
2 Thermal scopes (AGM RATTLER TS50-640 and similar)
Medical equipment: 150 chest seals, 100 tourniquets
Medical equipment (4 pallets)
Helmet mounts
10 Laser Illuminators (PEQ 15 clone)
20 Antennas MR400 1200mm UHF/VHF
18 drones including 1x Mavic 3T, 1x Matrice 30T and DJI Mini 2, Air 2/2S and batteries
3 PVS-14
4 thermal monoculars (AGM Taipan TM25-384 and similar)
Kraken radio equipment
Other supplies
DJI Mavic 3T
DJI MIni 2/Air 2/Air 2S drones with spare batteries are wire repair harnesses
Metal detector/minesweeper
Repaired drones
UDS has allocated more than $2,500 for repairing drones that were damaged on the front lines. So far, we have been able to repair more than 25 drones, mainly Mavic 3 and 3T.
Past Fundraising Events
Building Support for Ukraine Through Community Events is very important for UDS. Here is the list of events we participated in last few months:
- Aug 5-6 – Magnolia Fest in Seattle
- Aug 19 – Arlington Skyfest
- Aug 26 – Ukrainian Independence Day Festival in Renton
- Aug 26 – Kenmore 25th Anniversary
- Sept 9 – NW Ukrainian Int’l Festival in Bellevue
- Oct 12 – Salmon days in Issaquah
Magnolia Summerfest 5-6 August 2023
The event proved to be successful in terms of support for UDS, with a significant amount of donations received and 16 new registrations.
Later best approaches were reused in other August events.
Arlington Skyfest August 19
Arlington Skyfest is an annual event held at the Arlington Municipal Airport in Arlington, Washington.
UDS booth was represented here with many visitors and volunteers from the UDS and Ukrainian community.
Northwest Ukrainian International Festival Sept 9 (Bellevue)
This is the biggest Ukrainian festival which this year was conducted in a new location. UDS has a booth on it. Carl Larson and other supporters of Ukraine held a speech to propagate the importance of supporting Ukraine, Ukrainian and international allies.
Ukrainian Independence Day Festival August 26 (Renton)
Late August was a great time and opportunity for us to not just celebrate Ukrainian culture in Seattle, Bellevue, Kenmore, Renton and other places, but also raise money to help Ukrainians fighting on the front.
Kenmore 25th Anniversary on August 26
Salmon Days 12 October 2023
500 tourniquets for Ukraine
With the incredible support of our donors, in collaboration with Volia Fund, and under the dedicated initiative of Lina and Anna, we’ve successfully raised funds for a total of 540 lifesaving tourniquets!
These tourniquets, produced by the Ukrainian manufacturer “Sich,” have been swiftly delivered to those in need across Ukraine.
Medical supplies for Ukraine
Our UDS warehouse volunteers counted, sorted and prepared nine pallets of donated medical supplies, five of which are already en route to Ukraine. Join us to help save Ukrainian lives!
UDS member in Ukraine Bumper went to Kyiv with 5 bags full of medical and other equipment to our partner organization International Legion Fund (ILF)
Community Voices: Support the Heroic People of Ukraine
UDS works closely with the nationwide American Coalition for Ukraine to raise awareness and advocate for America’s national security interests in supporting Ukraine. The Coalition encourages several important projects to assist Ukraine.
Religious Freedom
Reverend Angelo Frazier, a respected figure in our community and a staunch supporter of humanitarian efforts, has voiced a powerful reminder of the ongoing needs in Ukraine. In light of the brutal invasion that began in February 2022, he highlights the incredible generosity of individuals in the Bakersfield area and beyond. Yet, he also warns against complacency and the dire need for continued aid, in the face of the devastating impact on human lives and the destruction of over 500 churches and places of worship.
Ukraine FactCheck
Coalition members created the important website https://www.ukrainefactcheck.org/
The aim of the website is to:
Debunk fake news and the most popular misinformation about Ukraine and Russia
Explain how information attacks conducted by Russia, China and their advocates in the West
Raise awareness about information hygiene, in other words, to better understand media biases, distortions and outright propaganda.
Stand with Israel and the people of Iran
After the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on 07 October and clashes in Kirkland and at the University of Washington, we realized how underrepresented the Jewish community is in our area. One way to draw attention to the situation and show solidarity was our involvement in the Remembrance Day dedicated to people taken as hostages by Hamas, organized by our respected allies in the Iranian community of Greater Seattle.
(image taken from Natasha Mozgovaya report)
Political Advocacy for Ukraine
After many organizations visited Washington D.C. during the Ukrainian Action Summit 2023 conference, many more members of Congress are aware of the most critical initiatives important for Ukraine. Community engagement in political advocacy comes next and is aimed to remind the American public how critical Ukraine is to American security. Hereby we ask all Ukrainians in USA and people who support Ukraine to call / contact / meet your political representative.
For this exercise please use the following guideline
Finding Your Representative
- Locate Your Representative: Use the tool at https://ziplook.house.gov/htbin/findrep_house to find your representative in the U.S. Congress. You’ll need to enter your zip code and possibly additional address information.
Drafting Your Message
Choose a Topic: If provided with a dropdown menu of topics on the website, select the one most relevant to your concern. For this example, choose “Foreign Policy” or a similar category.
Compose a Concise Message: Your message should be brief yet clear. Remember, it will likely be read by a junior staffer who will categorize it accordingly. Here’s an example template:
Subject: Support for Ukraine
Dear [Representative’s Name],
I am a constituent from [Your Location] and I wish to express my strong support for Ukraine in their struggle for freedom and democracy. It’s vital that the U.S. continues to stand with Ukraine against Russian aggression. This issue is of great importance to me, and I believe it has global implications e.g. Russian success in Ukraine might encourage China to attack Taiwan, which is economically more vital for USA, but politically missing statehood.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Personalize Your Message: While the template provides a structure, personalizing your message can make it more impactful. Share why the issue matters to you, but keep it concise.
Additional Steps
Subscribe to Newsletters: If there’s an option to subscribe to your representative’s newsletter, do so. This keeps you informed about their work and views.
Request a Response: If there’s an option to request a response, take advantage of it. This can sometimes lead to a more direct dialogue with your representative’s office.
Follow-Up: If you’ve asked for a response and haven’t received one within a few weeks, it’s appropriate to send a polite follow-up email.
Tips to Remember
Be Respectful: Always be respectful and polite in your communications.
Stay Informed: Keep yourself updated on the issue you are writing about.
Engage Regularly: Regularly engaging with your representatives on various issues can make you a recognizable and influential voice in your community.
By following these guidelines, you can effectively communicate your views and concerns to your elected representatives in a manner that is respectful, clear, and impactful.
Ukraine Action Summit Fall 2023
Ukraine Action Summit is a major event in Washington DC organized by several Ukrainian-American organizations and led by the Razom Advocacy organization.
More detailed information https://www.americancoalitionforukraine.org/ukraine-action-summit/fall-2023
Our group manages to visit most members of Congress representing Washington State and few from Oregon.
Get involved to help Ukraine!
We are looking for fundraisers, social media managers and helpers who would like to make phone calls to form alliances! Tune into our Thursday meetings in person at European Foods in Shoreline, at 7pm, or via Zoom! (Please email us for the link!)
Help us by joining our social media
Instagram www.instagram.com/UDS_Seattle
Twitter www.twitter.com/UDS_Seattle
Thank you for helping us in this historic fight! With your help, Ukraine will succeed and defend its (and our) freedom!
The Ukraine Defense Support team
We need an inspirational graphic to end all our newsletter with. Something like this:
