Altamont School student Alexander Skowronski has been keeping a spotlight not just on the war in Ukraine but on the young Ukrainian refugees it has created.
At the beginning of the war, Skowronski organized virtual meetings between his Altamont peers and the displaced students, according to a statement from the school. When Ukrainian physician Katia Zaharodnia proposed an idea to help Ukrainian children at Christmas, Skowronski and fellow student Akshay Gaddamanugu accepted the challenge.
Gaddamanugu observed in the statement that, although “you can just send gifts to a war zone and call it a day,” he and Skowronski wanted to make a more significant commitment by addressing the specific Christmas wishes of individual children.
As part of an ongoing project with the school’s C. Kyser Miree Ethical Leadership Center, the pair solicited refugee children’s letters to Saint Nicholas, found translators, worked with Altamont Director of Advancement Stephanie Brooks to raise more than $4,000, bought the items the children requested, organized wrapping events, and ensured that the gifts were delivered on time to refugee centers at Yazlovets and Tlumach.
Knowing that a letter from Saint Nicholas is a beloved tradition, Skowronski and Gaddamanugu even worked with calligrapher Ira Mokrytska to create personalized notes for the children.
The project reached 70 children who have been enduring the horrors of war.
“You brought our children not only the presents, but also you brought back their hope and childhood,” Ukrainian volunteer Daryna Viktorova wrote to Skowronski.
Crash Course
Skowronski’s parents, Bozena and Jan, have been with their son at every step of what he described as a “crash course” in leadership.
The whole family shared in a certificate of appreciation and medal recently presented to them by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs for their ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine via the Fortuna Clinical Foundation.
Miree Center projects are long-term commitments, and center Director Beth Dille helps students understand the need for life balance and pacing in what can be a service marathon in addition to challenging academic schedules.
Skowronski said he will take the spring to reflect and plan for how he will continue his support for Ukraine.
He said the Saint Nicholas project honored the resilient spirit of Ukrainians and emphasized the power of individuals to affect the war through communication technology, so his next steps will continue to feature these themes. Consistent communication is essential to the success of his efforts, he said. That includes magnifying the voice of those he serves.
As Viktorova wrote to him after the Saint Nicholas project, “The greatest thing for us, Ukrainians, is to be loud. If we’ll be silent, we will be forgotten and then gone.”
