Considering the fact that, he and his spouse Katherine commenced fundraising to support AICDL, the non-governmental firm he invested time with serving to Ukranian refugees cross the Romanian border into Siret. As of June 3, the fundraising whole has amassed almost $33,000 from 144 donors.
Those money have been sent in waves to the NGO for distinctive refugee needs above the past a number of months, but Ioana Urzica, chief of AICDL, requested a person a lot more donation to make guaranteed the children underneath her watchful eye are afforded more ‘normal’ situations.
On May well 31, a bulk cargo of sporting items for the Ukranian youngsters was been given by Urzica many thanks to adonation of additional than $5,300 from Lentner’s fund. Ping pong tables, hula hoops, soccer balls and nets ended up just some of the recreational tools shipped to the NGO.
“That was the past traunch of money,” Lentner explained of his fundraising initiatives.
Urzica claimed Friday that the plan came from a motivation for the small children she oversees to come to feel a feeling of normalcy while they are displaced from their dwelling. As an alternative of staying inside, she said, they need to be afforded the opportunity to engage in outdoors with other children, including area Romanians.
“We are making an attempt in this second to make them cooperate with the Romanian young children, to make connections,” Urzica mentioned, hoping that they would foster associations by means of helpful level of competition in sports activities and other leisure pursuits. “For them to feel like regular youngsters.”
Different game titles have been structured due to the fact the fall-off for the small children to romp and play outside, just as Urzica meant.
Even though some of the kids have been displaced with their households, some are on their own as their mothers and fathers are “on the front lines” as paramedics or with the navy, Urzica said.
AICDL is presently overseeing the actual physical and psychological wellbeing of 67 youngsters, as properly as 25 grownups.
In a lot of circumstances, Urzica spelled out, the youngsters she is caring for “are not bad children.” They appear from normal homes in Ukraine and are now faced with extremely confined sources. AICDL can help organize their temporary, or in some instances long lasting, schooling in Romania when war is ongoing in their household nation.
While the sporting tools was a boon for Urzica, she nonetheless explained that there is an ongoing need for foods, and that need won’t shortly modify.
Urzica thanked Lentner, as nicely as the many others who have donated their time, dollars and exertion to assist in what she feels is her mission.
“This is something individual for me,” Urzica reported. “I will not give up.”
Lentner stated that locating Urzica has been like “finding a needle in a haystack” and lauded her selflessness and enthusiasm.
“We have demonstrated that superior persons can improve the globe,” Urzica reported. “They they can do excellent things and that they can mobilize to do greater things. So that is why I am extremely blessed to fulfill these amazing men and women.”
