Ukrainian exchange student raises money for her country | News, Sports, Jobs

CONTRIBUTED Pictures — From left to correct, Alli Johnson, Liza Yaryshkina and Brock Johnson. Yaryshkina is a Ukrainian trade scholar and is at present living in Waukee with her host dad and mom, the Johnsons. Alli is a Marshalltown indigenous and MHS graduate.

With the war in between Russia and Ukraine raging, individuals all over the world are carrying out whatever they can to assistance the Ukrainian persons. Fundraising has been a go to for men and women wanting to enable, and for Liza Yaryshkina, a 16-yr-aged foreign trade student from Ukraine, it is a single of the finest strategies she can assist her folks.

Yaryshkina, who came to Iowa by way of the Long run Leaders Trade Program (FLEX), is presently residing in Waukee with host mother and father Alli and Brock Johnson and attending Waukee Higher University. Alli, a Marshalltown High University alumni, is the daughter of nearby company house owners Tom and Mary Curley.

Yaryshkina’s mother and brother were equipped to escape the conflict, but her father remains in Ukraine. To present her assist for both her place and her father, she observed the FLEX program’s conclude of 12 months venture as an prospect to give back to her household neighborhood by coming up with a fundraiser.

She and two other overseas trade college students — Aisha Kademova from Kazakhstan and Bakai Tolundo from Kyrgyzstan — bought collectively to brainstorm some strategies to raise dollars. Sooner or later, they settled on selling T-shirts.

“They experienced a bunch of tips but the T-shirt thing is what seriously took off,” Alli Johnson explained.

CONTRIBUTED Image From still left to correct, Olga, Liza, Roman and Dyma Yaryshkina. Liza’s mother and brother, Olga and Dyma, have been securely evacuated from Ukraine, but Liza’s father Roman remains in the place. Liza is elevating money to donate to the Kyiv Maternity Clinic.

They were being capable to husband or wife with Mike Draper, who owns the Des Moines printing, layout and clothing corporation Raygun, to make the plan a actuality. Johnson claimed the reality that Draper helped them structure the T-shirts and is printing them at no first cost solidified the thought.

“Mike has been exceptional to operate with. He generally sat down with the kids and built 4 different T-shirts and said ‘We’ll get on the price. You men just sell them and we’ll figure out the dollars and the cents later on.’ So right now he’s not charging them something,” Johnson mentioned.

Immediately after they offer all the shirts, they system on shelling out Raygun again for the supplies and donating the revenue to the Kyiv Maternity Healthcare facility that was tragically bombed. The doctor who shipped Yaryshkina really performs at that clinic.

They started offering the shirts about two months back, and Alli Johnson mentioned Yaryshkina was astonished at how well-known it is been.

“I assume it’s gotten a great deal much more consideration than she assumed she ever would for this, so she’s a minimal taken aback by that but she’s genuinely liking it,” Alli Johnson explained. “It tends to make you truly feel like a very pleased guardian. That is definitely all there is to it. She’s performing a great career, her and her buddies.”

The shirts are staying bought at Tannin Wine Bar in Marshalltown, which is owned by the Curleys, as effectively as on Raygun’s site at https://www.rayguncustom.com/collections/students-united-for-ukraine. Alli Johnson stated they were also wanting into setting up booths at the Hy-Vees in Ankeny and Waukee to sell the T-shirts as nicely, even though they are even now ironing out the information.

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Speak to Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or [email protected]

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