A Special THANK YOU to these wonderful people and organizations...
---- WOW! 2007 was a wonderful year!
- Amanda Harrington and John Matthews for donating the funds needed to complete the creation of a teaching kitchen at the Internat (for older children.) They now have a family-style kitchen where teens can learn to cook for themselves and be self-sufficient when they leave the orphanage. Bon Apetite!
- Andrea Roberts of Reece's Rainbow, a ministry that helps find homes for orphans with Downs Syndrome. Some of the children at the baby house we support have found families through this WONDERFUL organization!
- Sarah Mason and her friends who have continued to support Operation Ukraine with funds, clothing, toys and cheering us on for the past several years!
- the families who adopted from Artemivsk this year, for their generous donations while at the baby house. Thank you for NOT forgetting those left behind.
- Cindy and Terry Harrington, for donating the funds for a water heater for the Maternity Hospital. Imagine giving birth in a place with NO hot water - but not any more! Bless both of you!
- Cindy and Terry Harrington, again we thank you for donation of the funds needed for new bed linens for Solnichko preschool and the baby house! Children are now enjoying the soft, clean sheets!
- Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and especially to Mindy Muller, for raising ALL the funds necessary for a COMPLETE renovation of the older kids' orphanage's gymnazium!!!! The work has just recently been completed and these kids finally have a great place to play - first time in decades that the gym is fit for children!
- anonymous high school student in Oregon who, by doing a benefit rock concert with his band in their high school cafeteria, raised enough money for new sports equipment for the new gym! You ROCK, dude!
- Holy Cross Church again, thank you for the money raised for a year of vitamins for the baby house!!!
- Jordan and Nathan Tabor and all their friends, for including Operation Ukraine in their Christmas party. The many, many new toys you collected and shipped are now being enjoyed by the children in the baby house AND Solnichko preschool orphanage!
- American Lutheran Church, for their continued support of Operation Ukraine, for the school supplies and hand-made bags, and the funds raised that we were able to use for new winter mittens and coats for the baby house!
- A donation made in memory of Eulalie T. Uhlmann, which was like a miracle for us - it allowed us to purchase all the cloth diapers and pins needed at the Baby House (they have 35+ infants needing diapers - and had NO diapers!); to replace all the crib mattresses, which were rotted and putrid; and to replace two of the area rugs the little ones play on. Your legacy now includes improved lives for many, many children - and many to come as these items will be useful for a long time to come.
- Cheri Hayes of Adoption Document Specialists, Inc., for your continued dedication to those who are in the process of adopting from Ukraine.
- Nancy Schultz of Omaha, NE., for a fabulous donation of children's clothing, shoes and more! Your generosity is not only a blessing to the kids in our orphanages, but obviously a wonderful example for your own children!
- American Lutheran Church in Filley, NE., for a choosing Operation Ukraine as their focus for Mission Sunday. Allowing us to speak about our work and donating all that you have helps us reach more children, inspire more Americans to adopt, and spreads God's love in a real, tangible way!
- An anonymous donation of GIANT CASES of small stuffed animals, the perfect sweet friend for a child in an orphanage. Thank you for helping us make this a wonderful holiday for literally hundreds of children!
- Karin Siefkes at Ayres Kahler Advertising and Marketing, for creating our beautiful new logo - thank you for donating your creative talents for our cause!
- Betty Deardoff and the quilters at St. John's Lutheran Church, for their hard work trimming and hemming the many donated bedspreads from Holiday Inn. These will be a wonderful, useful treat for the children this winter!
- Dee Studt at the AIM Institute in Omaha, NE., for negotiating with Dennis Uniform for a donation of 16 large cases of school uniform pieces. What a wonderful suprise for our Internat kids, who desperately needed these clothes!
- Dennis Uniforms, for donating their extra uniform pieces for our kids - what a wonderful thing to do with your overstock. You are a true example of how business can help humanity!
- The Upstream and co-owner Maria Czechut in Omaha, NE., for generously hosting our September City-Wide Baby Shower event! Thank you for supporting our children and being so giving with your facilities and FABULOUS food!
- Luis Hernandez and Kari Melby in Omaha, NE., for a VERY generous donation - cases vital items like baby powder, teething gel, toothbrushes, children's vitamins, bottles, baby wipes and so much more we can't list everything! May God bless you for your amazing generosity and the love you've shown to children you have never met!
- The Sewing Ministry of St. John's Lutheran Church for giving of their time and talents to resize, cut and hem all sheets to fit the orphanage beds and cribs!
- Michelle Mayfield and Holiday Inn Express in Beatrice, NE., for donating cases of sheet, blankets and towels for the children! Soft, clean sheets and knowing that people care about them will give the children sweet dreams!
- Wright Printing/Specialty Finishing for printing all of our 2004 cards for FREE! Special thanks to Brian Thalken and Tim Frank for their hard work. Without this donation, we would not have been able to provide Christmas gifts, food or clothing to the children in the Artemivsk orphanages.
- Field Paper for donating envelopes for our 2004 sale.
- The congregation of St. John's Lutheran Church for assembling the cards, selling them and the great ongoing support of Operation Ukraine! You are truly a church that lives your faith, and we thank you for both your practical help and your prayers!
- Omahans for Orphans for facilitating our relationship with the Artemivsk orphanages! Thank you for all of the work you've done for these children since 1998, and for helping us to become a part of that goal!
- OnPoint Communications for doing layout and the card verses!
- Sean Weide at Ervin and Smith Advertising for helping us get press coverage, Kathy Byers at Ervin and Smith for designing the beautiful posters, and Chris Munson at Ervin and Smith for getting the children's art ready to use on the cards.
- Ervin and Smith Advertising for a cash donation!
- The AIM Institute for ordering all 800 corporate holiday cards from us!
- Dr. Bill Weidner and Physicians from Methodist Hospital for donating many boxes of medical supplies for the children! Imagine, these children suffered through illnesses without any relief before, but will now have cough medicine, antibiotics, ear ache medicine, allergy medicine...you have saved many children pain and misery!
- The Sunday School Classes of St. John's Lutheran Church for making beautiful Christmas decorations and handpainted ornaments to send to the orphanages this Christmas. The children there were very happy to see they have friends who care about them in America!
- The Quilters at St. John's Lutheran Church for a donation of 7 CASES of hand-made quilts for the children. Many will feel safe and warm underneath your beautiful quilts this winter and for many to come!
- Brian Kerwin for being our retail liaison and delivering cards across our city!
- The North Omaha Rotary Club for selling our cards!
- The Ukrainian Catholic Church and Christine Stolarskyj for selling our cards at Christmas at Union Station!
- Thanksgiving Lutheran Church in Bellevue for selling our cards!
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Jeanetta Family for selling our cards!
- Julie Phillips at Papillion-LaVista High School for selling our cards, and for helping to translate when we need assistance!
- All Omaha-area media outlets for supporting our cause and talking about our programs!
- The anonymous family who donated a substantial sum to help us start the Computer Lab!
- The hundreds of individuals, churches and local businesses who have bought and sold our cards, made individual donations and spread the word about Ukraine's orphans!
Every child wants to smile. To eat. To be loved. Thank you for the things you do to help the children of Artemivsk.
Each and every donation we receive goes directly to help the children. We are a completely volunteer organization - no salaries or overhead.
Every dollar makes life a little easier for Ukrainian orphans. Every donation helps to make the future a little less bleak.
May you be richly blessed for your thoughtfulness!!