Here is an update on our activities in July, happened just before our eleventh delivery (see our report).
The focus here is on an extraordinary woman, Olena, who is serving with her husband in the army at the front. Olena and her husband are teachers by profession and come from a small town in the Vinnitsya region of central Ukraine. They volunteered to join the army in 2022 to defend Ukraine. We got to know them last year when our friend and advisor Serhiy approached us with a request to get a pickup truck for their unit. We were able to hand over the vehicle to them in Kharkiv in August 2023.
Since then, we have been following the couple’s progress closely and are pleased that they have made it safely through even the hottest combat zones. In May, we received the news that Olena had completed her training as a military medic and was looking for a fully equipped paramedic backpack to care for the soldiers in her platoon: i.e. a special backpack for front-line medics, with tourniquets, hemostatic bandages, and splints.
We didn’t think twice and agreed to help. Initially we searched in Germany but quickly realized that suitable and well-equipped backpacks were cheaper and easier to obtain directly in Ukraine. After Olena had chosen a model from the many options available, we were able to enlist the help of our colleague Anna Mikulytska – as we had done many times before. Pickup4Ukraine financed the backpack, and she agreed to order and accept delivery until it could be forwarded to Olena – not easy, as Olena was at the front, unavailable for weeks.
Benefit Concerts in July
With this in mind, we dedicated our two charity concerts planned for the beginning of July to funding the backpack.
The first concert took place on July 2 in Walldorf, and the second, on July 6 in Wiesloch, our fourth and fifth concerts.
These concerts are entitled “Music from Ukraine – Music for Ukraine”. Once again, we had a variety of musical styles and performers from Ukraine and Germany on offer. In addition to a sonata by Scarlatti and arias by Rossini and Offenbach, there were Ukrainian instrumental pieces on bandura and folk songs. The mixture of solo and ensemble pieces, reflective and more upbeat moods provided variety.
One constant of these benefit concerts is the high artistic level of the performers, from accomplished piano and violin playing to singing. Spontaneous improvisations also contributed to the lively atmosphere. The audience was also encouraged to clap and sing along at various points and showed its approval after both successful concerts with sustained applause at the end. In Wiesloch, Dr. Gerd Weisskirchen asked for the floor to thank the musicians and remind them that Ukraine’s struggle for freedom and self-determination is just as important for us in the West as it is for the Ukrainians themselves. He called for solidarity and, in particular, wished the young Ukrainians present peace and freedom.
We would like to thank the town of Walldorf for the use of the Laurentius Chapel as well as the Kulturforum Südliche Bergstraße e.V. and the city of Wiesloch for the use of the Kulturhaus and for their cooperation.
Vernissage in Heilbronn
In January, we met Silvio Kempf from licht.illusion in Heilbronn. In his own words:
“The abstract works by artist Silvio Kempf presented under the label licht.illusion blur the boundaries between reality and illusion. Colors, textures and shapes in unusual combinations bring new things to light. The photographs – often nature motifs and everyday objects – are transformed into fascinating worlds that challenge our perception of reality.”
Silvio offered to auction one of his pictures for the benefit of Pickup4Ukraine. Michael and his wife were there when more than €400 was bid, which we were able to use for our delivery in February.
However, Silvio did not leave it at a one-time event. Silvio invited us to his new vernissage in July, where another large picture was to be auctioned. That very evening, Annette and Michael had loaded the medical materials in Walldorf and were filmed by the Germany television broadcaster SWR. We didn’t know how long the work would take. Fortunately, it was completed on time, and we piled into our pickup and rushed to Villa Rosenberg, where we appeared the moment Silvio stood on stage and started talking about Pickup4Ukraine.
We then had the opportunity to address the audience ourselves, talk to people and tell them about our work. Annette introduced our purpose of providing Olena with the medical backpack.
The subsequent auction and the collection box raised over €900, an amazingly generous result that allowed Pickup4Ukraine, together with the proceeds from the benefit concerts, to finance not only the backpack but also additional material to refill it.
We would like to thank Silvio and Carolin Winz, winner of the auction, for their generous support!
Olena received the rucksack at the beginning of August when she was relieved at the front and was able to collect it.
Through the solidarity of our donors—through your generosity—Olena can save lives and help the wounded. This is all thanks to you. With Pickup4Ukraine, we are making a contribution to her work.
Decisive action leads to real results. Together, we are making a difference.