Cobblestone Freeway Foundation supports families, artists, and the tourism industry
The main reason I reprinted Planted was because I knew there was a way I could donate more money to Ukraine than I could on my own. And thanks to your support, I’m doing exactly that.
Proceeds from the next 60 books I sell (which equals a $750 donation) will go toward the Cobblestone Freeway Foundation. I just donated $770 to Ukrainian Patriot (a few people gave me more than $25 for the book, so I included the extra money in the donation), and I’m already part way through hitting my goal for Cobblestone.
About the Cobblestone Freeway Foundation
The Cobblestone Freeway Foundation was originally established to support cultural projects in Ukraine. Because of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, it has shifted its focus to helping Ukrainians who need support.
Four priority groups receive Cobblestone’s donations: Ukrainian refugees; Cobblestone Freeway Tours staff and their families; musicians, artisans, performers, and anyone who has been involved with Cobblestone Freeway Tours; and members of the tourism industry in Ukraine.
Cobblestone Freeway Foundation is run by volunteers, meaning 100% of the money raised for the foundation goes directly toward helping people in Ukraine and Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes.
My connection to Cobblestone Freeway Foundation
Many of the people involved with the Cobblestone Freeway Foundation — both those providing support and those receiving support — are like family to me.
Cobblestone Freeway Tours, the company that launched the foundation, organized my year living in Ukraine. I met Vince Rees, the founder, almost a decade ago through Troyanda Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, where I dance. He has choreographed dances for us and has joined us on tours in Eastern Europe. Vince dreamed up the yearlong dance immersion program I took part in from 2017 to 2018, something that truly changed my life, something I’ll be forever grateful for.
During that year, the Cobblestone team became my family. My friends and I would call Kyrylo Kozachuk, the head of Ukraine operations, our Ukraine dad because he always looked out for us, went beyond to make sure we had everything we needed, and checked in on us regularly to make sure all was well.
Vince Reese (left) and Kyrylo Kozachuk took good care of me and my friends when we lived in Ukraine. Here they are in 2018 in the village Tulova. Today, Kyrylo is defending Ukraine as part of the army.
Any time we spotted Kyrylo — usually every two months when he drove us to our next home — we would sprint up to him for a giant hug. We’d be walking along a cobblestone street in Ukraine, see him a block away wearing his signature newsboy cap, and run, trying to be the first to get in for that comforting hug of family. It was a moment of pure joy.
Just thinking about one of those hugs makes me feel supported. It also makes me feel sad because it’s been too long since I’ve run up to Kyrylo on the streets of Ukraine, and I don’t know when it will happen next.
Kyrylo is one of those people who makes me feel like me. Maybe that makes sense to you, maybe it doesn’t. In every conversation, whether it was a heart-to-heart after an evening of cognac or a casual check-in to make sure all was OK, he made me feel heard and like I mattered, and I think everyone who has had the chance to talk with him would say the same.
Since the Cobblestone Freeway Foundation shifted its focus to aid in Ukraine, Kyrylo has been one of the team members working tirelessly to help those who need it. The Cobblestone Freeway Tours office in Lviv became a shelter to Ukrainians from other parts of the country seeking safety, and Kyrylo helped set up the space to ensure they had bedding, mattresses, and basic necessities. He and others on the team have also been delivering food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid directly to people in Ukraine.
The Cobblestone Freeway Foundation has used donations to purchase baby food, diapers, and medicines for children and their families who recently relocated to the relative safety of Western Ukraine. Earlier this week there was an explosion near Chervonohrad, where the families are currently staying, further highlighting the need for the efforts of the Cobblestone Freeway Foundation. Photo courtesy of the Cobblestone Freeway Foundation.
Kyrylo is now one of the thousands of people who are defending Ukraine as part of the military’s Territorial Defense Forces. Because he is out of work and is instead volunteering with the Territorial Defense, the foundation will ensure his family is provided for, just like they are doing for families of other Cobblestone staff.
That’s a bit about my connection to just one Cobblestone person, albeit an important one. There are also my Ukrainian big brothers Taras and Bogdan and my other Ukrainian dad Dima and really everyone else on the Cobblestone team. And they’re all doing all they can to help people in Ukraine be safe, to help them survive.
“EVERY DAY I GO OUT AND I FIND PEOPLE TO HELP.”
In addition to refugees and Cobblestone staff, the foundation also supports artists, such as visual artists, theatre groups, and musicians. If you’ve been on a Cobblestone Freeway Tour, you likely have met some of the performers the team is assisting, such as singers from Rozhanystia, like Hanna. A few months ago, Hanna and her four children slept in the foundation’s office after they fled Kyiv, and now they are in Poland. The foundation is continuing to support Hanna and her family by providing them with money for necessities.
I encourage you to look through the social media pages of the Cobblestone Freeway Foundation (click here for Facebook, and click here for Instagram) to see all the impactful and much-needed work they are doing. You’ll learn about some of the foundation’s initiatives, like how the team has been supporting a school that has become a centre to house refugees from Eastern Ukraine. Many of them were moved from a cancer ward and are still undergoing treatment. The foundation is supporting them with essential food items, clothing, and toiletries.
You can make a direct donation to the foundation at this link.
One of Cobblestone Freeway Foundation’s bigger initiatives has been supporting a school, which has become a centre to house refugees from Eastern Ukraine. Many of them were moved from a cancer ward and are still undergoing treatment. The foundation is supporting them with essential food items, clothing, and toiletries. Photo courtesy of the Cobblestone Freeway Foundation.
Where to Purchase Planted
To support Cobblestone Freeway’s Work by purchasing Planted, fill out this form.
Once you send me the requested information, I’ll email you the total, and you can send me an e-transfer. If you’re picking up the book, I’ll give you some time options of when to come by.
The book is $25 with free Winnipeg pickup. Shipping to Canada is $4 per book, and shipping to the U.S. is $6 per book (for shipping outside Canada and the U.S., send me an email, and I’ll find out the cost). If you’re outside Canada, you can pay by credit card here.
The ebook will also be available shortly if you prefer that format.
Thank you for your support. Slava Ukraini! Heroyam slava! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!