Since Feb. 24, people around the world have been watching and worrying over the devastation wrought by the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
Carol and Phil Lyons decided to do something about it.
The couple, who hold several donor-advised funds through the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, will contribute an additional $25 for every $100 donated by a community member to organizations providing critical support services to individuals and families in Ukraine and neighboring countries. They have pledged a total of $50,000 in matching donations to organizations supporting humanitarian relief in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
“Once the war started and we saw the horrors the Ukrainian people were experiencing, our first inclination was to give money. Carol did a good bit of research and found two organizations that she thought would provide relief as fast as possible: Project HOPE and Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund,” said Phil, who is retired from a career in life insurance and financial planning and has lived in Tucson since 1999.
“We decided to donate $25 for every $100 donation to these organizations and any others providing humanitarian relief in Ukraine — or $250 for every $1,000 donation up to $50,000 from us — in hopes that this would be widely publicized and there would be a broader response,” said Phil.
To participate in the matching grant process, donations can be made online at tucne.ws/1k7g or simply forward email confirmation or other proof (screenshot, etc.) of donations to any nonprofit supporting Ukrainian humanitarian efforts to Jeaiza Quiñones Ivory at jqivory@cfsaz.org.
Phil and Carol are driven by the belief that this is an unjust war with horrible consequences.
“There is no logic in terms of why this should be inflicted on Ukraine with the disproportionality of powers involved: A country of 144 million vs. a country of 44 million ... and now 25% of the Ukrainian population are refugees. They are not just ‘normal refugees,’ since all of the males to age 60 are left behind; these are women traveling on their own or with children, not knowing whether their husbands, fathers, sons or brothers will be alive when it is over,” said Phil.
Since 1980, donors like the Lyons, along with other families, individuals and businesses, have partnered with the foundation to award more than $215 million in grants and scholarships, according to Jenny Flynn, foundation president and CEO.
Widespread destruction was seen in a town in the Kyiv Oblast, following the withdrawal of Russian forces from the region, official drone footage released on Wednesday, April 6, showed.
