In late August, Oleksandr Kuzmin and Yuliia Mahai visited Kyiv to settle a number of important organizational matters and to officially register the first snowboards as assets of the Open New Ukraine NGO.

Receiving our first ten snowboards was an important milestone for the organization. They were donated by caring Ukrainians to help children affected by the war. The boards aren’t new, but what matters most is that this is a first step, and proof that people believe in our goals and values.

We also decided that all donated equipment will be listed on a dedicated page, Donated Equipment, here on openua.org. This keeps our work fully transparent for every donor.

While in Kyiv, our representatives met officials from the Kyiv City State Administration to discuss leasing a facility to store our ski and snowboard equipment and mountain bikes. We set out what such a facility needs: easy access by public transport, accessibility for people with disabilities, and room to grow into an extreme sports hub for children affected by Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.

The Kyiv administration fully supported our initiatives. Officials pledged their cooperation and said a municipal property could be allocated for the club, including a storage area for equipment.

Unfortunately, drone attacks on Kyiv increased sharply during our visit, and air raid alerts sounded almost non-stop. During alerts, all public officials must go to shelters, so we couldn’t hold all of the planned meetings.

But our work will not stop, no matter what.

Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!