As they watched Ukraine’s humanitarian disaster spread, Suzanne Johnson and her circle of relatives felt they’d “no selection” however to behave.
Suzanne’s father Stefan moved to america after Global Struggle Two as a 21-year-old refugee from Ukraine; her mom is a first-generation immigrant.
They raised Suzanne in Big apple’s ‘Little Ukraine’ district, and their daughter is now married to Woody Johnson – group proprietor of NFL franchise the New York Jets.
No longer simplest have the Jets pledged to donate $1m (£893,000) to assist the ones suffering from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Johnson circle of relatives made a humanitarian travel to neighbouring Poland in July.
Suzanne, her husband and their two teenage sons visited the Dom Wczasowy orphanage and Bursa Miedzyszkolna school dormitory, which is serving as a refugee centre.
“It used to be an eye-opening enjoy,” Suzanne instructed BBC Recreation. “The refugee centre used to be housing the ladies and youngsters of households from close to the nuclear energy plant.
“They are trained individuals who had complete lives and needed to flee, with half-hour’ realize to throw anything else they might right into a sack.
“Those ladies have been crying to me. They are so proud and hate the truth they have been put on this place the place they have got to depend on other folks.
“I will be able to’t even believe any individual telling me presently you could have half-hour to escape america. It used to be completely heart-wrenching.”
‘It is our responsibility’ to assist Ukraine
Suzanne’s father arrived in New York with $5, a bag of garments and now not a phrase of English, however used to be given the chance to make a existence for himself.
With the assistance of the Ukrainian church, he was a builder, began a circle of relatives and evolved a a success industry development circle of relatives properties.
Suzanne cast a a success profession as an equities supervisor earlier than assembly her husband, who served because the US ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017-2021.
“My father at all times instructed me what existence used to be like rising up in a Communist nation, dwelling during the struggle and coming to the United States with just about not anything,” she mentioned.
“I am now in a privileged place so I assumed that if I might be instrumental in lending any assist, each monetary and bodily, it used to be my responsibility as a result of other folks did that for my father.
“He passed on to the great beyond 3 years in the past and could be in poor health to his abdomen seeing his nation being invaded. It is my responsibility as his daughter, and my sons’ responsibility as his grandsons, to provide this toughen.
“We haven’t any selection. We need to do it.”
‘Seeing it first hand, you need to make a distinction straight away’
Russia invaded Ukraine in February, and the humanitarian disaster will proceed when the combating stops. About 7.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine, with nearly 1.4 million heading to Poland.
The Johnsons have unfold their $1m donation over 10 months, with $100,000 donated every month to another organisation which is able to direct the finances the place they’re wanted maximum, once imaginable.
A few of the organisations they have got helped is United24.
Whilst observing Wimbledon, Suzanne’s eldest son Brick, 16, noticed global primary Iga Swiatek announce a charity tennis tournament to be performed in her local Poland when the Johnsons could be there.
The development, in Krakow, featured Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who’s an envoy for United24.
Brick selected that organisation for July’s donation. He and his brother Jack, 13, offered the cheque, with the finances to be directed to youngsters’s hospitals in Ukraine.
“I spoke to children my age who instructed me about how other existence resides in an orphanage, the ache they went via crossing the border and being separated from their households,” mentioned Brick.
“It does not truly topic the place you reside, all children have such a lot in not unusual. I spoke to numerous them about sports activities and performed football with them.
“Whilst you see what is going on first hand, you need to make a distinction straight away, despite the fact that it is simply striking smiles on children’ faces.”
Jets use Bengals recreation to ‘be certain that message is not forgotten’
The Johnsons have extensively utilized their platform to unfold the arena right through the NFL season.
On the Jets’ house recreation in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, they organised for Ukrainian flags to be displayed at every endzone and at the gamers’ helmets.
They screened a video to a crowd of 73,708 on the MetLife Stadium to remind fanatics of the continuing disaster, and lift consciousness of the circle of relatives’s efforts to assist the ones affected.
Proceeds from the gameday raffle – and the Jets’ August donation – went to CityServe, to toughen a housing challenge in Krakow.
“I would like this message to not be forgotten, and possibly it’s going to act as a stepping stone for different groups to take some initiative at the Ukrainian disaster,” added Brick, who takes his nickname from former Jets participant D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
As soon as the battle ends, the Johnsons plan to seek advice from Ukraine, particularly to fulfill extra of the youngsters who’ve been orphaned on account of the struggle.
“Having the ability to connect to them, to make a bit of of distinction to their lives, made my coronary heart heat,” mentioned Brick.
“There are indicators of hope nearly. You wish to have to peer them recuperate, get again on their ft and get started their lives once more.”
