5 years of “Grandma’s Hares”

This is the fifth spring for the “Grandma’s Hares” – one of the foundation projects.

Exactly five years ago, an event took place that became the beginning of a great story — the signing of a memorandum of cooperation with the Territorial community Ukrainka city, near Kyiv on April 10, 2021 and the first master class for students of the University of the Third Age in the city of Ukrainka on May 14, 2021.

The project was born during the difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic, when usual live communication became almost impossible. We learned to work online, conduct master classes remotely, and maintain contact despite isolation and uncertainty.

This experience became an important basement for us when Ukraine faced a new challenge – a full-scale invasion. The war changed reality for everyone, but at the same time expanded the circle of people and organizations that united around supporting children. Over these five years, the project has grown into a large community of caring people. We were joined by craftsmen from different parts of Ukraine: Zlatopol, Kharkiv region, Bashtanka, Mykolaiv region, Ukrainka, Kyiv region, Kyiv. As well as volunteers, representatives of social initiatives, law enforcement officers, partners and organizations that work with children who have experienced loss, evacuation, occupation or other traumatic events.

In May 2022, a memorandum of cooperation was signed with the Juvenile Prevention Department of the National Police of Ukraine. Last spring, our partners also included the Service for Children and Families of the Executive Body of the Kyiv City Council (KCSA), 15.12.2025 – “Veteran pro” of the Khmelnytskyi District Children’s Hospital, 19.05.2026 – the “Children of Heroes” Foundation and other organizations that work with children and families every day.

Our elderly craftsmen, partners and children of our defenders and heroes who died defending Ukraine came to us for the holiday. The children, together with the project grandmothers, created their own creative works.

The team of the foundation, together with the main craftswoman Iryna Yurchyshyna, proposed painting thematic T-shirts dedicated to the holiday, based on the work of the Ukrainian artist Polina Rayko. So, everyone present has already begun to tune in to the performance “Rayko” from the Lena Lazovich Workshop – a gift from the foundation to the guests.

“… do you know what is the most important thing in the history of Polina Rayko? She began to create when many think it is too late. She showed all of us:

that creativity has no age, that even after pain, beauty can be born, that an ordinary person can create a real miracle.

It seems especially important to me to say this here today — at the celebration of the project “Grandma’s hares”. Because this project is also about a miracle that ordinary people create with their own hands and hearts. Our grandmothers sew hares for children — and each such hare also has warmth, care and love. Just like in the drawings of Polina Rayko.

And today we will also become artists for a little bit. Not in order to “draw correctly”. But in order to leave something alive and real in our works”, – the volunteer of the fund Olga Kuchmeeva supported the participants of the workshop with a short speech and a story about Polina Rayko.

It was especially valuable for the foundation team to receive awards and thanks from project partners, in particular representatives of juvenile prevention of the National Police of Ukraine.

Special thanks to the craftsmen from the city of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv region for the donated painting and to Volodymyr Inozemtsev from the city of Zlatopil, Kharkiv region for the knitted bunny and a shopper of his own design.

Over all these years, the project has existed thanks to the people who invested their time, energy, experience and heart in it.

We thank the foundation team: Iryna Lutai, Viola Churykova, Irina Raspopina, Iryna Yurchyshyna, Olga Kuchmeeva, Kostya Korzh, Sofia Rrasnikova, Lyudmila Yeliseeva and Yulia Oleschuk and everyone who helped organize the master classes, find materials, coordinate delivery, seek funding and support the development of the project.

“Grandma’s hares” are hugs from a grandmother to a child.

And the link to the photos from the event leads to a Happy viewing!