Veterans United Foundation donates $100K to help MU Ukrainian students in Columbia
Quietly and behind the scenes, Veterans United Foundation donated approximately $103,000 to the University of Missouri's Ukrainian Emergency Fund early this summer, to assist Ukrainian students attending MU.
The donation will benefit Vlad Sazhen and Alina Rohulia, a couple who were reunited Friday when Rohulia arrived at the Columbia Regional Airport before the start of the fall semester. Sazhen has been studying at MU since January. They are both from war-torn Kharkiv.
It also will benefit Daniil Rakov, a recent high school graduate from Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine.
"I didn't know who made the donation to me" until now, Rakov said in a Monday phone interview. "That means a lot."
He said he hopes to show his gratitude any way he can.
"I will be able to study," Rakov said. "I hope to give back and volunteer with them and be a good student."
His hometown in Ukraine isn't occupied by the Russian military, but he said missiles sometimes fly over. Rakov said he wants to keep information about his family there private.
The region is home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which has been damaged in the combat.
Sazhen previously mentioned a foundation had made a substantial donation that included funds to pay for Rohulia's airfare to Columbia.
"This is absolutely incredible!!" Sazhen wrote in a message. "We are extremely grateful to the Veterans United Foundation for such an enormous support and opportunity for us to stay in a safe harbor. This means a lot to all of us and our families."
Sazhen and Rohulia are spending a week with a friend in California until Rohulia can move into her room in Gateway Hall.
The funds will help the Ukrainian students get through the current academic year, but they will need further financial assistance, said David Currey, MU director of international student and scholar services, in a statement on the MU website.
“We were really concerned about these three students and wanted to help,” Currey said. “The VUF funds will make a huge difference in helping these Mizzou students with their financial needs.”
Rakov originally came to Missouri as a high school foreign exchange student last fall and stayed after his graduation in May, when going home was not realistic. He plans to major in international business. He was awarded a $10,000 International Honors Scholarship, which will be renewed each year if he maintains a 2.75 GPA.
Sazhen and Rohulia have received three-year non-resident tuition scholarships from MU, providing each with $18,606 each year over three years.
Veterans United Foundation didn't immediately respond to a message from the Tribune.
Roger McKinney is the education reporter for the Tribune. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Veterans United Foundation donates $100,000 to MU Ukrainian students
