Anacortes lawyer has raised $800,000 to support Ukraine

It's been four years since Russia invaded Ukraine. The fighting thus far has killed more than 15,000 civilians and 140,000 Ukrainian soldiers. The tragic events inspired a lawyer from Anacortes to travel to the war-torn region.

What Marketa Vorel witnessed during her trip in 2023 inspired her to create the Sunflower F.U.N.D. to raise money for, “the most urgent needs of civilians and their defenders in Ukraine." So far, she has raised more than $800,000 for the cause. Vorel talked to KUOW’s Angela King about her work.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Angela King: What made you decide to go to Ukraine in 2023?

Marketa Vorel: I grew up behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia, so I know what Russian oppression feels like on a civilian population. My childhood nightmares are still made of Russian tanks rolling in on the cobblestone streets of my hometown. So, when I saw what was happening in Ukraine some 40 years later, after I had escaped from that regime, it really struck a nerve.

When Ukrainians liberated towns like Bucha, Irpin, and Izyum, and atrocities came to light, I felt a despair and helplessness that I just couldn't shake. At first, I did what most people do, I donated money. But in a couple of months, it just became really clear that I needed to go to Ukraine and figure out how I can help on my own and directly.

Did you ever think you could raise nearly a million dollars when you started your fund?

No. Angela, I had no idea. Of course, I'd love to raise more, because more is needed, but I never thought that I would be here today, four years into the war.

Where does that money go and how do you decide who gets it?

Since 2023, we have regularly supported a women and children's shelter for the internally displaced mothers and kids, located near Odessa; two frontline evacuation teams in eastern Ukraine; a war crimes investigation team in Kharkiv; and an army aid foundation that supports Ukrainian military units on the front lines.

The one thing that we do require for anyone to qualify for funding is that we have to meet them in person. We observe what they do to get to know each organization and its leadership. These in-person relationships really help us build trust, as they ensure transparency and the efficiency of their operation. That's also why we go back to Ukraine every year. We follow the money. We try to assess what their needs are now and in the future. So, these are really close and personal relationships with each organization.

I understand you started a pen pal project between students at Island View Elementary School in Anacortes and those in Ukraine. Tell us about that.

Oh, yes. This is the most cheerful part of what I do. It's building a bridge between kids here in the US and their peers in Ukraine. What always astounds me is the sensitivity and compassion kids here have, and truly, the depth of insight that they bring to evaluating what is happening in Ukraine.

One of the things that really touched me in Kharkiv, at a school where we participate with the school here in Anacortes, is that one of the boys last year asked me, “Why would anybody care about us in Ukraine?” That was really heartbreaking, and I wasn't quick with an answer, but I did talk to him later. I said, “Why do we care? Because you truly are the heroes, and we very much care about you and what is happening.”

But this pen pal program is more than words. It's a connection between the next generation, and that's really what we need. We need to build these bridges with other countries, especially those that are suffering under oppression or actively involved in conflict.

What is the one thing you would want listeners to keep in mind when it comes to what the people of Ukraine are dealing with?

I really relate on a personal level to the mothers. What I think every day is that for nearly 1,500 days of war, Ukrainian mothers have had to make a choice every single night, about the safety of their kids. Do they wake them up for each air alert, yank them out of bed, get them bundled up, and then run to the fallout shelter?

That leaves them all exhausted, both the parents and the kids, and depleted the next day to deal with yet another hit, being without electricity, or water and heat, and dealing with these everyday problems that, just like us, they used to take their situation and comfort for granted.

They had running elevators, they had electricity, they had running water, they had heat, and they run in the middle of the night to take their kids to a bomb shelter. That is the choice they make every single night. I can't imagine how exhausting that is, but I do see it on the faces of the people that I know, and I do see the exhaustion growing every year.

How do you think history will remember this war and the world's response to it?

Well, it will depend on what we do. I sure hope that we act in a way that history can say we stood up on the side of democracy, liberty, and international law, because if we don't support Ukraine, if we let Ukraine fail, it will only embolden Putin and other dictators like him to expand their imperial plans, move westward, and challenge each western democracy in their way.

I simply think that the fate of Ukraine will determine the global geopolitical order for decades to come. And I don't think that democracies have the option to let Ukraine lose this war. History will judge us on what we do in this moment. And I would like to be able to look in the eyes of my children and their children and say that we did the right thing.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.