The “Elevate Ukraine” Organization Helps TNMU Develop the “Prosthetics and Orthotics” Specialty

The President of the American charitable organization Elevate Ukraine (https://elevateukraine.org/), Radu Filip, recently visited Ternopil National Medical University. He brought consumables and spare parts for three 3D printers and a 3D scanner for the Simulation Training Center, which had previously been donated by his organization. He observed how this support contributes to the development of the Prosthetics and Orthotics specialty at the university. Radu Filip also met with TNMU Rector Mykhailo Korda to discuss prospects for further cooperation.

• • Could you tell us more about your motivation to help Ukraine and Ukrainians?
• — My great-great-grandfather was from Ukraine, but that is not the main reason I help Ukraine. As a European and a Romanian, I understand that supporting Ukraine means containing the advance of evil toward the West and into Europe. As a U.S. citizen, I draw parallels between the American War of Independence and Ukraine’s struggle to preserve its sovereignty against a much stronger, larger, and better-equipped country. America’s victory in the Revolutionary War was made possible thanks to support from France—without it, the outcome would have been different.
• • When did you start volunteering?
• — I personally joined the team of volunteers after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In the early days of the war, I felt the need to help, but didn’t know where to start. I joined a local group of people in my town, including Jerry Fox and his wife, who had visited TNMU. Jerry and his wife are part of the AM Church of Christ community in College Station. College Station is a small town known for its large university, which originally focused on agriculture and mechanical engineering. Today, the university has many different faculties. Many institutions and organizations in our town carry the abbreviation AM, referring to the university’s early focus. We’re proud to have such a university in our town.
• The name “College Station” itself has an interesting origin. A railway line ran through Texas, and the station’s name was associated with people traveling to the college—hence, “College Station.” But back to the AM Church of Christ: the community has been providing charitable aid to Ukraine and Ukrainians for over 20 years. During the Cold War, the church sent Bibles to Ukraine. They also offered significant support to orphans in Donbas. After Russia’s full-scale invasion, people in our town came to this church with donations because they knew it would reach Ukrainians. Wanting to separate church donations from those for Ukraine, we created the charitable foundation Elevate Ukraine.
• I joined volunteer work at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The head of our organization is Roman Popadiuk, who was the first U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine in 1992–93. We are very proud to have him as our leader.

• What projects have you been able to implement over the past three years?
— Our first project after the full-scale invasion was providing trauma first-aid kits to hospitals and military hospitals. We consulted with military doctors in Ukraine to compile the list of components. Each kit cost $75. At that time, we told everyone: “Saving a life costs $75.” In total, we sent 1,500 of these kits to Ukraine. Our first humanitarian shipment included medical equipment and supplies for the Dnipro Military Hospital.

During the ongoing war, needs change quickly and unexpectedly, so we responded quickly as well. We purchased heating stations for soldiers, and during attacks on Ukraine’s power system, we delivered generators and Starlink stations to Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

Later, we focused our efforts in two main directions. We began collaborating with the Austrian foundation Vienna Mission for Ukraine to supply fuel, spare parts, and consumables for ambulances in frontline areas.

• Are there currently any priority areas of work?
— At one board meeting, we decided that our support for Ukraine would not end with the war, but would continue as long as needed. Our main focus is helping rehabilitate veterans and civilians who have suffered serious injuries due to the war.

Thanks to Jakob Koepke’s visit to your university, we were able to establish closer contact with TNMU. Jakob’s main goal was to raise awareness of the needs of amputees. The most significant result of his tour for us was becoming involved in the development of prosthetics, which has become a primary focus of our organization. Participating in Jakob’s charity bike tour helped us shape our current medical rehabilitation strategy. Jakob introduced us to TNMU, and today I had the opportunity to see the results of the project we are supporting at your university.

We also discussed two other possible areas of cooperation with Rector Mykhailo Korda. We explored the university’s needs, which allows me to present concrete proposals for assistance to our partners.

Over the past three years of working in the foundation, I have realized the importance of a strong partner network and mutual trust. My visit today is another step toward strengthening that trust. Success breeds success.