Nearly 60 members of the Ames community competed in a 5K in support of Ukraine.
Uliana Markutsya, a student at Ames High School, organized a race to fundraise for Nova Ukraine. Participants of all ages and athletic ability took their marks at Ada Hayden Park Saturday.
“Through this event we’ve raised $3,000, and all of that will be donated to Nova Ukraine and help Ukrainian civilians with basic needs and medical needs,” Uliana said.
Since 2022, Nova Ukraine has raised $180 million and supported 12 million Ukrainians.
Behind the fundraiser, there is a personal story for the Markutsya family.
“My family is Ukrainian,” Alina Markutsya, the older sister of Uliana and an event volunteer, said. “My whole extended family lives there in Kiev. We’ve been trying to find ways to support them.”
The Ames community showed up in support. Beyond the athletes running, the Peace and Freedom Bakery and Hy-Vee sponsored the event, and the Ames Interfaith Alliance aids Ukrainian refugees in the area.
A representative from the Ames Interfaith Alliance shared that the volunteer organization helped welcome 60 Ukrainians to the community. Their actions included aiding refugees in learning English and finding housing.
Participants echoed similar reasons for showing up: to support Ukraine.
“I wanted to raise some money for Ukraine, and I always love a good 5K,” Emily Dux Speltz, an Ames resident and the first woman to cross the finish line, said.
Some runners touched on more personal reasons.
“One of our neighborhood friends is from Ukraine, and we wanted to support her and her family and all her home country people in the war that they’re enduring,” Brant Sheely, an Ames resident, said.