I am the author of the Goodacity blog, a journalist, and a translator. For 16 years, I have worked in professional journalism, contributing to regional and national publications, both in print and online media. I have written reports, conducted interviews, reviews, articles on cultural, social, and charitable topics, as well as materials in the style of "solution journalism" and communication materials.
My focus is on creating interesting and exclusive content. Journalism, to me, is primarily about human stories, to which I always find the key, empathize with the people I write about, and love all my heroes. Journalism, to me, means telling people about what truly matters to them, informing and inspiring them. It is not just a job, but a way of life, just like for all those who dream, create, and are inspired by it.
So, if you are looking for stories that inspire and motivate, that instill faith and help find meaning while believing in goodness, read my stories on the Goodacity website.
I am a manager of cultural affairs and a project manager with over 14 years of experience at United Thinkers. I have participated in the organization of numerous successful social and charitable projects and have implemented informational campaigns and communication cases.
As a marketing manager, I have been involved in organizing marketing and sociological research, working with media and partners, developing advertising and marketing strategies, as well as planning and implementing advertising campaigns.
I believe in the power of goodness and I am happy that as part of the Goodacity project, I can contribute to its expansion. I believe in the power of words and in the fact that communication can help make the world a better place. I know how, where and when to speak in order to be heard. And when you are heard, you can change the world!
A 10-year-old volunteer sells seeds he collected himself to bring Victory closer!
Buy seeds to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine! On each packet of seeds you will find “from Svyatik” in charming child’s handwriting. And these are not just any seeds, but… seeds of Victory! A 10-year-old schoolboy from Vinnytsia region, Ukraine, collected every one by hand and is selling them to raise funds to help the military!
Svyatoslav, or as he is affectionately called at home, Svyatik, is a fifth-grader. Rather than spending his free time playing with gadgets or games, he can be found gardening with his grandmother, dreaming not about new toys, but a personal drone for our defenders! For two years now, this young volunteer has been collecting funds to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces, selling seeds from the vegetables and flowers he grew himself.
Kindness is like a seed: it grows from a tiny grain…
“The Seeds of Victory” – that’s what people have already named them, – smiles Svyatoslav’s grandmother, Mrs. Inna.
– So be it: together we sow these seeds, which will sprout and grow our Victory! Today, everyone is doing what they can to help our defenders, including child volunteers who generously give their time and hearts. Money that would have been spent on toys is now going towards drones – this is the childhood of our children today. But, you know, we are raising a generation for whom helping is as natural as breathing. And I believe these children will live in a peaceful, flourishing Ukraine! Everything we do today is for this purpose. Honestly, helping others has always been natural and understood in our family.”
It is Mrs. Inna who assists Svyatik in his volunteer work.
“How do you find the motivation to live with faith and love in the midst of war?” the woman asks. I am inspired by words: planting, sowing, seeds, springtime… Actions follow words, because only actions yield results. From his early childhood, we have taught our grandson to appreciate the beautiful and the good, and the love of the land.
“Plant flowers…
Even if tomorrow is the end of the world.
Heal the wounds of people and the land,
Do what the Lord has given you the ability to do.”
Svyatik learned this poem at school, and these lines deeply inspire their family!
Mrs. Inna used to work in a hospital, but ten years ago, during the first wave of medical reforms, she was laid off and since then, her main “workplace” has become the garden near her house. This small plot of land is all she has.
“Our garden is small – only a quarter of an acre, but I wanted to plant everything. And so I did!
In my garden, there are 200 (!!!) varieties of tomatoes: we chose the best, most fertile; 60 varieties of peppers, onions, beans, cucumbers. And the whole yard is ‘drowning’ in flowers: marigolds, daffodils, a lot of chrysanthemums, over thirty different varieties of irises. We plant in two shifts, so the garden is bustling from early spring until late autumn. My grandson Svyatik – I’ve helped look after him since he was very small – has been with me in the garden since he was little, he’s my first helper! From a young age, he watched when the first flowers bloomed, when peppers or early cucumbers would set in the garden. He’s interested in everything: planting, growing, tasting, collecting seeds. Svyatik’s father is a farmer, he sows grain, so the grandson has known from childhood what working with the land means. Svyatik spends a lot of time with me, especially in the summer. Together we are one team, and we decided to volunteer and help together!
Kindness is indeed like a seed: it grows from a tiny grain…”
Gift Seeds – Sow Them!
“Before the full-scale invasion, I had an idea and set out to bring to life the campaign ‘Gift Seeds – Sow Them!’ I posted on social media that I was ready to send seeds to any willing residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine for free.
I wanted to show our unity and support people in this way,” explains the woman. “So they could harvest and share with others. Seeds might seem like a small thing, but they represent life – in the garden, on the table, a life that helps endure difficult times. Many were willing to participate and I was happy to send seed packets across the country to hundreds of people! I remember sending seeds on the evening of February 23, 2022. Then the war began… And when, after a week or two, undelivered packages started returning because they couldn’t be delivered to occupied territories or because the recipients had left, some forever, it was so painful. Those returned envelopes with addresses like ‘Mariupol’, ‘Volnovakha’, – they’re still sealed because I couldn’t bring myself to open them…”
With the onset of the war, Mrs. Inna and Svyatik immediately started helping Ukrainian defenders – they were so eager to support them. Mrs. Inna recalls,
“I thought – what can I, a pensioner, and little Svyatik, who was eight at the time, do? Then it hit me – seeds! That’s what my grandson and I collect and prepare, and it could serve a good cause once again!”
On her Facebook page, she created an album “Campaign Seeds – Fundraising to Support the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” where they decided to sell the seeds that Svyatik had gathered in the garden, directing the funds to help Ukrainian soldiers. You can see photos of him sowing vegetables and flowers, collecting seeds… It all came from the heart, from sincere intentions. Initially, they raised money for a car for a fellow villager who was fighting – with people’s help, they managed to collect 9,000 hryvnias.
I was amazed by the incredible support from everywhere – how people responded!
“With tears in my eyes, I read to my grandson the words of support and gratitude written to him from all over Ukraine: that with kids like him, the future is bright, that with such children, Ukraine is invincible! ‘Even though I have a collection of your peppers, I can’t help but support your grandson! I’ll order everything he has in the campaign, I want to buy the seeds,’ – such comments added strength and inspiration. And when people from temporarily occupied territories wrote that they wanted to support, that they believe and wait for Victory – it was simply tear-jerking!”
Buy Seeds... to "Hang" Them on a Good Deed!
Mrs. Inna recalls how a woman sent her a photo of marigolds blooming brightly from the seeds she had sent, saying,
“I planted them along a little path and called it ‘Svyatoslav’s Sunny Pathway.’ When I feel down, I walk along this path, and it lifts my spirits, gives me strength – reminding me how kind and good our people are.”
“People call sometimes and explain that they live in the city, in an apartment, with no place to plant flowers, but still wanting to support Svyatik. So, they decided to buy seeds but wanted them to go to someone in need instead of themselves. These are known as ‘hanging’ seeds, like how ‘suspended’ coffee (buying for the next person) is becoming popular.”
For the second year, Svyatik has been volunteering with his seeds: he has his own plot in the garden where he sows, plants, waters, and takes care of vegetables and flowers himself. The boy distinguishes all the varieties, knows various nuances of the seed collection – to ensure the seeds’ quality, he personally selects them from tomatoes and peppers, dries and packages them. Last year during the blackouts, he even packed and labeled them by candlelight.
“It’s all work, laborious and not always easy for a child,” says the boy’s grandmother. “But he is so happy to have the opportunity to contribute to the victory in his own way, doing it through his labor!”
"Seeds of Victory": You Reap What You Sow!
“With the funds we collected, we constantly made donations: whether it was for a thermal imager for the military, a charging station, a generator, tires and fuel, or various necessities. Svyatik has donated all the money he made from selling seeds (which is now over 30,000 hryvnias!) to the army – and he doesn’t regret it, he never once said, ‘Let’s buy something for me with this money…’ For us, this assistance comes from the heart! And how happy my grandson was when he met the soldiers, received a flag signed by the unit and a patch as gifts – for him, these are the greatest treasures!”
Last year, their family purchased and donated a drone to the Ukrainian military. Inspired, Svyatik set a new goal to raise funds for a personal FPV drone for the Ukrainian Armed Forces – to personally hand it over to the military. Now, he focuses all his efforts on this, and thanks to all the caring people who buy his seed mixes, he is succeeding! Many people now want to buy seeds to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
As the saying goes,
“You reap what you sow.” Our “seeds of goodness” have already borne incredible fruit – people from all over Ukraine respond and help!
They send us seeds – mallows, hibiscuses – saying, ‘Sell these and add the money to the drone fund, treats for Svyatik.’ Heartfelt thanks to all the big-hearted people who sent us seeds!”
If even ten-year-old Svyatik can assist Ukrainian defenders and “fight” with his peppers and marigolds, just imagine the incredible strength we all have together! Let’s help, let’s sow our gardens with hope and optimism together!
Let’s be the Seeds of Victory that will bear fruit!
