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!
In two years – 160,000 "battle treats"!
“If it weren’t for my wheelchair, I’d be on the front lines right now,” says my interviewee, an indomitable volunteer.
“But, unfortunately, that’s the reality… So I ‘fight’ with what I can: these are not just dumplings, crepes, or other delicacies; it’s all about supporting our soldiers, so they can feel cared for and supported every day.
You know, there was this incident that deeply moved me, told by a soldier’s mother: the guys from the brigade we helped got surrounded on a mission.”
“They held their ground and fought back for several days, but it was very tough for them, they ran out of food, drank water from puddles… And then, in the vehicle that volunteers had just delivered to them, loaded with food, they found a bag of dumplings that had fallen out of the thermal bag… And those dumplings gave them strength – both literally and figuratively, and they also knew who had sent them, knew my story… It really supported them and inspired them so much that they then broke out – and in the next two days, they liberated three of our villages! Just “simple dumplings”… One of those warriors sent me a thank-you note through his mother – he said those were the tastiest and most important dumplings of his life…”
I Can't Walk, But My Hands Still Work!
Yevhen Kompanets from Cherkasy, Ukraine, has been wheelchair-bound for thirteen years. A tragic accident at work, which resulted in a spinal injury, divided his life into “before” and “after.” However, it did not lead him to give up. Instead, he found a new purpose in volunteering, now spending each day preparing food for Ukrainian defenders. Over two years, his family has produced and delivered more than 160,000 various treats to the front lines. His wife, Tetyana, supports Yevhen in his daily volunteer efforts.
“God sent her to me,” the man says. “After the accident, when I was brought to the hospital, it was Tanya, a nurse, who took care of me, saved me, and nursed me back to health. We fell in love, got married, and have been inseparable ever since.”
“160,000 “combat treats” for the front – that’s a very rough estimate we made, not counting each item individually, but rather estimating buckets of treats,” Yevhen smiles.
“If we, my wife and I, made 300-400 dumplings a day, up to 1,500 a week, you can imagine the figure we’ve reached in nearly two years… The weight has long since exceeded tons,” the man laughs. “I remember hearing the soldiers, while loading a bus with gifts, saying they wished for lard ‘for complete happiness’… I took note of that – and since then, we buy, process, and send lard to the guys every week, already crossing the 8-ton mark – just in lard sent to the front!”
How did it all start? Their daughter Yana kicked things off – at the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, she met volunteers preparing packages for the front, went with Tanya to the headquarters, made dumplings… Yevhen immediately thought: he couldn’t join them in person, but his hands still worked and could do the same at home!
“I remember, before Easter 2022, my wife and I baked 400 Easter breads at home – 150 were distributed here in Cherkasy by Yana, given to the lonely, the less mobile, the elderly… And 250 Easter breads went to the front. That was our first shipment. And after that, it took off! Next were dumplings, then crepes, then pies, and it escalated from there: semolina cakes, crispy treats, meatballs, roasted chicken, meat crepes, liver crepes, borscht seasonings… I could go on and on – in short, everything that can be cooked in a kitchen, we did and continue to do, and send to our soldiers.
“To be honest, I don’t particularly love cooking,” the man laughs. “If it weren’t for the understanding that it’s necessary, I definitely wouldn’t spend so much time in the kitchen.
“Though, I do have some skills with dough: in 2014, my wife and I had a small business – we baked and sold pies at a local market near our home. We didn’t do it for long because it was tough and exhausting. We would wake up at 2 AM to bake pies, so by 6 AM, we could be at the market with fresh pastries. We managed that routine for three years – but now we’re working for our defenders, so there’s no time to feel tired…”
The Indomitable Volunteer: “I Want What I Do to Instill Faith and Hope in People”
Yevhen and Tetyana funded everything out of their own pocket for a long time – buying ingredients and cooking… Yevhen posted a photo on social media, wrote a post to inspire people, to encourage, to show that every bit of help counts, and immediately comments started pouring in: “We can’t cook ourselves, but we’re ready to contribute financially, give us your card number…”. The “Saturn” factory gifted them a freezer, making it easier to store the products. The ready-made delicacies in thermal bags are sent to the guys – packed in the car by evening, so the soldiers can enjoy them fresh in the morning!
“We thank everyone who joins in and helps! Many people in Cherkasy already know about us and our cause, I remember how people just left a bag of potatoes under the building with a note: “For Zhenya from the 4th floor”… It was such a touching moment.
I want what I do to instill faith and hope in people – to show that if we, despite all the difficulties, have not retreated, have not despaired, have not “grown tired of the war”, but continue to do everything within our power (and sometimes even beyond), then no one should give up or “throw in the towel”.
In their home “volunteer contract” are Yevhen, his wife Tetyana, their daughter, and two little Cossack grandsons. They lead by example for their children and grandchildren, showing how to live and help others.
“My parents raised me this way, and I am raising my children the same. People often ask me, “How do you not get tired?” To be honest – we do get tired, very much so, but we understand that our future and the future of our children depend on us. We cannot back down because – who, if not us! – smiles Mr. Yevhen.
– I don’t want to leave this war for my children or grandchildren… My family and I – we work with faith in the future. And right now, we are creating that future with our own hands. I won’t say we do something extraordinary – but we do everything within our power! Today, the vehicles we load will be heading straight into the inferno, to the toughest sections on the front line. These fearless volunteers who drive to the ‘zero point’ every time – they are also people of extraordinary spirit, not to mention the military who hold the defense in such hellish conditions… Ukraine is a country of the unbreakable!”
When Misfortune Helps Find Happiness: Married the Nurse Who Cared for Me After a Severe Injury
“What advice do I have from my experience for guys and girls who have suffered similar injuries? I could offer many beautiful, grandiose phrases about not losing spirit – but I don’t have the right… The only thing I can do is show by my example, by my life – look, here I am, my struggle, my spirit, what I do and how I help without giving up… Life goes on – it just shifted into a different format…”
“See, it was like that saying – ‘had there not been bad luck, I never would have been showered with good fortune’…
On November 30, 2011, I had an accident – now I have two birthdays… And in the hospital, where I was immediately taken, it was Tanya’s shift – she was a nurse in neurosurgery. For the first few days, my dad was with me day and night – but he was exhausted, we were going through a very tough time in our family, we had lost my mom a month and a half before… So I let my dad go and spent a few nights alone, and then Tanya came to take care of me, and she stayed – for life… Tanya had never seen me walking. Her support, her love – that’s what saved me and gave me strength. Yes, it was a very difficult period – after the hospital, there was a time when I didn’t leave the house for two and a half months – I couldn’t accept the new reality. But today, I am very grateful for everything I have. I became a father to Tetyana’s two children, we have three grandchildren – we are happy!”
“Those who lack an inner core, a strong backbone, fall into despair. I’ve seen people with less severe injuries than mine give up and try to drown their sorrows in alcohol – it happens… And then there are people like the indomitable volunteer Vadym Bazyuk, whom life in volunteering brought into my path, who not only keeps going but also finds the strength to help and support others… I am inspired by such People! So we fight tirelessly and daily – because our children, our future depend on us, and we have no right to retreat!”
