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 Story of Hope and Assistance
It’s often said that volunteering changes lives, but words can hardly capture the depth of this statement. Victoria Klopot, a volunteer from Chernihiv, is a person with such a big heart that it has room for an entire army of stray animals! It was this heart, her kindness, that inspired her to turn her home into a sanctuary for those in most desperate need of help and love. 14 cats, a dog, two turtles, a hamster, and… two pigeons! Mrs. Victoria rescued and sheltered all these treasures at her home, and now, she cannot imagine life without them! Marcus, a diabetic cat, blind cat brothers Leon and Myroslav, Sphynx cat Filya, saved by her son Roman, who is now defending Ukraine; a pigeon with one wing, which Mrs. Victoria found wounded and nursed back to health…
“There are no healthy animals among my charges,” says the woman.
A cat rescued from Avdiivka, Ukraine, a hamster from Kherson, Ukraine – in this incredible “tail and wing” family, each animal has its tragic story, and all of them need love, care, and attention.
“As a child, I wanted to be a veterinarian; I would rescue and pick up all living beings – I brought home injured birds, cats, and dogs. We always had some ‘whisker-paw-tail’ brethren at home… I always dreamed of having many animals, of various kinds, they all fascinated me. And although I never became a veterinarian – my love for history and the teaching profession prevailed – my love for animals and the desire to help them never faded…”
A Life Filled with Kindness
“In our family, everyone rescues animals,” Mrs. Victoria says with a smile. “My son Roman, upon joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine, left us in charge of his three ‘tails’ – all of whom he had rescued… I immediately told Roma: if you come across any stray tails on the front and can take them – do it, and we’ll find them a home here. And he does – he recently came home on leave from the front, and with him in the car was a rescued kitten… My daughter in Kyiv, Ukraine, picked up a dog with rickets from the street, and took in another whose owner is currently on the front – so she lives in a rented apartment with two dogs… So, a kind heart and saving four-legged friends is, I suppose, a family thing…
Most of my ‘tails’ had to be rescued from human indifference and cruelty, and since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, animals rescued from frontline areas have been added to the mix. There are so many stories that it’s enough not just for an article – but for an entire book! The oldest cats are 9 years old – the cat brothers Leon and Myroslav, taken from a volunteer friend and companion Inna Luchkina – went with my daughter to pick up one kitten, and then realized we couldn’t separate them… A cat, which I picked up from the street near a trash can as a tiny kitten, for a while we even had a wild pigeon at home that had been hit by a car. We picked him up, treated him, fed him, and he recovered and flew away. Unfortunately, for street pigeon Hans, we had to amputate a wing and now he lives with us – he coos so beautifully, and he’s got personality, our cats know it’s better not to show too much interest in him,” she laughs…
How does my morning start? I wake up around six – feed the pigeons, give them water, then the cats, the hamster, and the turtles, and then off to work at school. “I get energized” by the kids, get inspired, together we made energy bars for our defenders, and wrote them letters… And at home, I look after my fluffy ‘landlady’ and – to another job, one that brings our victory closer: I knit nets for camo covers for our guys’ helmets, and with my husband, we send volunteer aid to our defenders… What we do – is not just volunteering, it is foremost our honor and thanks to the Heroes of Ukraine, who are fighting for our right to live.”
Mrs. Victoria is a history and art teacher at Chernihiv School No. 19. “Last spring, our school suffered greatly from Russian bombings,” the woman shares. “I remember a very poignant moment: we were in school, cleaning up the damaged premises, and my former student – a soldier, specifically sought me out to say thank you, to talk.
He looked at the history of Ukraine classroom destroyed by Russian bombs and said, “Everything you told us about the war that has been going on for 300 years… was right.'”
After February 24, there was a huge surge of interest in history among the students: the national liberation struggle, resistance to invaders – everything they had previously only read about in textbooks is now happening before their eyes.
I tell all my students: the history of Ukraine is being made right now, and it’s primarily being made by our Defenders! Every day I repeat: if young men and women out there, on the front, are standing firm for us, then we here, in the rear, must stand firm for them, for their needs and interests. No help is insignificant – everything we send to the front, all the collections we close, all the treats and warm socks, drawings, and letters – it’s all respect and honor for our military.
This is not “their” war; this is our war. It’s a war for the right to live for all of us, and no one can stand aside.
With the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion, my husband and son immediately went to the military enlistment office. My son was told to wait for a call-up (he is now fighting), but my husband was denied due to his age. He was very upset, eager to go to the front, I calmed him down – saying, we have our role and our place in this war, we can help here… We took our entire home ‘zoo corner’ and went to the cottage – there, we prepared food for our territorial defense forces, helped adults and children in the neighborhood. And one of our cats hid in a corner in the apartment – I couldn’t get him out, so every few days I drove from the cottage 16 kilometers one way, to bring him water and food. On the way, I stopped by acquaintances – elderly people living alone, brought them medicine and groceries. Twice I was caught under air raids, those were terrifying, very scary times…”
Spiritual Strength and Kind Heart: Every Day Dedicated to Helping Others!
“When we got back home, we connected with local volunteers who directly assist specific units – and my husband and I started preparing various treats for our defenders twice a week: soups, Galician solyanka, meat dishes, and my husband made plov – he’s really good at it. We made vitamin-rich salads, pickled cabbage, pork fat with pepper and garlic – and it all went fresh to our boys! We sent medicines and warm socks too – my brother-in-law and our 83-year-old mother-in-law knitted them; despite her age, she also pickled cabbage and grew her own vegetables…
And I started crocheting nets for helmet camo covers – I can do 2 to 4 of these nets in an evening. I have my son Romchik’s military helmet – cracked from a shrapnel, he left it here, so I use it to measure the nets I weave. The finished nets go to another volunteer, Mariya Krasnopolska, who skillfully turns them into camo covers that have saved more than one life. Many people, when they learn about the net knitting, help out with yarn. Another friend and classmate of mine – Nina Pyshchyk. Together we rescue animals, help fighters on the front line, discuss movies and books, and even go on excursions. I also crochet toys for pets, before the ‘big war’ I sold them, and the money went to treating homeless tails and helping elderly people in our district who also care about animal issues.
Now, the proceeds go to help the army, and I donate such toys to volunteers. Cats and dogs love them, they’re soft, colorful, fun, and safe. It’s my way to unwind, I love making them. But now, I don’t do it as often – because for that, your soul has to sing, and right now, it cries…
But when I look at our heroic military, at kids growing up with the understanding that helping others is the norm of our daily life, at dedicated volunteers who refuse to stand by – I realize that with such People, everything will be alright! Volunteering has connected me with so many bright people with kind hearts, our youth is so incredible – I’m at peace about our future with such young people!
Some may wonder – why do all this, but I always say: helping others makes life more interesting, more inspired. You get energized in the morning at school with the kids, come home, cook something for the military, knit, send a parcel – and it feels so great! And when fourteen tails greet you – the emotions are indescribable! Seeing an animal fed, full, healthy, warm, and safe – you know your work wasn’t in vain!
Family and animals – these are my wings, they give me strength. Strength to live, teach, help… Humanity saves, it’s what can make this world a better place for all.”
