The School Buzz: Pueblo West HS Ukrainian foreign exchange student raises thousands through bake sale
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is affecting thousands of Coloradans. One of them is a local student. And now he’s trying to help those back home one cookie and muffin at a time.
Ivan Kozlov is from Brovary, Ukraine – a suburb of Kyiv. It’s been recently hit by Russian missiles that killed at least seven people. His parents and little sister are still there. Ivan is also a foreign exchange student at Pueblo West. He may be thousands of miles away from his family but he’s now raised thousands of dollars to help them.
Ivan and his friends held a bake sale at Pueblo West Tuesday and Wednesday to raise money for the Ukrainian Red Cross and Razom for Ukraine, a humanitarian aid organization. Hundreds of cookies and muffins were sold; monetary donations came pouring in; through yesterday, Ivan and his friends had raised $8,908, far surpassing Ivan's goal of $2,000.
“Whenever I talk to my mother and sister in Ukraine I always tell them that Americans are with Ukraine," said Ivan. "They support us and they are with us and they really appreciate that.”
Ivan’s father is serving as a volunteer in the Ukrainian military. His mother and sister are volunteering as well.
You can still donate monetarily through Thursday afternoon at Pueblo West High School if you would like to help.
You can also read more about Ivan's efforts to help Ukraine here.
Do you know a remarkable student, teacher or event at your school? Email us! SchoolBuzz@KRDO.com.