Believe in the Impossible

The impact of the war in Ukraine on the lives of young gymnasts is both tragic and incomprehensible for everyone outside looking in. Gymnasts have lost their homes, their gyms, in certain circumstances their family members or parents, some have even lost their own lives.  All sense of security and normalcy is gone, many are living in temporary housing, bunkers, or gymnasiums without food, water, electricity, hygienic necessities, medicine, and everything you could ever need in your daily life.

As members of the International Gymnastics community, watching the suffering of so many young gymnasts and seeing the heroic acts performed by their coaches who are staying to fight or contribute to humanitarian efforts in any way they can lit the spark in our hearts to temporarily alter our original mission with the donations we collect.  Beginning in March 2022 until further notice 100% of the funds collected at the Power of A Dream Foundation will be distributed to families of Ukrainian gymnasts & Ukrainian citizens in dire need of assistance through members of the Ukrainian gymnastics federation/community who are volunteers of the Power of A Dream Foundation.

Project Background:

Being anywhere but directly inside of Ukraine during the war, one can find it challenging to fully understand what Ukrainian youth athletes are facing.  In attempts to raise awareness of their hardships, and promote empathy amongst gymnasts and people around the world, we arranged our Peace Through Gymnastics Project in a way which not only generates funding for humanitarian use for young Ukrainian gymnasts, but also creates international gymnastics training opportunities and an atmosphere of “togetherness” by all involved.

Project Fundamentals:

Beginning in March 2022,  Ashley & Mihael-Catalin Anton of The Power of A Dream Foundation/Kratos Gymnastics USA, members of the American Gymnastics community, along with Irina Kovalchuk & Vira Perederii,  members of the Ukrainian Gymnastics & International Olympic community, developed a series of Master Class fundraising events benefitting young gymnasts of Ukraine.  These events allow World Class gymnasts (primarily of Ukrainian nationality) to donate their time and knowledge through acting as the educational host of virtual gymnastics courses offered to children around the world.  While non-Ukrainian children pay a registration fee to join (100% of which serves as a donation collected by The Power of A Dream Foundation to be passed directly to the families of Ukrainian gymnasts in need), children living in, or displaced from Ukraine join the training for free, allowing them to maintain their gymnastics training and feel emotionally supported by athletes like them world-wide.

In addition to Master Class events, crowdfunding events during local level competitions have also been conducted with the goal of raising awareness and promoting sportsmanship, friendship, and solidarity between members of the gymnastics community.

This project as a whole was inspired by humanitarian acts of heroism performed by Ukrainian gymnastics coaches, with a mission intended to spread the notions of “light, good, and humanism” amongst the world-wide gymnastics community, as well as advocating the power of “empowering” when we are able to come together in peace. 

These two young coaches pictured here are two of our biggest inspirations.

On the left you see Anastasia Meschanenkova, she is a rhythmic gymnastics coach in Ukraine. The gymnast with her, a 2028 Olympic hopeful, Katya Dyachenko. Katya was tragically killed when her apartment was bombed. Her dreams and her life were taken from her.

On the right is Anastasia Kuznitsyna also a rhythmic gymnastics coach in Ukraine. She owned a rhythmic gymnastics center Alfa Sport in Mariupol which was destroyed by bombing.

Despite the tragedy they both have faced, both coaches continue to stay in Ukraine,risking their lives to help locate and protect their students along with anyone else they can help. They work to provide safe shelter and distribute humanitarian aide such as food, water, clothing, and medication.

All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation “Always Believe” has a powerful mission to unite humankind in its pursuit to connect, integrate, provide life-saving military and humanitarian aid, rescue and support children of Ukraine and their dreams through political, corporate, and sports networks.

Born in Kyiv and we are here now. We are a family who made a choice to stay. With our two little girls, parents, and grandparents. This is our home.

Simple human beings with a big heart – helping everyone we know in need. Saving lives.
‌
‌We are the heartbeat of Ukraine. All of us. This is our city, our land, our home and we are writing history right now‌.
‌
‌What is happening is beyond human – worse than what is shown on the news.
‌
‌Ukraine is fighting for all of humanity.

We aim to rescue children from conflict areas, support them through this time of crisis and give them a chance to make their dreams come true. The National Team of Ukraine dreams to win gold for Ukraine in Paris 2024 and the future Olympians we will do everything in our power to see you in LA 2028.

Click here to visit the Always Believe main website