Fourteen-year-old Katya Prykhodko is too young to be worrying about a war. Unfortunately, for Ukrainians and their families, that is the new reality. The eighth grader at Lexington Junior High School in Lexington, Ohio, was born in Cleveland. Except for her siblings, her entire family was born in Ukraine. Her grandparents passed away, but their siblings and cousins still live in Ukraine.
Half a world away from that family and feeling helpless, Prykhodko had a desire to somehow help her homeland in its time of crisis. She designed a few custom t-shirts, using the national trident symbol, the country’s sunflower and the nation’s colors of blue and yellow.
Her fundraising efforts managed to raise nearly $1,000.
Her success came as no surprise, with school principal Taylor Gerhardt referring to Prykhodko as a top-line honors student and a top athlete as a runner and swimmer.
Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, Prykhodko met with school counselor Jennifer Law to ask if there was a way for her to raise funds for her cause. Gerhardt contacted MTD Sports & Specialties in Ashland, Ohio, and they agreed to print the t-shirts.
Prykhodko sold some 140 t-shirts at her junior high school and Eastern Elementary School. Her goal was to have people feel like they did something to help Ukrainian relief efforts. She also wanted to help out her fellow Ukrainians.
In 2018 and 2019, Prykhodko and her family vacationed in Ukraine, visiting family in Kyiv and Lviv, two of the country’s largest cities. In a May interview with the Mansfield News Journal, the 14-year-old described her parents’ homeland: “It’s a beautiful place. It feels like home to me. Everybody speaks the language I grew up speaking.”
Prykhodko keeps up with all of the current news about Ukraine and is very aware of Ukraine’s history.
“Being a Ukrainian, my family and I have always known the trouble Ukraine has had with Russia,” she said. “I think we all kind of expected it [war], but when it did happen, it was still a shock.”
Prykhodko’s father advised her 33-year-old sister, who has two young sons, to leave Kyiv six months prior to Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine. For the first two weeks after the war, the family lived in a bomb shelter.
“No one has fled,” Prykhodko said about her extended family. “Every one of the women in my family is not leaving their husbands. I’m glad for that because she [her sister]is showing patriotism. She’s doing a lot to fight the war in her own way.”
Family members living in Lviv have witnessed explosions in their city. All remain safe for the time being. Her family is in regular communication with those suffering in Ukraine, where destruction rules.
Prykhodko quickly reasoned that Ukraine would require financial assistance. She found time to help despite her full-time school work and extracurricular activities. She carries a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. Her favorite subject is art, and this school year she took band, where she plays flute and piano. Her love of art stimulates her creativity and gives her a break from school.
She enjoys school and is grateful for the opportunity to attend, unlike children her age back in Ukraine. She ran cross country, was on the swim team and plays soccer, staying active all year long.
However, Prykhodko is never too busy to help Ukraine. “All this war is, is people fighting people over government,” she said. “It’s sad.”
Ihor Stelmach may be reached at iman@sfgsports.com.