The charitable foundation “After Service” together with partners “IMATECH MEDICAL” and the rehabilitation center NEXT STEP, within the framework of the project “Doctors for Heroes”, organized a “Veterans’ Picnic” for Ukrainian veterans who suffered severe injuries and their family members.
The event aimed to support the warriors and draw society’s attention to the challenges of recovery for people with injuries, as well as to the importance of their support and acceptance in communities, and creating conditions for them to realize their potential upon returning after service.
“This initiative came up simply in a conversation among three directors of the foundation – Tetiana Hrubeniuk, “Next Step Ukraine”, Nataliia Liutikova, director of the CF “Doctors for Heroes”, and myself. We wanted it to be simple: a place where our defenders could just talk and relax. To create that community where they feel they are among their own. And since it’s hot, summer, we thought: ‘Let’s make it a veterans’ picnic.’ And that’s it. Within three weeks we came up with it, organized it, and invited people. We were afraid to invite too many, so we slightly limited the number of participants due to the situation in the country,” said Julia Honcharova, Director of the “After Service” foundation.
During the “Veterans’ Picnic”, which took place on the banks of the Dnipro River, veterans and their families enjoyed the event’s atmosphere with live music by the band “The Kum”, and also joined in activities such as paddleboarding, pedal boating, and other kinds of water recreation.
“Such an initiative is very positive and it should exist in every city where there are veterans. I came, for example, from Chernihiv. We also have a veterans’ space there. But so far there is no such picnic, although thanks to sponsors we already go kayaking and on retreats. This helps veterans go through rehabilitation,” says one of the veterans, Yurii Vietkin.
Yurii Vietkin is one of the defenders of Chernihiv. He lost his leg in March 2022 during shelling. Today, together with other severely wounded veterans, he is developing the initiative “Veterans’ Theater”, whose goal is to find self-realization through creativity.
“Today we are studying dramaturgy at the Veterans’ Theater. And I think, why are there such theaters only in Kyiv and not in other cities? Is it because there are no veterans there? But maybe someone wants to realize themselves through creativity,” he adds.
We would like to emphasize that such an initiative not only helps to find a new hobby but also accelerates the process of adaptation and reintegration into society after service. It also aids in rehabilitation after severe injuries.
About the project “Doctors for Heroes”
“We united many hospitals throughout Ukraine that have maxillofacial surgery departments. These are doctors who use the method of individualized implants in surgery. And our ‘Generals of the Battalion of Smiles’ – they are extraordinary people. So one day we just had the idea that they needed to be brought together, because they spend a long time in treatment, more than half a year. They are used to people in white coats, to a lack of attention; few relatives or loved ones come to visit. Now, we have become their family, and we decided to organize such a picnic so that they could rest and see that on the peaceful side, where active hostilities are not taking place, there are people and volunteers ready to support them,” says Valentyna Kalynovska, Commercial Director of “IMATECH MEDICAL”.
According to Valentyna, the “Doctors for Heroes” project was born after “IMATECH MEDICAL” began working on modeling and producing titanium maxillofacial implants. But due to lack of funding to scale the initiative supporting wounded soldiers, the company long searched for foundations that could help, since it is an expensive technology. Over time, the team found the organization “Eastern Star”, after which the project grew into a large initiative “Doctors for Heroes”.
