Dear supporter,

You know that feeling of -20 outside, with the wind cutting through everything? You probably do if you've ever been to Manitoba.

Now imagine that same cold… but with no heat in your home and no certainty about when help will come.

Winter 2025-2026 was one of the coldest winters Ukraine has faced in years. Ongoing Russian attacks meant many homes were suddenly without power, heat, and water. But because of you, 23 girls at Home of Hope in Lviv had something different. They had warmth in their home and warmth in their hearts. They had a place where they felt cared for.

Your support helped the Sisters secure and run a generator during the most critical moments, when strikes cut off access to essential infrastructure. While many houses went cold, their home remained a place of stability.

Each of these girls arrived at Home of Hope after experiencing things no child should have to face. Some fled war in their hometowns. Others came from unsafe or abusive environments. Here, they found something they didn’t expect: care, acceptance, and a sense of belonging.

Olha, 15, shares: “I am so grateful to be here. I truly don’t know where I would be without Home of Hope and the community we have here.”

Sister Joanna, who began her mission in September 2025, sees that transformation every day: “It’s beautiful to see how the girls change. Those who joined us in September are now part of the group. They’ve learned how to live together, respect each other, and be open. But most importantly, they are learning how to accept themselves. We make sure they feel loved, seen, and heard, and you can see how much that matters.”

Even in the middle of uncertainty, the girls support one another. They wake each other when it’s time to go to the bomb shelter, and they laugh together during outings and activities. They create moments of normal life, even when life is anything but normal. And that’s because of you.

Because of your generosity, the girls have more than food and warmth. You provide access to medical care, psychological support, art therapy, and safe, joyful experiences that help these girls heal. You are helping give them something incredibly meaningful: not just hope for the future, but a sense of normalcy today.

Thanks to your support, a second Home of Hope has opened in Chernivtsi, welcoming nine more girls. But with two homes to care for, both must now be ready for days without electricity, heat, and sometimes even water. Today, we’re asking you to continue standing with these girls.

A gift today will help keep Home of Hope in Lviv and Chernivtsi safe, warm, and ready for the girls who need refuge, care, and stability.

A gift of $25 can help provide essential supplies.
A gift of $50 can support counselling and emotional care.
A gift of $100 can help keep their homes running during critical moments.

Every contribution helps ensure that both homes remain strong, stable, and ready to support the girls who depend on them.

With love and thanks,
Дякуємо, з любов’ю,

Sister Patricia Lacey, SSMI
Co-chair – Board of Directors,
Lubov SSMI Foundation Inc.

Joanne Lewandosky
Chair, Charities and Social Development,
Archeparchial UCWLC

Tell us a little about your life at Home of Hope.

Before coming to Home of Hope, my life was not very interesting. School, home, friends — that was all. But now, it feels more eventful, and every day brings something new.

How has Home of Hope changed your life?

I don’t know if it has changed my life yet, because I have been here for a relatively short time (seven months), but it is interesting here, with many new connections. Here, I understand that all people are different, and here they teach us how to find common ground with others, build relationships, and find wonderful friends — people I feel like I might not have even spoken to in life if not for this home.

What would you like to say to the donors who support Home of Hope?

I want to say a big THANK YOU to you, dear donors, for your kindness, your care, and your big hearts. Thank you for supporting us and allowing the Sisters to organize different interesting meetings and trips for us, and for helping make this a good place for us to live. Because of you, when we leave after our time here, we will carry good memories and warmth from these moments that you made possible. Thanks to your support, we can grow, learn, receive psychological help, grow spiritually, and simply feel safe.

The girls will tell you themselves what your support truly means to them.

Each year, we try to share a glimpse of life at Home of Hope. This time, we did something a little different. We asked two girls the same three questions — Olya, the youngest, and Marichka, the oldest. Please take a moment to read their simple, honest, and deeply felt letters.

—Olya, 15

A gift today will help ensure that girls like Olya continue to have a safe place to grow, learn, and feel at home. If you can, please consider making a monthly gift so this care is there not just today, but every day.

Tell us a little about your life at Home of Hope.

My name is Maria, and I have been living at Home of Hope for four years now. There is a very warm, friendly, and loving atmosphere here. It is here that I met my best friends and many wonderful girls. Over these four years, there has been everything — both joyful and difficult moments. I am endlessly grateful that during the difficult times, the Sisters were always by my side, supporting me and helping me. Thanks to them, I was able to attend psychotherapy and gradually put my life back on track. Our daily life is well organized: there are always essential groceries and enough kitchen equipment. There are regular lectures, meetings with a psychologist and an art therapist, and workshops (for example, the other day, we baked a honey cake together). We celebrate birthdays and holidays, like St. Nicholas Day, and sometimes we even travel.

Our life is full — filled with prayer, events, and love — it’s our own, completely different and full of light world.

How has Home of Hope changed your life?

I already considered myself quite an organized person, but here I became even stronger. Most importantly, I learned to live in harmony with myself and with God. I learned to value and love myself. I realized that I am also worthy of love, and that I am truly loved.

What would you like to say to the donors who support Home of Hope?

I want to say a big THANK YOU to you, dear donors, for your kindness, your care, and your big hearts. Thank you for supporting us and allowing the Sisters to organize different interesting meetings and trips for us, and for helping make this a good place for us to live. Because of you, when we leave after our time here, we will carry good memories and warmth from these moments that you made possible. Thanks to your support, we can grow, learn, receive psychological help, grow spiritually, and simply feel safe.

—Marichka, 21

Thank you for taking the time to read these letters!
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