On the occasion of the birthday of their university, students organised a charity fair to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The faculties of Uzhhorod University joined forces to hold a charity fair in the city centre to mark the 79th anniversary of the university's founding. They decided to use all the funds raised to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine by manufacturing drones.
The charity fair was organised with the support of the university administration by the trade union and the student council of UzhNU. The Vice-Rector of UzhNU for Scientific and Pedagogical Work Ihor Korol said: ‘This week we celebrate the university's anniversary - 79 years since its foundation. As part of the celebration, several events are taking place, including the Battle of Intellects, which was joined by all faculties and other units of UzhNU; as well as a charity fair to raise funds for drones that will be manufactured at our university and sent to the frontline. We are a rear region, which means we have more opportunities than those closer to the front. So we have to help the military as much as possible.’
The idea for the charity fair came about a long time ago. Oleksandr Baran, chairman of the students' trade union, says: ‘When we were writing our activity plan back in August, students immediately said that we should organise a fair, as we have many talented students. We decided that we would timing it to coincide with UzhNU's birthday. The fair combined a lot of things: we cooked a barbecue, presented beadwork, held arm wrestling, sold baked goods, and offered other interesting activities. Everyone shared their talents as best they could. The preparations were non-stop, as we also organised a concert.’
Mark Erdevdiy, chairman of UzhNU's student council, adds: ‘Students were actively working for charity: organising, gathering people, bringing tables, tablecloths, preparing speeches and flash mobs. They did everything they could to attract as many people as possible and raise funds.’
Kateryna Makeleyko, a second-year student of the Faculty of History and International Relations, tells about the active participation of her faculty in preparing baked goods for the charity fair: ‘We brought oatmeal cookies, pancakes, apple pie and chocolate muffins. Most of our faculty worked on the baking, almost all students were involved. The first-year students took the greatest initiative. We offer home-made products.’
Tymeya Verbach, a third-year student majoring in Biomedical Engineering at the Faculty of Physics, tells us about the unique products her department brought to the fair: ‘We presented knitted amigurumi toys. I knit them myself, and I finally had the opportunity to sell them at a charity event. We also offered sweets and gave away cupcakes as a bonus to purchases.’
Maksym Garapko represented the Faculty of Mathematics and Digital Technologies. He says that mathematicians of all specialities joined the good cause: ‘We decided to sell something that is tasty and can be eaten quickly - cookies and buns. We are glad to have the opportunity to raise funds to win.’
