Golf outing fundraiser for Wisconsin Ukrainians in De Pere raises $33,233

DE PERE, Wis. (WBAY) - Ukraine continues to get support from Wisconsinites here in our area. This time, while dodging raindrops at a local golf course and raising $33,233 on Saturday, April 30.

“I’ll tell you what, for the rain and the wind that we had to deal with today is nothing compared to what the Ukrainian people are going through,” a golfer at the Wisconsin Ukrainians Inc. outing Bill Britz said. “This was pretty mild for us.”

The rainy conditions at Hilly Haven Golf Course in De Pere Saturday afternoon didn’t stop over 160 golfers from hitting the links to support Wisconsin Ukrainians Inc. which is an official non-profit that sends supplies and funds to Ukraine.

“It would be very difficult for Ukraine to stand alone and now it’s over 60 days of the war,” Wisconsin Ukrainians Inc. board member Oksana Kobzar emphasized. “They are strong and they believe that they will win.”

Two months into the war, Ukrainian native Kobzar shared that her family still won’t leave saying they will continue to fight for their country.

“My mom, she spends six hours and she goes to cut fabric for camouflage for different areas and buildings,” Kobzar said. “My brother, he works. Then after he is done working he goes and he picks up food and delivers clothes to hospitals and the shelters.”

“We just purchased $42,000 worth of tourniquets from a company in Texas that makes high-quality tourniquets,” Olga Halaburda Hietpas, a board member of Wisconsin Ukrainians Inc., highlighted. “As we speak right now, suitcases full of tourniquets are being taken on the plane with somebody that we know that is traveling to Poland.”

This Hilly Haven Big Cup Golf Outing is a yearly event but has never been a charity event before.

Related: Hilly Haven teams up with Wisconsin Ukrainians for golf fundraiser to benefit Ukraine

Besides golf, handmade Ukrainian themed items were also part of the silent auction to raise even more money for Ukrainian relief along with a raffle and some prize winning holes in spite of the rain.

“On the par 3s out on the golf course, they get to play some ladder golf or bean bag toss and all of that money is getting donated to Wisconsin Ukrainians too,” Hilly Haven Golf Course general manager, Kristin Stelzer, said.

To donate and support Wisconsin Ukrainians Inc. you can click here.

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