Easter Greetings!

Easter Greetings!

Why Is This Day Different? - An Easter Reflection and a Call to Stand with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Dear Friends,

At Easter, we gather in churches and around family tables, asking in different ways a similar question: Why is this day different from all other days? The answer is not only in celebration - it is in meaning.

Easter speaks through powerful symbols. The empty tomb reminds us that loss is not the end. The candle breaks the darkness with quiet, steady light. The shared meal brings us back to one another after grief and separation. And the greeting - Christ is Risen! - carries a truth that has endured through centuries of hardship: life is stronger than death, hope stronger than fear. These are not just rituals. They are a language of resilience - of suffering, faith, renewal, and the courage to begin again.

This year, as we celebrate Easter in safety, students and scholars in Ukraine continue their journey through uncertainty shaped by war. And yet, even there, life persists. Learning continues. Community endures. At Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, one of Ukraine’s oldest and most enduring institutions, young people are choosing education in the midst of disruption. They are studying, thinking, and preparing to rebuild their country, even as it is being tested. Their story echoes the deeper message of Easter itself: that renewal is not abstract - it is lived, often in the hardest of circumstances.

Easter does not allow us to remain distant observers. It invites us to recognize ourselves in others - to see their struggle, their perseverance, and their hope as something shared. In the light of the Resurrection, we are called not only to believe, but to act. Your support helps transform that belief into something tangible. It becomes scholarships for students whose lives have been upended. It becomes programs that sustain intellectual life in a time of crisis. It becomes a bridge between uncertainty and possibility. This Easter, as we reflect on what makes this day different, we already know the answer. It is different because we choose hope over despair. Because we stand with those who continue forward despite everything. Because we turn faith into action.

Thank you for standing with Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and for being part of a story that moves, even now, from hardship toward renewal.

Marta Farion,

President

Across the Oceans, United for Ukraine

Dear Friends,

Ukraine's veterans defended their country. Now they're being prepared to lead it. The Ukrainian Defenders Leadership Center is re-educating veterans and preparing them to rebuild their country — and this May, its founders are coming to the U.S.

We've created dedicated event pages for Chicago, Washington D.C., and New York. Find yours, click Going, and help us spread the word — every RSVP brings this event to more people who should be in the room.

Chicago — Saturday, May 2, 6:00 PM

@Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art

https://www.facebook.com/share/1K2SkuBrpW/

Washington, D.C. — Thursday, May 7, 6:00 PM

@Ukraine House

https://www.facebook.com/share/1ArGKQf8YJ/

New York — Saturday, May 9, 6:00 PM

@UkrInstitute

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CWWxYBLwS/

See you across the ocean.