The vast and needless suffering of the Ukrainian people is absolutely tragic. Yet it’s hard not to feel helpless, on top of our sympathy and outrage, in the face of such tremendous destruction.
Whatever support we can offer may seem ridiculously small, but each drop in this sea of need still matters.
In March I held a fundraiser, pledging to donate the proceeds from my two newest books, Bilingual Success Stories Around the World and Bearded Dragon, Home Alone to help the Ukrainian people. Many of you responded by purchasing these books last month, and I thank you sincerely for your contribution to this cause.
Ultimately, there was a surprising outcome with each book raising almost exactly the same amount of money…
Bilingual Success Stories Around the World: $165.14
Bearded Dragon, Home Alone: $162.47
The total, then, is $327.61 and, for the donation, I will round it up to $350.
Meanwhile, I received an email from a friend in Poland, who told me that she has placed one of the countless families of Ukrainian refugees under her wing. Elzbieta is actually one of the parents whose story of raising bilingual children is featured in the book Bilingual Success Stories Around the World.
Her email came at a fortunate time because I had been struggling to safely transfer the funds from here in Japan. And so I will now send the money directly to Elzbieta, who can more effectively distribute the funds so they will be sure to have some impact. While I realize this money won’t go very far, I hope it can be helpful, to some degree, both in Poland and in Ukraine.
So, again, thank you for standing with Ukraine! And please enjoy my books! 
