"The Stand with Ukraine Fundraiser offers a concrete way for our friends around the world to help those Ukrainians caught in the crossfire of the unprovoked and appalling Russian aggression,” said Michael Bleyzer, Founder and CEO of SigmaBleyzer. “We’re connected with family and friends on the ground and are uniquely positioned to not only purchase critical aid items, but also ensure that those shipments get across the border and actually arrive in the hands of those who need them most.”

SigmaBleyzer, a Houston-based investment firm, has operated in Ukraine since 1994. Brothers Michael and Lev Bleyzer, along with their friend, Valeriy Dema, founded SigmaBleyzer over a decade after they fled the Soviet Union as political refugees. In 2002, SigmaBleyzer and the Bleyzer family created the DAAR Charitable Foundation, a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3), to further support Ukraine.

Following the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 and the occupation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, DAAR provided aid to Ukrainians affected by the conflict. In addition to Michael Bleyzer, DAAR’s Advisory Board includes Ambassador William Taylor, former US Ambassador to Ukraine, Alex Cranberg, Chairman of Aspect Energy, Gregory Buchai, former Ukrainian Honorary Consul in Texas, and other friends of Ukraine.

“There are many organizations providing humanitarian aid in support of the overwhelming refugee crisis,” said Natasha Bleyzer, Executive Director of DAAR. “Given our roots and existing networks in and around Ukraine, we believe our efforts are best directed at supporting the needs of the Ukrainian people remaining in-country – those who are facing the dangers of the conflict zones as we speak.”

DAAR is partnering with several entities in Ukraine that have established ground routes into and throughout the country, as well as various warehouses on the borders of Ukraine. The organization is currently working with a number of US-based nonprofits to facilitate the procurement of requested items. The first shipment has already been secured and includes bandages, antibiotics, analgesics, IV kits, syringes, and tourniquets.

More information can be found at the fundraiser’s website www.standwithukrainefund.org, and donations may be made there. DAAR also plans to launch a GoFundMe campaign and is accepting check donations by mail via their Houston office. Those interested in making a large donation or providing a large supply of humanitarian aid items should contact Jessica Bleyzer, Director of Development at DAAR Charitable Foundation at jbleyzer@daarcharitablefoundation.org.

DAAR Charitable Foundation
123 North Post Oak Lane, Suite 410
Houston, Texas 77024
Media Contact: Rina O’Malley
rbomalley@daarcharitablefoundation.org

NOTE: SigmaBleyzer and the DAAR Foundation are members of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), www.USUBC.org