Heroes Run 2025 – 9 Cities United for Ukrainian Children

On Sunday, February 23, 2025, Help in Change, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Running Club and the Children of Heroes Foundation, organized a global charity event – Heroes Run 2025.

The run was held simultaneously in nine cities across the world: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Warsaw, Krakow, Porto, Stockholm, Funchal, Miami, and Kyiv. It brought together more than 400 participants and successfully raised over 17,000 euros in support of the Children of Heroes Foundation.

The goal of the event was to contribute to the foundation’s psychological support program for children in Ukraine who have lost their parents due to the war. The overall campaign goal is to raise 50,000 euros to fund therapy sessions, group programs, and rehabilitation camps for these children.

About the Run

Each participant chose to run a route of 2, 4, or 10 kilometers. All runners received:

• A finisher medal, featuring a teddy bear on a yellow-blue ribbon – a symbol of care and solidarity
  
  
• A goodie bag, which included a drink, a food bar, and a copy of our book Okuvliga/Nezlamni, telling the real stories of Ukrainian resilience
  
  

All registration fees were donated in full to the Children of Heroes Foundation.

Cities and Organizers

This global event would not have been possible without the dedication of our city team leaders:

• Denys Skvortsov – Rotterdam
  
  
• Ihor Harkusha – Stockholm
  
  
• Elina Suslova – Krakow
  
  
• Tetiana Franchuk – Funchal
  
  
• Oleksandr Tarasov – Porto
  
  
• Alina Morkotonovna – Warsaw
  
  
• Vika Kolodyazhnaya – Miami
  
  
• DieHardRunningUA – Kyiv
  
  
• Tetiana Grynova and Marina Sivierina – Amsterdam
  
  

Their efforts turned this shared vision into a reality, creating meaningful events across the globe.

Why We Ran

As of 2025, over 12,000 Ukrainian children have lost one or both parents in the war. The Children of Heroes Foundation is currently supporting these children, and the number continues to grow every day. In January 2025 alone, more than 600 new children were added to the foundation’s care.

Since its inception, the foundation has provided:

• Over 11,500 psychological consultations
  
  
• Dozens of rehabilitation camps
  
  
• Nearly 12 million dollars in total assistance
  
  

However, sustaining this support requires an ongoing monthly budget of approximately 40,700 dollars. Every donation makes a difference.

Still Want to Help?

You can still contribute to the campaign by donating directly to the Children of Heroes Foundation.
Click here to donate: https://childrenheroes.nl/en/heroes-run-2025/ 

Thank You

We are deeply grateful to everyone who ran, volunteered, organized, and donated. This event reminded us that even across continents, we can unite around a shared purpose: protecting the future and well-being of Ukraine’s children.

Let’s continue running together – for healing, for dignity, and for hope.

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