odessa ukraine "chernobyl heart" surgery mission completed . . . 15 young lives saved

2008-09-09T22:16:48-04:00

Two weeks ago a volunteer surgical team completed our second successful children's cardiac surgery mission to Ukraine, this time to Odessa. Fifteen young lives were saved. You can see some of the young patients in the Odessa Cardiac Kids photo gallery. Our first Ukrainian trip, to Kharkiv, was completed in June.

Chernobyl Children's Project International will sponsor two more surgical trips to Ukraine this year investing over $300,000 for surgeries and training of local physicians in 2008. The next teams will travel to Donetsk and Kyiv. Your support is very much needed -- you can Donate Now or follow this link for our postal address. Click here to read more about our cardiac surgery program.

Every year in Ukraine, 6,000 children are born with heart defects that will kill them in 3 to 5 years without surgery. Few cardiac surgery programs in Ukraine perform surgery on children, and none routinely operate on the smallest or those with the most complicated defects. Thank you for the support that has made continuing this program possible!

helena christensen & vipp join forces for chernobyl children

2008-08-31T09:36:51-04:00

Long time CCPI supporter, model, and photographer Helena Christensen is hosting a charity auction in New York to benefit Chernobyl Children's Project International. Her partner is Danish design company VIPP, a family owned business whose handcrafted stainless steel waste bins have been objects of desire for decades.

Leaders from the worlds of fashion, design, art, and entertainment -- Helena, Bono, Michael Stipe of REM, Christy Turlington, Greta Monahan, Dale Chihuly, and Mario Batali are a few -- will make custom designed waste bins that will be auctioned at an event in September. Do you live in NYC? The bins will be on display for public viewing and pre-bidding at The Conran Shop at 407 East 59th Street at First Avenue, September 4 - September 17. Please come out, these bins are well worth a look!

One of my favorites is by artist Mattia Biagi, whose tar dipped bin is pictured above. He told Blackbook Magazine that it "represents the relationship between human beings and their own pollution in modern society." Other designers, like Alice Temperley (the pink and bejeweled bin pictured) took a decorative and whimsical approach. We are so grateful to the artists for participating, and to VIPP for their leadership and trust.

We feel a special gratitude to Helena, who has been very "hands on" with her support of CCPI for years, and always surprises us with her fun, creative approach to giving.