Tamara Bolotenko

Tamara has been a supporter of Help Us Help since 2003, after spending 8 months working for Help Us Help's then-sister organization in Kyiv on a CBIE / CIDA internship. In her role, Tamara was responsible for assisting with the delivery of humanitarian aid, writing grant proposals and planning summer camp. After obtaining her Master of Teacher from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Tamara spent 8 years teaching and working in various educational leadership positions in the UAE, New Zealand and Kazakhstan, where she created a partnership between her students and those at a boarding school for children with cerebral palsy. Tamara currently works as the Vice Principal of Citizenship at TFS - Canada's International School. Tamara acknowledges and is grateful to live and work on the Traditional territories of the Wendat, the Anishnabek, the Haudenosaunee, the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and the Métis Nation.

Tatiana Tonkovich

Tatiana Tonkovich joined Help Us Help’s Board of Directors as Treasurer following the 2021 AGM. A highly experienced individual, Tatiana started her financial career over 15 years ago helping to grow numerous start-up companies. For the last ten years she has been with Ivan Franko Homes, where she now leads the finance teams at both the Senior Residence and Long-Term Care facilities. In addition to her finance background, Tatiana holds a BSc in Chemistry and has vast experience working in management in the healthcare, natural health product and pharmaceutical industries.

She has an extensive history as a volunteer in both the Ukrainian-Canadian and Canadian communities in a variety of different organizations – helping both the young and elderly. She enjoys spending quality time with her growing family.

Oksana Smerechuk

Oksana Smerechuk has lived internationally and worked on Ukraine-related community projects in many countries. A graduate in Linguistics from Sydney University, Australia, she has worked with Ukrainian as a translator, interpreter and editor, up to and including the Head of State level. Most recently, she lived for five years in Kyiv, where she was a leader within the international and diplomatic women's communities. This included fundraising and helping a spectrum of charity organisations that benefit children and vulnerable populations in Ukraine. She has also been an active communicator, contributing to the podcast and book versions of Ukraine Calling (2021).

Petra Wrzesnewskyj-Cottrell

Petra began volunteering with Help Us Help The Children (HUHTC) in 2001 and has dedicated countless summers to making HUHTC’s Summer Camps a success. Petra is instrumental in managing community relations, especially with some of our largest supporters and donors. Petra organizes the annual HUHTC Send a Child To Camp fundraiser and a committee chair for one of our most successful fundraisers, “Fashion Ukraine”.

Mark Keller

One of the first and longest-serving volunteers of Help Us Help The Children (HUHTC), Mark first became involved with orphans in Ukraine in the mid-1990’s alongside Ruslana. Thanks to his many years of on-the-ground experience, Mark is a valued sounding board and voice of reason. At the charity, he is a primary point of contact for community relations, and during the day he is the events director at Toronto-based Trident Banquet Hall.

Leah Temerty-Lord

Leah Temerty-Lord is the Managing Director of the Temerty Foundation. She is a graduate of Western University with a degree in Philosophy and spent her early career in television production. Since 2018, she has been the Managing Director of the Temerty Foundation, overseeing the operations of the Foundation. The Temerty Foundation contributes to making the lives of people, communities and societies better through its gifts and leadership, and has been a proud supporter of Help Us Help since 1996. Leah is a devoted mother of two and continues to foster the values of kindness, generosity and vision, upon which the Foundation was built.

Sophia Yushchenko

Sophia Yushchenko is a dedicated advocate with a longstanding commitment to Help Us Help. She is currently a consultant at APCO Worldwide, a top-tier advisory firm. A graduate of New York University Abu Dhabi in 2022, she took a gap year in 2018 to contribute to an energy management startup in San Francisco. Sophia studied Legal Studies and Political Science and was named a University Honors Scholar. She wrote her bachelor's thesis on the legal analysis of abductions and illegal adoptions of Ukrainian children after the Russian full-scale invasion in 2022. Post-graduation, she returned to Kyiv, combining professional commitments with meaningful volunteer work.

Zorianna Hyworon

Andrew Potichnyj

Christyna Prokipchuk

Ruslana Wrzesnewskyj

The founder and driving force behind Help Us Help The Children (HUHTC), Ruslana is deeply passionate about saving Ukraine’s children and nurturing a new generation that will deliver a prosperous future for Ukraine. In her spare time, Ruslana is a successful Toronto-based real estate agent, mother of four daughters and two dogs, and avid amateur chef. In 2010, Canada’s national newspaper The Globe & Mail published an article about Ruslana and the history of HUHTC, titled “Ruslana Wrzesnewskyj helps orphaned children have hope”, which you can read by following this link.