Over the past 11 months, the Whistlestops for Ukraine tour, initiated by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, has traveled to nine stops across the United States, fostering important conversations about support for Ukraine. The tour covered eight U.S. cities and concluded in Louisville, Kentucky, where the final meeting was held with representatives of the Ukrainian community, local officials, and partners.
This was reported by the Embassy of Ukraine in the USA.
"GMF Senior Advisor Heather Conley and First Secretary Kateryna Smagliy met with the Ukrainian community, social service leaders from Catholic Charities, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, members of the World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana, and students from Francis Parker High School. We are grateful to the city of Louisville and the state of Kentucky for their solidarity with Ukraine and deeply appreciate the efforts of the German American Marshall Fund of America and the Howard Buffett Foundation for their dedication and hard work to ensure the success of the Whistlestops for Ukraine tour," the statement said.
The main goal of the tour, a multinational public diplomacy initiative, was to discuss why a free and sovereign Ukraine is important to America's security and interests. It was also designed to create an exchange of experiences between American and Ukrainian communities and to discuss how the war in Ukraine affects local, national, and global communities in America.
In each city, participants from local governments, civic and faith-based organizations, agricultural groups, local businesses, and Ukrainian communities had the opportunity to learn about local support and initiatives aimed at helping Ukraine win, recover, and rebuild.
The tour covered Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, Colorado and Ohio in the hope of increasing support for Ukraine among the American people.
You can watch the tours of the US cities link.
Howard Buffett – is an American businessman and philanthropist, the largest private donor to Ukraine. His foundation has spent more than $500 million to help Ukrainians open the first kitchen factory in Bucha, provide food for victims, restore buildings, help farmers, train engineers, and provide prosthetics for veterans. Established in 1999, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation's mission is to promote transformative change that improves the standard of living and quality of life, particularly for the world's poorest people. The Foundation invests in four areas: food security, conflict mitigation, anti-trafficking, and community safety.
The German-American Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) — is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in Ankara, Belgrade, Berlin, Brussels, Bucharest, Paris, and Warsaw. GMF envisions a democratic, secure, and prosperous world where freedom and individual dignity prevail. The Foundation works to uphold democratic values and the transatlantic alliance by strengthening civil society, formulating bold and innovative policy ideas, and developing a new generation of leaders ready to meet global challenges. GMF brings hope by protecting individual dignity and defending freedom in the spirit of the Marshall Plan.
Author: Inna Mikhno