In the six weeks since Ukraine was invaded, the world has revisited what it means to be at war. Though many of us lie safely in our beds, our hearts ache for the millions who’ve unwillingly left a life of peace behind.
Greenville, S.C.-based photographer Jack Robert Connolly and his Ukrainian-born wife, Karolina, were moved by their close connections to the Ukrainian conflict and sought to take action to aid those in need. Their lives now revolve around those they are trying to save. Through the friends they’ve made both here and in Europe, Jack and Karolina have used their resources, contacts, and connections locally in Greenville to provide direct financial support to those on the ground in Ukraine.
We’ve turned our mourning into action and rallied the Greenville community — and whoever else will listen — to donate money.
The phrase “it takes a village,” dates to a time when our communities were small, and our neighbors’ daily support was vital to our way of life. Now, as we’ve moved to cities and expanded our circles, this phrase refers to communities that extend across the globe and the new types of resources they can provide. Jack is still working as a full-time photographer but has transformed his business website, YouTube, and Instagram into fundraising platforms, where he shares stories of evacuations and aid being delivered to those still in Ukraine.
My photography page already had a couple thousand followers so I wanted to use something that already had a following.
Jack lived in Ukraine in 2018 and it was then that he fell in love with his wife Karolina. They made lasting friendships all across Ukraine while traveling the country together.
There was this band we were traveling with and I was photographing while she was interpreting for them. We traveled on the road all over Ukraine and eventually, I convinced her to marry me!
Through their initiative, the couple has formed a network of people to assist them in aiding family, friends, and others in need. College student Brooke Prince was desperate for support when she learned her 83-year-old grandmother, Halyna, was trapped in an unsafe area of Kyiv. She asked friends and strangers on Facebook if they knew of a way to evacuate her grandmother, and was referred to Jack and Karolina.
I think someone just sent me the post. It had already gotten a lot of traction, but I figured… maybe she still hasn’t found anyone who can actually help.
It was not an easy feat but they were determined to help so Jack reached out to his friend Vitaliy who has been working tirelessly to evacuate those in cities that were under attack. He was eager to help in the evacuation of Halyna, Brooke’s grandmother, but there were literal roadblocks in his way. The main bridge had been bombed and the Russian military occupied the major roads that surrounded Halyna’s neighborhood. Vitaliy made the first attempt but wasn’t able to extract Halyna, who waited for him with her bags packed in her Kyiv apartment.
Halyna was ready to go. She was scared and by herself, but she’s willing to let it happen because we have to trust each other in these moments.
With the help of a local on the ground — who knew the back roads that circumvented Russian troops — Halyna was taken to a community safe house where she finally met with Vitaliy, who drove her to Western Ukraine. Vitaliy’s wife then walked Halyna across the Slovakian border where she was reunited with her daughter for the first time in 10 years. For Brooke, this story has a happy conclusion, yet Jack reminds us:
It’s a heartwarming story, but unfortunately not all stories of evacuation end that way.
Most Ukrainians live on approximately $200-$750 a month, which is simply not enough to afford a car. These residents rely on the public transit that runs throughout the country. In fact, many Ukrainians never obtained a driver’s license and are now stranded, unable to ride bikes or trains across the country to its borders.
However, those who remain in the country are the source of its strength. Many have taken physical action, fighting to reclaim territories from the invading Russian military. Some have helped to barricade roads, while others provide the essential resources for all these efforts to happen. While power and the internet still run, some individuals are concentrating on cyberwarfare, as the Russians attempt to hack internet providers to cut the global news off at its source. Jack mentions that simply going to work in Ukraine is vital to the survival of the country because they still need to generate GDP.
There are lots of roles for people regardless of whether they can fight. Even just working your job and trying to have a normal life in Ukraine right now is helping the country.
Through Jack’s connections, he offers us another view of the conflict in Ukraine. He shares images of elderly men and women receiving food, of young children evacuating with their beloved pets, and of the supplies awaiting distribution. For Jack, sharing this type of content helps create narratives that speak to the resiliency of the Ukrainian people. While many of us feel hopeless in the wake of the violence, seeing the smiles of survivors emboldens us to continue in our efforts.
Through these videos, you can literally see what’s going on on the ground and can trust the source that it’s coming from. There’s something about just getting a cell phone video from your friend that is more authentic and trustworthy.
While Jack provides us with a semblance of hope, he feels it is still important to capture the atrocities happening in Ukraine in order to seek justice and remember those who were lost.
The photojournalists and videographers documenting war crimes will be key in getting justice. If the Hauge [the UN International Court of Justice] gets its way they’re going to need proof and evidence of what happened here.
Humanitarian aid often focuses on resources of survival, like food, diapers, and baby formula. Jack is now fundraising for bulletproof vests and helmets, a sobering reality that reminds us of the needlessness of war. Together Jack and Karolina have raised $51,000 to support Ukraine. In their effort to be transparent about who and how the money is helping, Jack has a spreadsheet that tracks the resources these donations have secured, which you can visit here.
For more information on how else you can help Ukrainians in need please read through the resources mentioned in our article How to Support Photographers in Ukraine.
If you’d like to contribute to Jack and Karolina’s fundraising efforts you can click the Donate button below.