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April 1, 2022Local Businessman Announces $75,000 Grant Awarded for Ukrainian Refugee Effort
Cornerstone Foundation, located in Bucharest, Romania and co-chaired by local financial advisor Don Simmons of Simmons Capital Group in Clifton Park, received a $75,000 grant to provide immediate relief for Ukrainians suffering from the current war with Russia. Cornerstone partners with local churches, NGOs, and businesses in Romania and Ukraine to raise support for and coordinate deployment of basic food, medical supplies, personal hygiene items, clothes, blankets, and other supplies needed both on the ground in Ukraine and for refugees relocating to other countries. The grant comes from TrustBridge Global, a large charity that deploys donations to projects around the world.
“Cornerstone has received donations and pledges exceeding $100,000 so far in 2022. This new grant will multiply and accelerate our efforts to provide refugee support, combat hunger, and provide help for vulnerable displaced families and orphans,” says Simmons.
The Foundation’s initial request for $50,000 was not only accepted, but increased, in recognition of the good work that Cornerstone has already accomplished and in anticipation of the coming urgent needs. The grant will allow for more than 1300 individuals and their families to receive much-needed support. The Foundation has already funded nearly thirty trips of multiple vans containing relief supplies for displaced people and those who cannot leave Ukraine. Simmons noted, “We have been made aware of several orphanages who are in dire need of help. My heart goes out to these young children and I want to do everything I can to help.”
As of March 28, nearly four million people have fled Ukraine, with Poland receiving the most refugees at more than two million, and Romania the next highest, admitting more than half a million, according to the UN Relief Agency UNHCR. These numbers continue to increase on a daily basis.
As the number of refugees rises, however, so does the number of humanitarian aid efforts. With so many opportunities available to give, choosing a trustworthy recipient can be difficult. The Cornerstone Foundation, serving as TrustBridge’s hub in Eastern Europe, has proven to offer sustainable, collaborative, trustworthy, and scalable relief efforts.
“If you want to help, but you are unsure who you can trust, Cornerstone may be worth considering. I know our leadership personally having met them face to face, traveled with them, and prayed with them. I fully trust them,” Simmons stated in assurance that monies will go directly to ‘boots on the ground’ projects. “Our leadership vets every opportunity to find effective outlets for your donations,” he says.
Simmons plans to return to Romania in the fall to meet with Cornerstone’s leadership and assess what else they can do.
In addition to collecting physical items to ship to partners in Ukraine in their Clifton Park office, Simmons says you can make a financial donation directly to the Cornerstone Foundation through TrustBridge Global. Donating in this way allows New Yorkers to meet refugees on the doorstep of homes in Eastern Europe to assist in their restoration, hope, and physical provision.
