Chestnuts Charity Run raises ₴1 mln for Center for Children’s Cardiac Surgery in Kyiv

The charity "Run under Chestnuts" raised one million hryvnias for the Center for Children's Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery.

The run organizer, Iryna Kuznetsova, announced this on her Facebook page, Rubryka reports.

What is the problem?

The center's medical director Andrii Maksimenko stresses that children admitted to the center need cardiosurgical treatment at an early age due to complex and critical heart defects. Only cardiosurgical correction enables children to live, but many cannot afford treatment.

What is the solution?

"Run under Chestnuts" is Ukraine's largest annual sports and charity event. The project was launched in 1993 and today is a traditional part of Kyiv Day celebrations. Every year, the Run reminds Ukrainians of the problem of congenital heart defects and its possible solution.

The race was held in Kyiv and online with the slogan "Run where you are." Online participation included running a symbolic 5 km in any safe location in Ukraine and the world. For security reasons, the organizers did not announce a mass start at a single place.

How does it work?

The run organizer, Iryna Kuznetsova, said 7,335 participants in 31 countries worldwide participated online.

The collected money will be used to purchase an operating table for cardiac surgery for children with heart defects. In addition to the assistance for the Center for Children's Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, "Running under Chestnuts" will purchase two cars that will be used to provide emergency medical care in frontline areas.

As Rubryka reported, on October 28-29, 2023, the Kyiv ExpoCenter will host the first offline races since the beginning of the full-scale war in Kyiv.

We also reported that a Brit raised $25,000 for Ukraine by cycling from London to Lviv.