More Than 320 Performances in Churches: Child Volunteers from the Drohobych Region Set a Ukrainian Record
Child volunteers from the Drohobych region—participants in the “Volunteers of Kindness” initiative of the Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church—set a Ukrainian record by staging 321 charitable performances in churches together with servicemen. On March 29, representatives of the National Register of Records officially recorded this achievement. The ceremony took place at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the village of Verkhniy Hai, Drohobych District.
This was reported by the press service of the Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy.
As the initiative’s coordinator, Fr. Mykola Mysiv, explained in a comment to the Information Department of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, active visits to parishes began in February 2024. Before that, the children visited hospitals and later began performing together with servicemen in churches. Over time, groups of military personnel joined the initiative, including those who, according to medical staff, were difficult to work with.
“Because the servicemen were with the children, they began to open up. In churches, they saw how people welcomed them—with tears, flowers, and gratitude. This changes them profoundly,” the priest noted.
In total, the volunteers, together with Ukraine’s defenders, staged over 350 performances; however, only unique churches were counted toward the record—321 in total. This became a national record. The Expert Council of the National Register of Records decided to nominate the “Volunteers of Kindness” initiative as a contender for the honorary title of “Best Record of the Year.”
Although the initiative operates within the Sambir-Drohobych Eparchy of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Volonteryky also visited communities of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as well as two Roman Catholic churches and churches in Stryi and Lviv.
The program of the meetings is simple: children sing songs, interact with people together with the soldiers, speak about the needs of the front line, and raise funds, particularly for FPV drones. An important part is face-to-face interaction—an opportunity for people to thank the defenders and support them personally.
According to Fr. Mykola Mysiv, such meetings also have a deep therapeutic effect. Soldiers who have been in captivity or have experienced trauma gradually recover through interaction with others. There are also known cases where, during such meetings, families received news about their loved ones who had been considered missing in action.
“Our task is to make the parish a place where people can serve the military—not just hear about them, but say ‘thank you’ in person,” the coordinator emphasized.
The UGCC Department for Information
