In her role as an instructional assistant for student-athletes, Jillian Schultz ’22 has been providing academic support to Syracuse University tennis player Liubov “Luba” Kostenko. When she learned that Kostenko’s family and community was under attack and living in a bomb shelter in Ukraine, Schultz understood that Kostenko needed far more than academic support. So Schultz rallied dozens of others throughout the campus community in a collective effort to launch a relief drive for the people of Ukraine.
Jillian Schultz
This week, Schultz and her team are placing collection boxes at 40 different locations throughout campus, including the Schine Student Center, Barnes Center at The Arch, Ernie Davis Dining Hall and various schools and colleges. Supplies needed for the relief effort include everything from bandages and over-the-counter medical supplies to non-perishable food and personal hygiene supplies, to blankets and flashlights.
“When Luba shared with me her family’s plight, and that her home and town were likely destroyed, I just knew I had to do something,” says Schultz, a senior majoring in television, radio and film at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, who aspires to become a talent agent and advocate for others trying to achieve their dreams.
She credits her desire to help others to her upbringing, recalling that her parents encouraged philanthropy when she was as young as 6. “They would write things like ‘Miss Jillian Schultz has made a donation to St. Jude’s’ on my Christmas stocking!” Schultz says. Her parents are supporting the Ukraine effort, offering to drive all donated supplies to a collection source in New Jersey that ships directly to Ukraine.
Schultz is working closely with Olecsander Taras Colopelnic ’23, president of the Ukrainian Club at Syracuse University.
“The students in our club and those from Ukraine have been working nonstop to do everything we can to help Ukraine,” says Colopelnic, who is studying management and entrepreneurship in the Whitman School. “This is what makes our SU community great. I have no doubt that there will be a great willingness from all students to take part in this humanitarian aid drive. Everyone can donate something, and their donation of a tangible item will make them feel more connected to the people they are helping. They can be assured that every single medicine, food product or other supplies will directly help someone in Ukraine.”
Jillian Schultz labels a box for donations to Ukraine.
Schultz says she is grateful for the support her team of volunteers have received from the University administration, including Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer Allen Groves who personally delivered to her 50 empty boxes to assemble for distribution around campus; the Athletics Department; Student Association; and many in the Greek Life community.
“It’s so rewarding to see so many individuals and organizations at Syracuse come together to make an impact on the world around us,” says Marin Grillo ’23, director of philanthropy for the Syracuse University Panhellenic Council, who is studying entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises in the Whitman School. “We have been given a unique opportunity and I cannot wait to see what we’re able to accomplish!”
The drive will continue until the end of April, when the boxes are collected and supplies sorted for shipment. “The fact is that Luba can’t return home, but we as an Orange community can do something to support the country that is her home,” says Schultz.
