​Our film began at Christ the King back in March when I went to the church at the suggestion of the salesclerk at REI in Boston where I was getting outfitted with a new backpack and other gear for my forthcoming trip to Ukraine. When I told the clerk where I was headed, he told me about the church at the center of raising supplies for Ukraine in Boston (See Mass. Ukrainians send money, tactical medicine to battlefield back home | WBUR News). Being unfamiliar with the Ukrainian Catholic Church I just had to go to Jamaica Plain and find out more.

It was there that I met Father Yaroslav and told him about my upcoming trek, which at the time was going to be confined to the western part of the country. He spent time with me and told me about his time as a soviet army doctor while attending seminary underground, a path that could have meant his death if discovered by the Red Army command as the UCC was outlawed under the soviet regime. (See Announcing TheoEco's Ukraine Trek).

​After reassuring Fr. Yaroslav that I was committed to going - and of right mind - he encouraged me to go to the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv. I wound up spending several days there as the Russians retreated from Kyiv thereby opening up the possibility for me to go to Kyiv and eventually Bucha. I was able to interview students and faculty alike there, as well as learn about air raid sirens in the school’s basement/bunker. (See Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) in Lviv (theoeco.org). He also called down a guardian angel and gave me his blessing to help me through the journey. He apparently has a lot of pull with The Spirit as I made it through without a scratch.

I went to see Fr. Yaroslav a couple weeks ago while in Boston and told him of my idea to hold the premiere screening at the church. He couldn’t have been more receptive to the idea as he expressed in his follow up email to me last week, which I just have to share:

​Слава Ісусу Христу! Glory to Jesus Christ!

"We will be honored to have the premiere of your documentary film about Ukraine in our parish in September. 

"Thank you again for your brave effort and personal commitment to produce the documentary film about the war in Ukraine. Your documentary film will be part of  the recorded history about  the sacrifice and heroism of the Ukrainian people in defending their freedom, dignity, and sovereignty.

Fr. Yaroslav and Parishioners of Christ the King UCC

So, stay tuned as we put our premiere event together to support Ukraine in as many ways as possible. I am very excited and honored to have this show of support for our film and efforts to bring awareness to what is happening there.

It is an epic struggle that is being fought for freedom loving people everywhere. And what better place to premiere the film than a church in Boston where America’s war for Independence took root almost 250 years ago.

​Thanks,
Steve Richards

Be part of Trek to Bucha! 

Can you feel it? Fatigue of the war in Ukraine has already begun to creep in with surging gas and food prices blamed on the unending war. ​ The refrain goes something like this: Can’t we just let Putin have his way and get back to the way things were?

But it’s far more than economics at stake in Ukraine. “Live Free or Die” is the New Hampshire state motto which all Americans understand in their bones. It is what the war in Ukraine is really all about. Ukrainians don’t want to live like Russians. They want to live like us - and have grown used to it since their independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. They will not let the Russians take it away from them. And they will be great partners in an even stronger Free World currently under attack by Putin. Ukraine must come out of this conflict all the stronger for it.

Which is why I am coming to you. We need about 29k to finish Trek to Bucha in a way that will make it attractive for outlets like PBS, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, and others to put on their platforms for worldwide audiences. (Check out our budget at Budget and Timeline)

Specifically, we are raising funds to help cover Trek to Bucha's post-production costs. We have already covered the 39k pre-production and production expenses which were incurred during our shoots in Ukraine throughout March/April 2022 (See Trek to Bucha - Synopsis). We also have a rough-cut trailer ready to go!

​Now we need to cover the costs of editing, graphics, and other elements to make the film as engaging and entertaining as possible.

I’d like to invite you to join us and our partners to create this new and potentially important feature documentary which we are planning to premiere the week of August 10th in Boston.

Whether you are a potential sponsor, donor, institution, or a friend with a few bucks to spare, please go to our website at Trek to Bucha - Fundraising to learn more. ​​You might also want to check out our pdf file Trek to Bucha – Deck for a quick overview of what we are to.

Collectively we can make a difference and remind those in Ukraine they are not alone as we stand with them.

And, as always, thanks for your continued support.

Steve R.
Steve Richards, Managing Director

For more check out this message from Steve Richards recorded in Bucha...

​

​To donate click here. For more information and/or to become a sponsor please reach out to Steve Richards at [email protected].