With tears in her eyes, but with dignity: Lolita Kuzina, head of the "DobroDiy" Charity Exchange, became "Manager of the Year in Charity" for the third time

Lolita Kuzina, head of the Board of the Charity Exchange "DobroDiy", founded by Olena and Yuliia Sosiedka, won a prize in the "Manager of the Year in Charity" nomination within the National Competition "Charitable Ukraine – 2024". This is Kuzina's third award, but this time she received it for the first time with tears in her eyes, writes UNN.

"For the third time – "manager of the year in charity. But for the first time – with tears in her eyes… Of course, we don't work for recognition. We just do what we think is right every day – we help those who need it. But 2024 became a personal challenge for me. Both professional and human," Lolita shared in her post, which became a frank confession about the hardest year of her life.

She said that for nine months she combined managing the Charity Exchange "DobroDiy" with caring for her seriously ill father.

For nine months I lived on the edge. My dad has lung cancer. Palliative care. Constant attempts to alleviate the pain. Daily struggle for dignity and peace of a loved one. And in parallel – work that I used to do conscientiously. Every day – balancing between despair and responsibility. And a constant inner voice saying "I’m not keeping up," "I’m letting down," "because of me, the DobroDiy Charity Exchange isn’t doing enough."

In September, unfortunately, she lost her father, and it seemed that she finally had the time she had lacked before. But the strength did not appear.

"Pain has no schedule. Loss has no deadlines. It just is. Present. Quiet. Corrosive," wrote the philanthropist.

That is why this award became something more for her than professional recognition. It is confirmation that even in a moment of personal devastation, Lolita Kuzina was able to sustain others.

"It doesn't ease the pain of loss. But it gives the feeling: I am still standing. I am in my place. And I continue to be a support for the team, for families, for children, for those who need it. Dad, I know - this is in me from you," Lolita Kuzina wrote.

It is worth noting that this year, this prestigious competition received a record 1790 applications. Three winners were determined in each of the 26 nominations. In the nomination "Manager of the Year in Charity", a two-stage selection of winners was conducted. First, the expert council selected 12 finalists. And then these 12 finalists became independent external experts and, together with the main jury, evaluated each other's applications. As a result of this complex competitive challenge and selection, the winners were chosen.

Recall

Earlier, UNN reported that the team of the Charity Exchange "DobroDiy" in May alone raised 290 thousand hryvnias to help 13 children with serious diagnoses. Thanks to philanthropists, young patients were able to receive rehabilitation courses, medicines, and special nutrition.

In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Charity Exchange has provided assistance worth almost 132 million UAH. Of these, the following received:

- Defense Forces of Ukraine – 93,061,500 UAH;

- Medical institutions – 8,533,000 UAH;

- Severely ill children and adolescents – 16,440,000 UAH;

- Humanitarian initiatives and social projects – 13,944,000 UAH.

You can join the projects of the DobroDiy Charity Exchange by following the link: https://248.dp.ua/projects.