A new fundraising initiative is a true blessing for the lonely souls. An unusual charity auction put dates on sale to raise donations for Ukrainian army.
Bidders proved to be generous. Launched on Aug. 30, the online auction “Buy a Date – Help Army” has raised about Hr 130,000. The money will be used to purchase special protective uniform for Ukrainian servicemen.
While the biddings closed on Sept. 14, the organizers plan to renew the auction as soon as the first batch of some 200 buyers send in the money.
Iryna Snitynska, 36, a public speaking coach from Lviv, organized the auction and put up herself as the first lot. She started a Facebook page for the auction and uploaded her photo, offering people to place bids to go on a date with her.
By the time the auction ended, 222 people followed Snitynska’s example and 200 of them were “bought” for a date.
The most expensive lot was the date with the well-known commander of fourth squadron of Dnipro-1 Battalion Volodymyr Parasyuk. Khrystyna Shpak from Lviv paid Hr 7,999 to meet him. Second was director of PrivatBank’s western Ukraine department Orest Blashchuk, earning Hr 7,000. Snitynska herself was the third – a date with her went for Hr 5,000. The cheapest date went for Hr 50.
The rules were simple – the volunteers, most of them women, uploaded their photos and sometimes offered a starting price. There was no minimal bid, and bidders were free to offer any price for the date with a volunteer.
Once a date was purchased, the participants were supposed to agree on the time and place between themselves.
Tetyana Matychak, 33, from Kyiv, was the first buyer to go on the date she paid for. She paid Hr 1,000 for a date with popular Ukrainian singer and composer Pavlo Tabakov. The two met for coffee – she had to come to Lviv to meet him.
She found the meeting very interesting and said that they mostly talked about the war in eastern Ukraine.
Bria Blessing, American singer living in Lviv, put herself up on the auction and was bought by three bidders at once.
“As soon as I heard about the initiative, I was thrilled to take part,” Blessing told Kyiv Post. “What’s happening in Ukraine right now weighs heavy on my heart, and I am ready to do anything I can to help Ukraine break free from those who would try to crush her spirit.”
Some local celebrities put themselves up for the auction too.
Andriy Chemes, 28, a radio anchorman of FM Galychyna radio in Lviv, was “lot 130” at the auction. He offered a date that would take place on air and it was bought by Tetiana Zaborovska for Hr 1,000.
Kyiv Post staff writer Iryna Matviyishyn can be reached at [email protected].
