In the past few months, the Russian invasion of Ukraine necessitated families running for their lives.
My wife and I could not watch the news and sit idle. We opted to become involved. The US
Government began a program (United for Ukraine). It offers shelter in the USA for families fleeing the
hostile environment. My wife and I completed the necessary government application. We were
approved. Then we arranged for Ukraine family safe entry into the USA. As you can imagine sponsoring
a family of seven and adding another mother and 9-year-old daughter and another mother and 14-year-
old son and another. The logistics: air fares, housing, utilities, clothes, food, medical, transportation and
acclamination into US, with workshops for job training and English classes.
The first few weeks in the USA, friends provided free use of a house and apartments. To help them get
situated. Other donors provided three one-bedroom apartments. These donations were limited time,
as “SEASON” approaches. So replacement apartments and houses are required. We found a rental
home for twelve months at a very acceptable monthly fee of $3,750.00 for a family. We looked at many
options and this was the best from both the cost of rent and just as importantly is within the current
school boundary.
We are asking for your support towards the monthly rents. Would you consider continuing support
each month for partial month’s rent? If this is possible, mail your contribution to: Sheldrake for Ukraine
Refugees, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity, 1550 SW 7 th Ct., Boca Raton, FL 33486.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and thank you for your time. Respectfully,
Ron and Janet Sheldon, Founders
Making a secure donation is easy with PayPal or Zelle
All funds received are directed directly to the support of refugees from Ukraine.
Maximize your charitable contributions
For those who are charitably inclined, you may be able to offset taxes with a charitable contribution. However, this only works if you itemize your deductions. If you’re age 70½ or older, another way to make a donation and potentially reduce your taxes is by making charitable gifts directly from your IRA, known as a qualified charitable contribution (QCD).
A QCD won’t provide a tax deduction, but this type of distribution doesn’t create taxable income either. And the amount you give may be able to count toward your RMD for the year, assuming you do the QCD before taking all of your RMDs. Each individual can use a QCD to donate up to $108,000 tax-free to a qualified charity in 2025 (the annual QCD limit is indexed for inflation). You can also use up to $54,000 of a QCD to make a one-time donation to a Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) or Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA) in 2025.
