Bryce Goetz: Spring Break of Service
Reported By: Shelby McCormick
Photographed By: Yolanda Diaz
Bryce Goetz spent his spring break in Romania working with Fight for Freedom to provide aid to those affected by the war in Ukraine.
Goetz was connected with 501 collective, a nonprofit that supports other non-profits by helping fundraise, sending teams of volunteers and providing free photo, video, and website content. Through 501 Collective, Goetz was connected with Fight for Freedom and has interned with the organization remotely throughout the semester to edit content for their website and social media. He was then able to fundraise enough for a flight to Romania and see the operations firsthand.
Fight for Freedom began as a prison ministry, helping those incarcerated transition out of prison and into civilian life. When the war broke out last February, they shifted gears to provide aid for those affected. Some of these efforts include providing food to Ukrainian citizens and evacuating Ukrainian children, many of whom have parents on the front lines, from Russian occupied towns.
“I think the biggest message is that the war is still going on,” said Goetz. “People still need help even though it’s not a ton of front lines, movie type depictions of what war is like. It’s the aftermath, helping these people get back on their feet, as they deal with the trauma of what they’ve seen, what they’ve heard, and who they’ve lost.”
At one of the kids’ camps, Goetz encountered a seven-year-old girl who was crying. When asked what was wrong, she explained that her dad, who was a soldier in the war, hadn’t called her that day.
“These kids are going to be really mentally affected by this for the rest of their life,” said Goetz. “They are trying to live a normal life, a lot of them are learning English, coloring, playing soccer, doing normal kid stuff, but the long-term effects of this is really difficult to see.”
Goetz said that one of his main takeaways from this experience is recognizing how fortunate many of us in the States are.
“You kind of feel guilty, but I didn’t want to feel guilty, I want to feel transformed,” said Goetz. “I don’t want to come back and just forget about it, I want to come back changed and have a different perspective and have more of a giving heart.”
Goetz hopes to go back, but even if that is not possible, he still wants to provide support to these organizations in whatever way he can.
Goetz encourages college students that there are ways to support non-profits even if access to additional funds or time to donate is not something they currently have.
“Whether it’s just following the Instagram page, following along, praying for them, keeping them in your thoughts and spreading the word to people,” said Goetz.