It’s been a summer of giving and learning for five Holderness School students who volunteered to spend a week in Poland helping Ukrainian children whose fathers were killed or are missing in action in the ongoing war with Russia, as part of the Common Man for Ukraine’s children’s retreat session.
The students – Annabelle Burton, Max Carter, Mabel Casey, Bear Pingree, and Tegan White and two staff volunteers – spent a week in Zakopane, Poland with the Ukrainian children and agreed to share why they did it and what they learned, texting for the most part from the retreat to post on InDepthNH.org. They arrived home in New England Monday night.
“This experience has been meaningful to me because it has allowed me to help children who have lived unimaginably hard lives and make a huge difference for them. The children all light up with joy when they see us which makes me feel so happy to be here and brighten their days however we can,” texted Bear Pingree, class of 2027.
Annabelle Burton said in a phone interview that one of the hardest parts of the trip was leaving the children behind at the end of the week, knowing they would be returning to their homes in the Ukraine.
“It was very hard to leave them behind,” Burton said for her, the other four students and for the Ukrainian children as well. “There were a lot of tears.”
But she also brought home a lot of wonderful memories of playing with the children and learning how to communicate, sometimes with hand signals. And she plans to stay in touch as well. For now, she enjoys being home and getting to work for the rest of the summer in a clothing store before school starts.
As for next month’s Common Man for Ukraine humanitarian trip, the four co-founders Alex Ray, Lisa Mure, Steve Rand, and Susan Mathison will join their Polish Rotary partners in visiting both the children’s and mother’s mental health retreats in Zakopane, Poland, and lead an aid convoy deep into Ukraine near the front lines. They’ve been doing this for more than four years.
They will be joined for the second time by volunteer George Bald. Bald, a former commissioner for the state Department of Resources and Development who is well-known for his work on nonprofit boards, volunteered to help deliver food and supplies near the front last year as well.
Building on the foundation laid by Rotary partners in 2014, Common Man for Ukraine expanded the Children’s Retreat program in 2022 to meet the crisis. Each month, CMFU hosts up to 35 children (ages 8–12) for an 18-day residential mental health retreat. Staffed by a Ukrainian medical doctor, certified child psychologist, and educators, the youth engage in art and nature therapy, physical activity, and free play—fostering deep peer bonds and healing away from the war zone. CMFU launched The Mother’s Retreat in 2025 welcoming 15 to 20 widowed caregivers each month.
Subject to change slightly in the coming weeks, currently the nonprofit Common Man for Ukraine team plans in August to visit 16 villages with 16 trucks packed with 48,000 pounds of food, 1,000 drawstring bags filled with gifts for the children there, and 1,100 pounds of hygienic products. During the last four plus years, they have delivered more than 4 million pounds food and supplies.
Holderness School is a private boarding and day school in Plymouth with connections to Common Man for Ukraine co-founders because of family who attended, or because after the co-founders spoke at a Holderness School assembly in 2023, they inspired students who run the Community Service Council to get involved to help the Ukrainian children who have lost so much in the war.
CSC operated a coffee cart on campus raising tens of thousands of dollars in person and online for the children’s mental health retreat sessions and twice a year since 2024 small small groups of Holderness CSC student leaders have organized volunteer mentorship visits to the Common Man for the Ukraine children’s retreat sessions in Zakopane, Poland.
Mabel Casey and Annabelle Burton are pictured playing with children at the Common Man for Ukraine children’s retreat in Poland. Max Paro / Common Man for Ukraine photo
The Holderness School students play together outside and enjoy crafts with the Ukrainian children, learning about each other despite the language barrier. This is what the five students texted about their experience:
Annabelle Burton ’27:
“Spending time with the children of Ukraine has been a deeply meaningful experience for me. It reminds me to be grateful and that many of us are privileged simply because of where we live. I was immediately impressed by the children’s ability to continue to be so happy and full of time when so many of them have lots of hardships in their lives. I’ve learned to be extra grateful for the little things in life as we often take granted of things such as family and safety.
“Holderness School works closely with Common Man for Ukraine through volunteers and raising money. I learned through Holderness, Common Man for Ukraine’s valuable help and care for children in Ukraine who have been affected by the war. I am in a privileged position to be able to help these children and the Common Man for Ukraine. In my past few years at Holderness I have helped volunteer and fundraise, this inspired me to want to help more and eventually visit Poland.
“The children who I have been getting to know are all happy seemingly normal children. They get joy in games, talking and so much more. As I got to know them I slowly understood how much the war had affected them. All the children lack a present father as they go off to war often resulting in them not returning home. The children tell me of how they miss their father, and how they were forced to be in fear or relocate because of war. Many of these children struggle to read as not all have the ability to go to school. As one of my teachers held up his phone with Google Translate to Ukrainian asking the children how old they were, many of the children looked confused and looked to their friends to help them, as they couldn’t read well. These children live with so little but often don’t realize because war is all they know,” Burton wrote.
Tegan White ’28:
“This has been so meaningful to me because it has made me more appreciative of what I have in ways I wasn’t previously aware of. This has let me help children who have been through so much and gives them a break from all they go through which is so important for a child living such a hard life.
“A friend of mine previously went on this trip, he told me about the kids he met and his experience and I realized I had to go. These children have gone through things I couldn’t even imagine, and it’s important to me to use my fortunate situation to help those going through such hard times in any way I can.
“Despite the difficulty of day to day life in Ukraine, they still put a smile on their face and try to have the best days they can. They are from all different areas from Ukraine, some poorer than others, but they are all united by the pride and hope for their country which is truly inspiring,” White said.
Bear Pingree and his Ukrainian friends enjoy some arts and crafts at the Ukrainian children’s retreat in Poland. Max Paro / Common Man for Ukraine photo
Bear Pingree ’27:
“This experience has been meaningful to me because it has allowed me to help children who have lived unimaginably hard lives and make a huge difference for them. The children all light up with joy when they see us which makes me feel so happy to be here and brighten their days however we can.
“I decided to get involved with this trip after hearing how meaningful it had been to past students that had gone, and I wanted to understand better what was going on and how I could help in any way.
“The biggest thing that has surprised me about the children so far is how generous and happy they are. They have had almost everything taken from their lives after losing their fathers and having their country at war, but they all constantly are still smiling. After we had only been at the retreat an hour, I had already been offered tons of small cards, toys, and magnets representing their home towns. Their generosity is so immense and they are all joyful despite being in such a hard situation,” Pingree said.
Mabel Casey ’27:
“This experience has been so meaningful because you get to see how the war is effecting people and it makes the war feel a lot more personal.
“I had heard about this trip from people who have gone before and it sounded like a great experience and I really like being able to work with kids and help them to have fun in this sad time for them.
“They will just come up and give us a hug and want to high five us and give us little gifts as well as they are still happy and joyful even though they have suffered through so much,” Casey said.
Max Carter and his Ukrainian friend enjoy some fun time at the children’s retreat. Max Paro / Common Man for Ukraine photo
Max Carter ’27:
“This experience has been so meaningful to me because these children have lost so much in their lives and to bring them temporary joy and happiness makes it all worth it.
“I wanted to get involved in this trip to show up for these children as a reason to keep fighting and for them to know that we are so proud of their bravery and fearlessness. Just to be able to put a smile on the faces of children who have lost their everything made it impossible for me to turn this trip down.
“The thing that has stood out the most to me about the children is their joy and happiness despite the tragedy that they have experienced. Whether it be playing soccer, jump rope or volleyball they do it with smiles on their faces. This was surprising to me because if I were in the positions I would certainly show different emotions which goes to show just how brave they really are at ages 8-12,” Carter said.
Common Man for Ukraine is an initiative of the New Hampshire-based nonprofit organization Plymouth Rotary Foundation, 501c3 EIN 59-3841932. The grassroots, volunteer-run organization delivers humanitarian aid, including food and generators, and mental health retreats to Ukrainian orphans, displaced children, and families struggling to survive this war. Donations fuel the nonprofit’s work. Monetary, stock, DAF, and additional types of donation information can be found online at commonmanforukraine.org, and are welcome by check sent to: Common Man for Ukraine, 71 Main Street, Plymouth, NH 03264, USA.