DANVILLE, CA — When the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022, Ethan Klets thought of his mother.
“My mom left Ukraine as a refugee when she was just 12 years old, and that experience has shaped my family’s story in a big way,” the Monte Vista High School senior said. “Growing up, I heard about the uncertainty, the fear, and what it meant to start over in a new country. When the war escalated in 2022, those stories suddenly felt very real again. Watching families flee reminded me of my own family’s past, and it made me feel a responsibility to do something meaningful to help.”
Klets, who has been playing soccer since he was three years old and is currently the captain of an Elite 1 Pre-ECNL league, decided to use his skills to help Ukrainian newcomers feel welcome in their new country. He founded Goals for Hope, a nonprofit that runs multi-day soccer camps for local Ukrainian students in middle and elementary school.
“I wanted to help Ukrainian kids feel welcome and supported as they adjusted to a new life, and I realized soccer could be the perfect way to do that. The sport creates a safe, fun environment where kids can build friendships and feel like they belong,” Klets said. “We do drills, games, and team-building activities, but the focus is always on fun and participation rather than competition. Everything is designed to be inclusive for all skill levels and ages.”
Klets said he works with local Ukrainian community networks and partner organizations to find the kids. He then works with volunteers, many of whom are his soccer teammates, to lead and organize the sessions. He has been working on his Russian language skills to communicate with the kids and their parents.
But Klets is doing much more to help his ancestral country. He is part of the advocacy team at Nova Ukraine, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit providing humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and services to Ukraine. He has helped contact government offices to raise awareness, supported resolutions condemning Russian actions, updated community information sources like Wikipedia, and participated in Ukrainian community events across the Bay Area.
With the mentorship of a former Stanford vice president, Klets also wrote a roughly 25-page paper analyzing IMF and World Bank data to study the effectiveness of U.S. aid on Ukraine’s economic recovery. The paper, entitled “Helping or Hurting? The Role of U.S. Aid in Ukraine’s War-Torn Economy,” has been submitted for publication.
“This work has been incredibly meaningful and personal. It’s helped me connect more deeply with my Ukrainian identity, and seeing the impact on kids has been the most rewarding part. My mom feels very proud and emotional about what we’ve built — it feels like things have come full circle from her story to helping other families today,” he said.
For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit goalsforhope.com.
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