Much has happened for Ukrainian refugee Meliia Kondakova and her family. Many will remember her as the 9-year-old who opened a lemonade stand to raise money to go to Disneyland. Many Riversiders supported her by buying lemonade, the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce held a formal ribbon cutting to recognize her business and work ethic, and a GoFundMe page was started to help raise money for the Disneyland trip. The GoFundMe effort netted $5,135.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, Meliia, her mother Alina, father Tim, and grandmother Alla went to Disneyland Sunday, Nov. 2, through Tuesday the 4th. A stretch limousine picked them up at their home Sunday afternoon and delivered them to a hotel near Disneyland. They had connecting rooms, a step up from all four in the single Motel 6 room they shared when they first came to America. Monday morning, they went to Disneyland for the day. They were able to cover most of the park and rode many of the rides. Meliia was happy to see lots of Disney characters. She purchased several souvenirs for herself and her family, and more for some of her friends.
Meliia steps into the stretch limousine that took her family to Disneyland, smiling from ear to ear as her community-supported dream trip becomes reality. (Courtesy of Alina Kondakova)
After a night in the hotel, Meliia and family spent Tuesday at the California Adventure Park. They got very wet on the Grizzly River Run, but went on it again because they had so much fun. The limousine took them home from California Adventure.
In addition to the Disneyland trip, Meliia turned 10 in late October and the family moved from Riverside to Orange County. We don't like to see this family leave Riverside, but Mr. Kondakova lost his local job and his new work is in Orange County.
From top left: Meliia celebrates her Disneyland adventure with her parents and shows off souvenirs from the trip, her joyful smiles reflecting the magical experience made possible by Riverside community support. (Courtesy of Alina Kondakova)
Of the $5,135 raised by the GoFundMe effort, $3,873 was spent on the Disneyland dream trip. The remaining $1,262 will be the beginning of a college fund for Meliia. She is an amazing young lady and will go far in this world. I am proud that we were able to give her a small start toward her higher education.
Congratulations to the whole Kondakova family. It has been an honor to get to know you. You are always welcome here in Riverside and we all hope you will stay in touch over the years ahead.
