Dear friends,

At the end of July, Class 4 completed Segment 1.5 Alpha, one of the most physically grueling and formative phases of the Chazak Academy journey. It’s where training stops being hypothetical and begins to collide with the realities of stress, suffering well in hardship, and applied service. These are the weeks that forge Cadet Defenders.

Stay tuned for a full recap of 1.5 Alpha coming out soon, written by one of our instructors!

Graduation is just around the corner. Soon, Class 4 will officially step into that role. They’ve trained hard, suffered well, and stood firm through every test we’ve thrown at them. They’re not the same people who arrived at Deadwood Outfitters in June. They’re ready for year 2, and everything that comes with it!

As we close one chapter, we’re already preparing for the next. This fall, a Chazak team will be returning to Ukraine. Our work there continues, responding in some of the hardest hit cities where airstrikes and drone attacks have left hospitals in ruins and families without homes, and Russian forces directly target civilian populations.

These deployments to Ukraine are not without impact. They are lifelines. When roads are closed, when drones hit civilian targets, when there is no one else to go, someone must be there. That is why we are returning. We plan to continue operating in Ukraine, and bringing hope to those caught in this unimaginable darkness until the end of the war, and peace is brought to this region once more. More information will be released in a timely manner.

All of this work matters, but it is not without cost. July also marked the close of our fiscal year. While we are grateful for every gift given, we did not meet our $260k year-end goal for 2024–2025. The gap is real, and the need continues.

Thanks to a generous $50,000 matching challenge, every donation right now will be doubled. That match could cover a major portion of the funding needed to keep our teams moving into places like Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar.

If you believe in what we do, this is the moment to stand with us. More information will be coming soon regarding the Ukraine deployment, but we wanted to make you aware of our situation. 

We train hard for the field, and we serve in the broken places. We need you with us. Consider donating now, and see your funds make twice the impact they normally would!
https://chazak.kindful.com

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