Wilmington business owner collecting donations to send to Ukraine

As attacks on Ukraine continue, another donation drive has started in the Cape Fear Region.

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As attacks on Ukraine continue, another donation drive has started in the Cape Fear Region.

Scott DiSpirito with the Rising Phoenix Martial Arts Studio in Wilmington has been collecting donations for nearly a week to send overseas.

DiSpirito says teaching martial arts not only teaches physical fitness but also builds character, so he always tries to do what’s right and instill the same values in his students. His students, friends, and other members of the community have come together to donate canned goods, clothing, personal hygiene products and more.

He says the purpose of it all — it’s the right thing to do.

“People need to see it and people need to feel it. I’m passionate about it, it’s emotional. It started out as just a small thing from a small studio but it’s evolved into quite a thing where I have companies that are involved with it,” DiSpirito said.

“I am inspired because we’re not a very big studio but that doesn’t mean we produce something really big. Seeing other people take part in it as well kind of gives me hope for humanity,” Rising Phoenix Instructor Hope Wright said.

What’s happening across the world feels extra close to DiSpirito and his family. His wife, Ela, is from Poland and she still has friends and family there. She got emotional talking about the situation, saying her heart breaks thinking about what they are going through.

“There are wives losing [husbands], sons, fathers, brothers, friends. It’s so crazy that one person can control and kill that many people,” Ela DiSpirito said. “I was just so happy that we could help those people a little bit.

The DiSpiritos will be collecting donations at the Rising Phoenix Studio from 10 am to noon at 4569 Technology Drive Unit 2 in Wilmington. Next week, Scott will take the donations to Moto Leader Global in Navassa to have them shipped into Poland.