We are the “Second Wind” charity foundation. We help veterans who have lost limbs return to active life through mountain adaptive sports, community, and real paths to recovery.
Four steps from which the foundation grew: from the first climb to a scalable community.
It all started with the first mountain hike with veterans returning from the front after serious injuries. That’s when the idea of a community was born, where sport, support, and movement help people recover and return to an active life.
Climbing Kilimanjaro was a new milestone for “Second Wind.” The story of the veterans who, after being injured, climbed the highest peak in Africa formed the basis of the documentary “Second Wind” — about recovery, the power of community, and moving forward.
Today, “Second Wind” is a community of veterans who are on the path to recovery through mountain adaptive sports and supporting each other. We develop training programs, scale the club in different cities of Ukraine, and create opportunities for an active life after injuries.
The founders, operations team, and regular volunteers are people who work every day to ensure that veterans have new chances.
Hennady Hazin is a Ukrainian-American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of the charitable foundation If Not Now Then When (ifnotnowua.org) and co-founder of the Second Wind club. With a passion for mountains and a devoted supporter of Ukraine, this project is a natural extension of his interests.
Oleksandr Pedan is a Ukrainian showman, TV presenter, public figure. Co-founder of the JuniorS movement, which is engaged in increasing the physical activity of children in Ukraine. In 2023, he joined the “Second Breath” project, which united veterans with prostheses and athletes in joint challenges.
Anna Vozna is the co-founder and director of the Second Breath of Ukraine charity foundation, a volunteer since the first days of the war. She loves mountains, has experience in high-altitude climbing, and believes that sport and new peaks can change lives.
Oleksii Aleksieienko is a co-founder of the Second Breath Foundation, a mountaineer and businessman with twenty years of experience in expeditions and long-distance travel. As CEO of Virastar, a company that produces equipment for safe work at heights, and a partner in Fram Equipment, a manufacturer of outdoor equipment, he has first-hand knowledge of the needs of adventure seekers.
Programs that complement each other — from the first attempt to trust your body again to returning to an active civilian life. Through training, community and the support of your peers.
Rock climbing, mountains, rafting, training and other activities — to restore strength, endurance and self-confidence.
We organise expeditions and summit ascents — where trust in oneself and one’s body is restored step by step.
We help veterans rediscover their rhythm, find new purpose and regain the feeling of: “I can keep going.”
Rock climbing and adaptive sports sessions — making an active lifestyle a part of your new life.
We create experiences that unite: expeditions, competitions, events and initiatives where what matters is not the result, but the journey taken together.
We create an environment where you don’t need to explain your story. A place among your own — where support comes naturally, through shared purpose and…
— Every step to the top
begins with a decision
