AUSTIN, Texas — The co-owners of the Texas Selfie Museum in Downtown Austin are raising money for Ukrainians in need. And for the trio, the cause is personal.
KVUE's media partners at Austin360 report that co-owners Alex Kurylin, Margaryta Schwery and Igor Benchak are originally from Ukraine and wanted to find a way to donate funds to provide relief.
Austin360 reports that the Original Selfie Museum brand got its start in Denver before expanding to Seattle, Atlanta, Miami, San Antonio and other cities. The Austin museum, located at 503 Neches St., is the brand's newest and the group's largest venue by square footage and the number of installations.
But even as their business expands, the past few months have been difficult for the three co-owners as Russia invades their native Ukraine.
"It's not a happy place mentally, not for me or any of the partners," Schwery told Austin360. "Even the other partners from other regions, we're all from Ukraine. It was founded by all Ukrainians, and the managers that we have are also Ukrainian, so it's not a happy place in our heads."
The co-owners have donated their own money to support Ukrainian residents, and Austin360 reports that they have recently started a fund for museum visitors to donate to the cause.
Visitors can buy an "Annual Selfie Pass" that gives them unlimited access to any selfie museum location with no reservation required. Kurylin told Austin360 that, along with other perks, all membership proceeds will be sent directly to volunteer missions in Ukraine. Each membership costs $68 per person.
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