NEWS

VIP Visit From Ukraine

Olena Volodymyrivna Zelensky, the first lady of Ukraine, speaks at an event at Mount Vernon.Volodymyrivna Zelenska and Volodymyr Zelensky tour the New Room.

In July of 2021, the Ukrainian embassy reached out on behalf of Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, to inquire if Mount Vernon would be willing to be part of her initiative to expand audio tours in Ukrainian for leading museums and cultural sites around the world. As Mount Vernon already supported four languages besides English, it was indeed willing to add a new one in its Guide ID audio system. The Ukrainian embassy took the existing script, translated it, and produced audio files for Mount Vernon.

On August 31, a ceremony was held in the Ford Orientation Center at Mount Vernon to officially unveil the new audio tour. In attendance were Zelenska, along with her husband, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. Representing Mount Vernon were Sarah Coulson, Regent, and Doug Bradburn, president. Part of the Ukrainian state visit with U.S. president Joe Biden, the event was covered by members of the international press and received wide exposure.