Hundreds of displaced Ukrainians press against a metal fence on July 4, 2022 as they patiently wait to be seen by a Boston-based group called Cash for Refugees in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. Founded by Natasha and Semyon Dukach, the couple has made it their mission to connect displaced Ukrainians with small amounts of cash to buy day-to-day necessities — phone cards, children’s clothing, soap and toothpaste, laptop chargers.

Archbishop Williams basketball player Julian Sustache (4) jumps over chairs while celebrating their win against St. Mary’s during the MIAA Boy’s D3 Basketball Championship at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass. on March 18, 2023.

The Inkwell Polar Bears do their morning exercise at Inkwell Beach in Oak Bluffs, Mass. on September 10, 2023. Every morning until Late October, Polar Bears gather to swim, exercise and commune. Founded in 1946 as a safe space for Black swimmers, the Polar Bears of Martha’s Vineyard have a rich history.

Six-year-old Conner Hess plays with a piece of cardboard while resting in his hospital bed at Boston Children’s Hospital in March, 2023, weeks after receiving a stem cell transplant to replace a defective gene that had entered his bloodstream. Conner’s treatment, which involved eight days of chemotherapy, resulted in the loss of his hair, which his parents shaved when it began to fall out. In 2017, Conner was diagnosed with an ultra-rare genetic condition, cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, or CALD. The devastating fatal disorder strikes boys, typically between the ages of 4 and 10, causing rapid loss of cognitive and physical abilities, including hearing, vision, and movement, often only months after symptoms appear. Conner is the first patient to receive the gene therapy, called Skysona, since the Food and Drug Administration approved it in September.

Soldiers from the Joint Task Force Atlantic's Immediate Response Unit, 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, walk through the woods in search of hot spots in Barrington, Nova Scotia. A hot spot, located where the fire has already been contained but hidden in the ground, can be detrimental to the firefighting efforts if weather conditions change. The 2nd Battalion arrived from their base in New Brunswick the day before in response to Nova Scotia’s fires. They were trained on how to find hot spots two days prior.

Brendan Paul, an Elvis impersonator at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, sang for newlyweds.

Tara Whelan, left, and Chelsea Brayman chat with their daughters Kennedy Whelan, 7, Reilly Brayman, 9 and Rory Brayman, 13, while they ride the commuter line together to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. to see Taylor Swift on May 19, 2023.

Molly McElroy, left, assists Dr. Cheryl Hamlin perform a surgical abortion on a patient at The Pink House – formerly known as Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in Jackson Mississippi on June 7, 2022. Every month, Dr. Hamlin travels from Massachusetts to Mississippi to work a three day shift at the clinic, part of a rotating schedule of doctors who travel out of state to offer their services. One of the last remaining abortion providers in the South, The Pink House is also the plaintiff in the case currently before the Supreme Court that will almost certainly end abortion access in the South and Midwest.

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Siblings from left Lilia, 4, Artem, 6, Kristina, 11, and Kamilla Pasynko, 2, play ball and run around their small makeshift bedroom on July 2, 2022, located in a former kindergarten classroom in Chernivtsi, Ukraine. The children, along with their six additional siblings, fled their home in the Donetsk region with their mother, who is 7-months-pregnant. She thought they would be gone for three weeks at most, but now they don’t know when they will be able to return home. With temperatures outside reaching the mid 90s, the children are forced to remain inside and entertain themselves within the four walls where they sleep, eat and play.

Congregants pray along the border wall while attending the Border Church / La Iglesia Fronteriza in Tijuana, Mexico on September 18, 2022. For over ten years, people from both the United States and Mexico have gathered each Sunday afternoon to share communion at Friendship Park, the historic meeting place where the border wall meets the Pacific Ocean. But since the pandemic, visitors are kept back at least 50 feet, prohibiting families and friends from having any contact.

Asian Coalition MA organizer Fiona Phie takes a moment of silence after placing an offering among flowers, candles, and incense while honoring those who have experienced violent hate crimes against the Asian American community. Organized by Asian Coalition MA, the demonstration began in Peter’s Park and marched to the Chinatown Gates.

Members of Estrella Tropical prepare to open the Puerto Rican flag at the Festival Tetances Parade, part of the Festival Betances. Named after Ramón Emeterio Betances, a Puerto Rican patriot whose medical contributions benefited Latin America, Festival Betances celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Aaron Kline celebrates a win with Jason Cook as they gamble for a pool of cigarettes at SEPTA Correctional Facility in Nelsonville, Ohio. Chris Streeter, far left, ended up winning the pool of cigarettes, a total of 11 packs, and plans to use them to trade for a “pick and poke” (tattoo).

Contestants in the Nude Olympics participate in a tug-of-war while competing at the 20th Annual Porcupine Festival in Lancaster, New Hampshire. The event took place at Body Freedom Village, and area of the campground that allows for nudists to express their freedoms

Boys do flips while jumping off the dock at Marina Bay. With temperatures almost reaching 100 degrees, the boys tried to beat the heat by staying in the ocean.

Joe and his family quad across a hay field in search of moose. Joe grew up on the Sucker Creek Reserve in Alberta and killed his first moose when he was 11.

Majorette performers from dance group Area 51 hang out before performing in Boston's Trinidad Style Carnival, which celebrate's the Caribbean community with costumes, floats and lots of dancing.

Troy Wunderle prepares to welcome the evening crowd to Circus Smirkus' Big Top Tour in the heat of a Hanover, NH weekend. Wunderle is the artistic director of Circus Smirkus, the only traveling youth circus in the United States. The touring troupe has been existence for over 30 years.

Nova Holland, left, and her sister Hana of Los Angeles, CA celebrate the fourth of July on Children’s Beach at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY.

Charlie Groom throws shadows on a sheet while playing with his cousins Owen, Leo and Colin (left to right).

Fran Haash, of Tampa, Florida, looks at the memorial site where seven bikers recently lost their lives. Thousands of motorcyclists from all over New England rode together and convened at the crash site where seven motorcyclists were killed in a collision with a pickup truck.