The Walleye Magazine

A Night to Raise Funds and Hope

Thunder Bay Community Gathers to Support Ukrainians

Story by Sara Sadeghi Aval, Photos by Chondon Photography

On April 1, Thunder Bay raised over $5,000 in support of Ukraine during the current war. Jennifer SwistunWolski, along with a team of organizers and supporters, hosted a fundraiser at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 5 complete with music, drinks, door prizes, stand-up comedy, and most of all, hope. Homegrown names like The Thirsty Monks, The Bay Street Bastards, and authentic Ukrainian band Zhuravli performed throughout the night, while supporters donned kokum scarves and sang along, standing together in solidarity.

Swistun-Wolski, who is an active member at the legion, plans on donating $1,250 of the $5,000 to the Canadian Red Cross, which will be matched by the federal government. The remaining $4,000 will be donated through the Ukrainian Credit Union and the Canada Ukraine Foundation. “I was floored by the response to the idea. I think everyone wants to help, but maybe doesn’t know how to, and we’re so thankful to everyone who did,” she says.

Valeriya Orzenko and Kateryna Yavorska, two Ukrainian women who have lived in the city for five and two years respectively, currently have family back home within active fighting zones. The pair has teamed up, along with nine other Ukrainian friends in the city, to create a one-stop resource for any individuals who are able to leave the region and relocate to Thunder Bay or Ontario in general, and to carry on the resilience their families continue to display. Their aim is to combat the problems faced by refugees and costly relocation requirements.

“I just still can’t believe we’re saying 44 days. Nobody thought Ukraine would last. We do have allies, we do have a strong sense of people not giving up,” Orzenko reflects.

Since Putin’s invasion on February 24 this year, over 10 million citizens have been pushed out of their homes, major cities have been bombed, and over 1,500 casualties have occurred at the time this article was published. Orzenko, who currently works in human resources, and Yavorska, who works as a dental assistant, are both overjoyed by the support they quickly saw in Thunder Bay. They smile thinking about the donations that have been collected at their offices, and the blue and yellow attire worn by residents.

“My mom didn’t care how many bombings or shootings were happening. Her mindset was: my children are in the country, this is my community, and she chose to stay and help elderly get food and medication,” says Orzenko.

Like Orzenko’s mother, many people who have been unable to leave their homes due to lack of resources, access to transportation, or health conditions, have chosen to stay in their apartment complexes and fight. “Of course, the media provides coverage, but when you live there or have family there you live a different life of scrolling through media and checking your phone because your mom hasn’t responded in five hours,” says Yavorska. Her family continues to travel back and forth between hot zones to visit her grandmother.

Yavorski and Orzenko exude a sense of commitment and community, and although both are tired and heavy with worry, they continue to look towards the humanity of it all.

“This war has opened my eyes to so many things and has taught me that life doesn’t wait for anybody at all. You must do things right here, right now, not tomorrow,” says Orzenko.

“This war has opened my eyes to so many things and has taught me that life doesn’t wait for anybody at all. You must do things right here, right now, not tomorrow.”

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2022-05-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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