Fundraiser For Ukraine Draws Local Attention To Conflict
Yalenka Ukrainian Dancers take final curtain call at Fundraiser for Ukraine 250News photo
Prince George, BC – While the local Yalenka Ukrainian Cultural Society has a long history of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, the escalating conflict in that country has prompted a more concerted effort to raise community awareness and funds…
Since 1992, that's amounted to $137-thousand dollars spent in shipping 80-thousand pounds of donated goods to a country that's struggled financially, and now geographically, with its independence from Russia.
"Currently, we're looking after a school that is run by a couple of dedicated ladies," said Antosko, "Unfortunately, at this point in time, because it's close to the border, we're holding off on our shipment because we're not sure if it's going to get through."
Yalenka Ukrainian Dancers Director, Leanne Bodenham, said that's why the club connected with the Canadian Red Cross, with proceeds from Thursday's performance going to the society's Ukraine Civil Unrest Fund.
Local rep, Becky Rowe, told the crowd the Red Cross will only move cash to support international disasters and conflicts because it's cheaper than moving goods, ensures aid items are culturally appropriate for the area, and provides and economic boost as close to the incident as possible.
"There's a great deal of assessment that's taking place (in Ukraine)," said Rowe. "We're working with the local people to find out what is the need, we're also closely monitoring things like population movement and anticipating and planning around what we would be able to do to support people in the even of population movement."
In addition to that, she said a lot of the effort by Red Cross volunteers 'on the ground' is focused on providing first aid and medical assistance, including transporting those injured in the conflict to hospital.
By the end of the event, almost $3400 had been raised, with a few donations still committed to come in.
Comments
What they need most in Ukraine is advice about respect for one another… far more than money can buy.
The radicals that took power through a coup in Kiev… first thing they did was vote to outlaw the Russian language. Now they get the blow back and it escalates further.
They need to learn to respect the democratic process first and foremost… then they need to learn to respect each other and the diversity of opinion, religion, and cultural identity. Without that they are doomed to civil war and Russian aggression justified by the indignity Russians feel in this region most sensitive to Russian history.
I am sure some token amounts of donations can help some, but it won’t solve their problems.
A politician like Harper is no help either, being an enabler of the kind of hate and destructive politics that have driven the Ukraine off a cliff.
He could have done far more as a pragmatists advocating Canadian values of inclusion and democratic process… but like we see with his policy elsewhere in the world Canadian values stop at the Canadian boarder.
It was a republic under the USSR for a long time. As such, Russian nationals had access to those republics and provided services to them.
Withdraw Russia as the power which influenced and basically ruled those republic under a central regime, then one gets what is happening.
The way I see it, there was a “wait a minute” moment there …. “wait a minute, was the Crimea not a long standing part of Russia which goes back to Tsarist times?” …. and why did we make the mistake of letting Ukraine retain it as part of their USSR republic. We abandoned our Russian nationalists there and they like it there and they have not repatriated themselves on their own.
The interesting question is whether those who left the Ukraine to come here would have protested against the change in Ukraine government to ban the Russian language? Was there a predominate region those who emigrated came from?
BTW, European TV has carried stories about Russian nationals living in several of the former USSR republics. Ukraine is not the only one where Russian communities exist with children now 20 years and older who were born in one of the republics and going back home to visit their families and wondering which country is theirs.
Seems to me our media has implied that Harper has spent a lot of time and effort bad-mouthing Putin. Can’t say the same for Obozo. What say, Eagleone? We don’t need no stinkin” Gazprom. Now do we? We have a “border” between us and the US. You may have a “boarder” in yer basement.
Eagle one, did come across a very important point. The people who took over Kiev are the ones responsible for awakening the sleeping giant. They are just hungry for ukaraine identity, however forgetting that it takes time for it too happen. There is 40-50 years of Russians that have their heritage in this area that simply can not be wiped out. It would be like Canada going into Quebec and saying, English only.
Yes there is hardship in the Ukaraine, and Putin is a ego maniac and will push the envelope than recede, in the meantime gaining.
We need to be focusing on the North, to ensure that Russia does not take over the frozen islands of the north. This is the wealth for Canada in the year 2200.
If Putin does take over the North, we can always get our UN to send him a letter telling him he’s not a very nice man. a.k.a. a letter of condemnation. The UN must have a drawer full of those form letters.
So if the Americans invade Canada, will the rest of the world come to our rescue. I doubt it, likely the Russians will get in on it for their own selfish reasons.
Generally we are the givers, will likely never get anything back. Sort of like being the rich sibling in the family, always giving and getting near nothing in return. However expected to come rescue the sibling when in trouble.
Sorry, but not feeling generous today.
“struggled financially, and now geographically, with its independence from Russia” and with its independence from the EU. What? Are you telling me sovereignty works both ways. No. How can Ukraine be free if it’s not under the gavel of Brussels?
Where this started
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-06/fuck-eu-us-state-department-blasts-europe-revealed-alleged-mastermind-behind-ukraine
and the state departments response
http://youtu.be/jW1WDbDX7wE
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