Ukrainian Christmas Celebration Held at Peterborough Square This Saturday

The Ukrainian Community of Peterborough and the Kawarthas (UCPK) is holding a free Ukrainian Christmas celebration at Peterborough Square this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

City Hall was lit in yellow and blue as a symbol of unity and support for Ukraine on March 1. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The celebration also known as Rizdvo falls every Jan. 7 every year according to the Julian Calendar and Orthodox Church.

The free family-friendly event features authentic Ukrainian food, music, carolling, colouring books for children and traditional craft workshops.

Performing at the event is a joy string quartet playing music with children and adult volunteers singing carols throughout. ‘Carol of the Bells’ is one of the featured songs and is based on the famous Ukrainian Christmas Carol ‘Shedryk’ by Nikolai Leontovich.

A fundraiser is being held to support UCPK during the event. Vendors are selling items such as fresh baked goods by Ukrainian community members, candles and Ukrainian-themed goods. Donations can also be made online by emailing ucpk.ca@gmail.com.

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Photos: New Canadians Centre Hosts Picnic In The Park For New Community Members From Ukraine

The New Canadians Centre Peterborough invited new, Ukrainian members of the community and long time community members to a picnic at King Edward Park on Wednesday night to meet, chat and eat together.

The rain held off long enough for picnic goers to enjoy traditional Ukrainian foods like Bublik and cabbage rolls, as well as some Canadian staples.

In a release earlier this week NCC announced that they have served approximately 90 individuals to date.

Linda and Peter Adam, who have lived in Peterborough for most of their lives, opened their home to a young Ukrainian refugee, and were at the picnic on Wednesday.

“We saw in the news that there was a need for homes, and I just talked to Pete about it and responded the next day,” said Linda.

The couple has never done anything like this before, though Linda says they are both glad they did it.

“She has really brought a lot of life into our house.”

In response to the offers of support from the community, the NCC has worked with CCRC’s Housing Resource Centre to create a web listing for hosts to post their homestay offers and to support hosts with information and advice: https://www.ccrc-ptbo.com/home-together/ukraine/.

As Ukrainian families arrive in Peterborough NCC will update their ‘SoKind’ registry for items they need. The NCC is unable to store an excess of donated items, so they kindly ask for only items specified on the registry.

The Wellness Centre is hosting a Zumba Party in support of the New Canadians Centre on July 26 at 6:30 p.m..

Led by international zumba instructor Ricardo Marmittee, this is a pay what you can class with all proceeds going to support Ukrainians and other new comers to Peterborough.

To register make a donation to the New Canadians Centre noting ‘Zumba Fundraiser’ the donation will act as a ticket.

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New Canadians Centre Provides Update On New Ukrainians In Peterborough And Invites Community To Welcome Picnic

The New Canadians Centre provided Peterborough with an update on local, provincial and federal efforts to assist Ukrainians displaced by war.

File Photo.

As of July 5, approximately 55,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada through the federal Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program.

Through this program, displaced Ukrainians can stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to three years.

In Peterborough, the NCC has served approximately 90 individuals to date, and another 46 in the Northumberland area.

As the CUAET program is a special pathway not typically applied to refugee resettlement, programs and initiatives to support displaced Ukrainians are constantly evolving.

In early April, in the absence of government support programs for displaced Ukrainians, the community raised over $30,000 for the NCC’s Client Emergency Fund to meet the most urgent needs of their clients. All the funds raised have been disbursed.

In response to the offers of support from the community, the NCC has worked with CCRC’s Housing Resource Centre to create a web listing for hosts to post their homestay offers and to support hosts with information and advice: https://www.ccrc-ptbo.com/home-together/ukraine/.

To welcome new, Ukrainian members of the community, the NCC is inviting community members to the Zabava-Ukrainian Community Picnic at King Edward Park from 5 -7 p.m. on Wednesday. Those interested in attending should bring a chair or blanket to sit on and a picnic meal for themselves.

Zabava is Ukrainian for a fun get-together.

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Springbrook Man Returns From Ukraine Farm With A Full Belly A Grateful Heart And Plans To Return

Springbrook’s David Black has returned from a three weeks of helping at a Ukrainian farm and is already planning his return.

David, Ivanka and her family. Photo courtesy of David Black.

When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, Black couldn’t sit back and watch.

His first plan of action was to travel to Poland and help to to transport those fleeing Ukraine away from the Poland/Ukraine border.

He and another man stayed for three weeks, drove thousands of kilometers around Europe and delivered many individuals and families to a safe place. When Black returned to Canada he knew he had to go back to help, but decided after too many hours in a vehicle he needed a different approach.

Through connections he made on his first mission, he was put in contact with a farm in need of help in the rural town of Polonne, Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Government has exempted farmers from military duty, though Black points out that many are still volunteering, leaving many farms without adequate help.

Ivanka and her brother Sasha. Photo by David Black.

Black’s journey began on June 9, when he took off from Toronto with a suitcase of medical supplies he planned to deliver to a mutual friend in Lviv. Thanks to delays, he arrived in Lviv later than expected, when the city was already under curfew, meaning the supplies could not be picked up. The new plan became getting the supplies to Kyiv, no matter what.

Sitting in the cabin of his train, a paramedic from California approached Black. Perhaps grateful he had found another English speaker, Black soon learned that this man was heading to Kyiv.

“I said to him ‘I think we were meant to meet’,” said Black.

The paramedic took the supplies and Black later received an email saying ‘please know you saved lives’.”

David’s host Ivanka. Photo by David Black.

Upon arriving at his new home for the next three weeks, Black says he was greeted with massive servings of borscht, language barriers, incredible hospitality and many new friends.

The permaculture centre, Nasivanky, consists of 5 hectares of greenhouses, fields, flowers, organic crops and plenty of heirloom plants. It is lead by a woman named Ivanka, who Black came to refer to as ‘boss lady’.

“She became ‘Boss Lady’,” he said. “She was so sweet but when it came time to give an order everyone listened.”

Ivanka lives at the farm with her family, while her younger brother Sasha is serving in the military.

Sasha was able to return home for a visit during Black’s stay.

“He volunteered the day the war started. They were so so happy to have him back for a while.”

After three weeks of labour, big meals and tours around Ukraine, Black returned to Canada.

Upon his return, he is already planning his next trip, back to Nasivanky.

“I plan to go in October but even if something happens, if I need to go sooner or later, I’ll get there no matter what.”

Black says that while he did plenty of work there he doesn’t feel like he made a huge difference, but that wasn’t the point.

“People ask me if my labours on the farm really made a difference and no, they did not,” he said. “But what made a difference was the boost to the morale for the people. that somebody else in the world cared. The gratitude that they have for Canada is immense, it really is. A lot of people say ‘Why don’t you just help somebody here?’ well everybody can help somebody here. Not everybody can pick up and do what I did. So let the people here do what they can do, and let me go do what I can do.”

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Local Farmer Heading To Ukraine To Help Provide Food To Areas Destroyed By Russian Attacks

Local man David Black will leave his own farm in Stirling behind and take off on Thursday to help operate a tomato farm in Polonne, Ukraine that provides seedlings to areas of the country that have been destroyed by Russian occupation.

David Black ( right, green jacket) with a group of refugees he helped to transport on his last trip. Photo courtesy of David Black.

Thursdays trip will not be Black’s first trip of the year to aid Ukraine.

Black travelled to Poland for about three weeks in March and, with a friend, volunteered to transport those fleeing Ukraine away from the Poland/Ukraine border.

After driving thousands of kilometers across Europe, Black decided that the 140km/s speed limits weren’t for him. His girlfriend also pointed out that joining the army may not be a good option for the semi-retired Private Investigator.

“What I can do is farm,” he said.

The Ukrainian Government has exempted farmers from military duty, though Black points out that many are still volunteering.

“They’re exempt from fighting, but there’s going to be a lot that say ‘well this is the right thing to do, this is my country.’”

Black reached out to friends he made during his last trip, and spread the word that the was willing to farm.

He received an email from a woman, written completely in Ukrainian. While he does not speak the language he recognized the word ‘ферма’ which means farm.

He contacted a young Ukrainian woman he transported to Germany and she has become his translator.

That mystery email lead him to connect with a family farm in Pollone, a town located between Lviv and Kyiv that was in need of help.

This farm grows tomato seedlings, which are then shipped to agricultural areas of Ukraine that have been destroyed by Russian bombs and fighting, in hopes to restore food production.

A local farm worker unloads Ukrainian-made fertiliser from a truck to use on a wheat field near the village of Yakovlivka after it was hit by an aerial bombardment outside Kharkiv. Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Thomas Peter.

Black says the Ukrainian people he met on his last trip made such a lasting impact on him, he knew as soon as he left that he would be back.

When he finishes this trip, which he says will be three weeks long, he will return to his farm in Stirling to work what might be considered busy season in Canadian farming.

When that is over he says he will return to Ukraine for a third time to farm again.

During this trip he will bring with him a suitcase full of medical supplies and letters to Ukrainian children written by children at a local elementary school.

“The teacher asked if I could bring these letters with me and I thought it would be an absolute honor, to arrive with supplies in one hand and letters in the other.”

Initially, Blacks plan was to take a train from Lviv to Polonne though due to recent bombings in Lviv the trains have temporarily stopped. If they are not running by the time he arrives he plans to make the long trip via bus.

Black has been told that there is one farm hand there that took one year of English in high school.

“I think by the time I come back I’ll speak Ukrainian and they’ll speak English.”

Anyone that wishes to donate to David’s trip(s) can do so by sending an ETransfer to black.david100@gmail.com

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Ukrainian Man Welcomed In True Peterborough Spirit

Serghei Gubanov, a Ukrainian refugee that came to Peterborough on May 11, was given a true Peterborough welcome last week

With the help of Pete Dalliday, various businesses in Peterborough came together to help Gubanov adjust to a new life.

Gubanov, who is staying with a resident in Peterborough, was given a bike by Martin and Cheryl from Auto Connect.

Gubanov says while he had his license in Ukraine he enjoyed biking whenever he could. He recently got his driver license in Canada and plans to buy a car when he can.

Gubanov joined Glenn Millar from Darling Insurance for lunch at Chemong Lodge, before heading to Toronto for Blue Jays game.

With lunch, a bike, a place to stay and some new friends Gubanov says he is overwhelmed and grateful.

He is eagerly waiting for his sister and niece to be able to join him in Peterborough, and hopes to find a place of his own. With a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and Forensic Science he is more than willing to work and busy applying to any job he can.

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Ukrainian Refugee Ready to Make Peterborough His New Home

Ukrainian refugee Sergii Gubanov has called Peterborough home after five days of arriving in town last Thursday.

Photo courtesy of Pete Dalliday.

He was forced to flee Ukraine and arrived in Peterborough with nothing except a backpack

Gubanov obtained his driver’s licence on Tuesday and has been seeking employment. He is seeking a place to live next month and get a bike to ride to work.

He has a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Forensic Science.

Gubanov has a sister and a nine-year-old niece and wants them to follow his lead by immigrating to Canada.

“By the grace of God, I hope to bring them to Canada to safety from this war once I get established in the community,” he said.

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Little Britain Man Returns To The Frontlines Of Ukraine

Zach England, from Little Britain, volunteered for the International Legion of Ukraine in March. He returned to Canada on April 12, then went back to Ukraine on May 4, to re-join the ILU as a Combat Medic.

England says currently his main job is extracting wounded civilians and military personel from the front lines so they can be better helped.

Previously, England has worked as a fire fighter. The medical training he received during that time is what qualifies him to now act as a combat medic.

In a post to his social media, England has shared a way for friends and family to send money that he has been using to purchase much needed supplies.

During his last trip to Ukraine, he posted a photo of what he purchased while there.

“ifaks are carried by the soldiers at the front when wounded ,these will save lives'“ Englad wrote. Photo courtesy of Zach England.

England says any donations he receives will be used to buy things like tourniquets, chest packs and individual first aid kits (Ifaks).

If interested, eTransfers can be sent to englandzach32@gmail.com.

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St. John's School Holds Ukraine Fundraiser With City-Wide Badminton Tournament

St. John’s Catholic Elementary School grade 7 and 8 students used their racquets and birdies to raise money for their “United for Ukraine” two-day badminton tournament held on Wednesday and Thursday.

St. Anne’s grade 8 student, Clara Murison (pictured), 13, serving against Monsignor O’Donoghue (MOD) at St. John’s gymnasium. Murison and her teammate Sequoia Soubliere, 14, defeated MOD in their round-robin matchup. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Nine other schools within the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board were invited to participate and contribute to the cause.

The money is going towards the New Canadians Centre Welcome Fund which aids refugees and immigrants with mental health services, employment opportunities and other services.

"The kids have been working on this for a couple of months now as a 'deep learning' project," said Stacy Higgins, St. John's grade 8 teacher. "They learned about what was going on in Ukraine and wanted to help."

"We did a little bit of research on Ukraine and we were talking about it a lot in class,” said Jayden Hopkins, 14, St. John's grade 8 student. “We haven't really haven't had any schools come over in a long time because of COVID so we thought this would be a great way to help our community and help the refugees but also have a fun time."

St Anne’s grade 8 student Sequoia Soubliere (pictured), 14, was one of the finalists for the girls’ tournament. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

St John’s students were responsible for contacting other schools to get them involved, reach out to sponsors and organize the event.

"It took a lot of effort, we had to call a lot of places and we're so thankful for our sponsors to help donate food, drinks and flowers, said Hopkins. “It was a lot of hard work to make those signs, and call the different places, it was a lot of work but it was worth it."

All the awards were designed by a St. John’s student while Holy Cross Secondary School created them. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The students reached out to Holy Cross Secondary School where teacher Mike Whibbs helped created the awards from the shop class. The first-place trophy was designed by a St John’s student and made with a 3D printer.

The amount of effort and work put into the tournament was rewarding according to the St. John’s students.

"It's very nice to know that we're helping families coming to Peterborough and the surrounding area," said Reed Lain, 13, St. John's grade 8 student. "Not many people have done stuff since Covid, everyone's been inside so it's pretty good for the teams playing."

Each school had two girls and boys represent their respective schools to play in the doubles tournament while contributing $100 for each team.

The girls’ tournament was held on the first day with the boys’ on the following day.

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Peterborough Stands With Ukraine Fundraiser Raises Over $9,000

Peterborough Stands with Ukraine fundraiser, hosted by a local group of volunteers on April 30, raised over $9,000.

THE TEAM LEARNING TO MAKE PEROGIES AHEAD OF THE FUNDRAISER. PHOTO COURTESY OF JENNIFER SCRIVER.

Krystal LeBreton, Steph Logan, Kateryna Sysoieva, Jennifer Mahoney Scriver and Kaitlyn Cavanagh came together to host ‘Peterborough Stands with Ukraine’ at St. Theresa Elementary School.

The event featured a raffle, silent auction, bake sale, a 1 km race and home made perogies.

The idea for a fundraiser happened when LeBreton was chatting with Sysoieva, who is from Ukraine.

Now, after raising over $9,000, the funds will be split three ways.

Part will be sent to Sysoieva’s sister, who still lives in Ukraine and is volunteering on the ground there.

Funds will also be donated to Meest, an organization that is delivering humanitarian supplies to Ukraine, and to World Central Kitchen, an organization delivering fresh meals to recently liberated Ukrainian cities.

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