Ukrainian newcomers to Moose Jaw, along with friends and supporters, gathered for food, music, a magic show, and some much-needed socializing on Jan. 7, thanks to a donation from Len and Bernie Mintenko's 'Sunflowers for Ukraine' summer fundraiser.
The gathering was held at the Church of Our Lady at 566 Vaughan St. on South Hill, and organized by the volunteers from the Facebook group 'Ukraine help and exchange in Moose Jaw'.
The group's founder, Christy Schweiger (education co-ordinator at the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery), said the goal was to bring Moose Jaw's Ukrainians together to held solidify their community, including non-Ukrainian friends.
"Not everybody here is Ukrainian, but that was kind of the goal, to bring the newcomers together so they can meet other and make those connections," Schweiger explained. "Also, a lot of the volunteers from our Facebook page haven't had an opportunity to meet everybody, so this is a way of reintroducing our volunteers and everyone in the community who wants to meet these newcomers."
Magic by Chris came to put on a show for the children from 1 to 2 p.m., from 2 to 4 was a come-and-go potluck, and Ray Rawlyk provided music (with lots of sing-alongs) from 4 to 5. The atmosphere at the Church of Our Lady Community Centre was filled with laughter, children playing, and people visiting with old friends and new acquaintances.
"It's so nice to get together, and actually I know lots of people here," said Dar'ya Shyshko, "and you can see the children are lacking communication, because English is not their first language. So here, they can talk freely, and they're loving it."
Shyshko fled with her family from the brutal Russian occupation of her hometown Kherson. She previously told her story to MooseJawToday.com November 2022. Back then, things were still scary and uncertain, and she, her husband, and their two young daughters were new to Canada and homesick.
Now, she is enjoying her job at Vanier Collegiate, her husband is successful at his job with Doepker, and they are now homeowners.
"We had challenges, but we have just moved to our own house!" Shyshko enthused. "It was difficult, it works different here than in Ukraine. ... But we had support and so much help. We have here good people all around us, we know lots of people, so if I don't know something, I can call Christy (or other volunteers), and get information. And even I can help people, like I am telling people here, 'you can call me, I can help you, or I can tell you who can help you.'
"We try to keep in touch, and many people phone me and ask me some advice and recommendations. (The community-building) is working."
Ukraine help and exchange in Moose Jaw was founded for this exact purpose — and appears to have become both nationally and internationally known.
Schweiger said the next Ukrainian family they are expecting are coming from Quebec, where they first immigrated a few months ago. This new family haven't experienced a lot of support in their current city, but were able to find out from a Google search that Moose Jaw has a vibrant, connected, helpful Ukrainian community.
"They don't know anyone here, apparently they were just Googling and found our Facebook group, and they reached out, which is awesome," Schweiger said.
Olena Zabara, who recently arrived in Moose Jaw with her family (husband Volodymyr and daughters Vladyslava and Sofiia) and was very much enjoying Sunday's gathering, had a similar story.
"For us, the invasion started in 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula," Zabara explained, with Shyshko helping to translate. "We felt then that our country was becoming less safe."
The situation worsened and in 2018 the Zabara family fled to Poland, where they lived for five years. However, Canada was always the dream. Being from a small prairie town in central Ukraine, they knew they wanted to live on the Canadian prairies. They found Moose Jaw, without any prior connection, by reaching out to the Facebook group while still in Poland.
"I sought here support for my family," Zabara said. "I trusted them and put my trust in their hands, and that's why we came here. ... I like this town because it is small and cozy, and everyone here is friendly and very nice people. We're planning to stay here."
In response to some providers blocking access to Canadian news on their platforms, our website, MooseJawToday.com will continue to be your source for hyper-local Moose Jaw news. Bookmark MooseJawToday.com and sign up for our free online newsletter to read the latest local developments.
