It was all but impossible to avoid the emotion and heartbreak the speakers at the Moose Jaw Ukraine Rally showed on Sunday afternoon at the Crescent Park amphitheatre.
One by one, people with family still in the country, people who had seen their hometowns reduced to rubble, people who saw their loved ones struggling to deal with the horrors seen on television every day, spoke and told their tales to the more than 200 rally participants.
Like Masha Kotova, who in the opening days of the war saw her mother and grandmother crying as they spoke to one another about what was happening back in their homeland.
And Anastasia Horpinchenko, who spoke about the devastation in her former country and how no matter what happens, how Ukraine will rebuild, as it has in the past.
And Sergii Kovalchuk, who emotionally touched on all the help that Ukraine needs, both when it comes to military and humanitarian aid and how much appreciation he had for that which was already done.
And Mila Kyslytsia, who came to Canada in 2015 and touched on how Ukraine has been through hell more than once, but this will be the last time, because of the solidarity the world is showing against Russian aggression.
Hearing those stories, and how they affected those telling of their experiences, was a major goal from the outset for Moose Jaw Ukraine Rally organizer Ray Rawlyk.
“I think the main focus here was to know that the war is right here, for so many people like this,” Rawlyk said shortly after the rally came to a close. “This isn’t just one or two people, this is dozens just here in Moose Jaw. So you can imagine the pain and the ripple effect that this war is having across the world.
“So we wanted to get those messages across. It was also a need within the people that were speaking, so there's some kind of solace and a sense of support and caring and love rebounding back to them. To know that as much as they are alone in this, in some ways, maybe they're not.”
Breaking up the difficult moments was a display of impressive talent from Regina-based Tavria School of Ukrainian Dance, who performed three intricate group performances during the event.
But the overwhelming theme of the afternoon was simply help, emotional, physical and beyond.
One speaker who has done exactly that in a profound way was New Life Center church pastor Aaron Pilon, who travelled to Poland to assist refugees streaming into the country and talked about the terror and hopelessness so many Ukrainians feel at the moment.
“The first two weeks after February 24, there were more and more people at the border every day and people would spend two or three nights standing outside in the open air and freezing cold,” Pilon said after the event. “At one train station where I was helping, there were five or six trains a day coming in, just a massive sea of people… and when you talk to them, you see their trauma and hear the things they went through, I can see all these people’s faces and how scared they were. But it's a privilege to help them in that moment of vulnerability and need, and it’s a joy when you can make someone’s life just a little bit better in those awful situations.”
The good news is that European countries are doing all they can to assist Ukraine refugees, and over in Canada and North America, hundreds of charities covering almost every aspect of need have been created to get aid overseas as quickly as possible.
“It’s ‘whatever you can do’, and now there are so many different avenues to do this,” Rawlyk said. “The Red Cross just being one of them. There's so many fundraising efforts that are just tailored to specific things it’s beyond my scope to figure them all out, but it’s just incredible to see that so many people care and are doing what they can to help.”
Rawlyk also thanked the host of groups and individuals who helped get the rally off the ground, including the Moose Jaw Multicultural Council and the City of Moose Jaw for their financial and organizational aid, on top of dozens of sponsors who helped out.
“We had so much amazing support, and it shows how much people care, and we couldn’t be more appreciative,” Rawlyk said.
If you’re looking to make a financial contribution in support of Ukraine, a place to start is www.redcross.ca and their Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.
And if you come across a Ukraine refugee or someone from the country, any assistance from financial to morale support will always be greatly appreciated.
