Artem Luzanovskyi, who escaped the Russian-controlled Donbas region in southeastern Ukraine with just a small backpack and an English dictionary, was feeling emotional and grateful as he listened to Langford’s plans to help his war-torn country on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old nurse and massage therapist has been reunited with his brother, who has lived on the West Shore for three years. He has a place to live, starts a new job next week and has enjoyed watching soccer and, for the first time, a lacrosse game, in his adopted community.
Luzanovskyi said he is “very grateful” for the warm welcome and fresh start — and for Langford’s latest efforts to bring relief to the people of Ukraine. “People need help with food and first aid,” he said. “Langford is helping.”
Langford Mayor Stew Young and retired fire chief Bob Beckett will lead a humanitarian mission inside Ukraine later this month, working with national charity GlobalMedic to distribute food, medical supplies and search-and-rescue equipment to people on the ground ravaged by war.
Specific locations and times were not being disclosed for the mission, which also includes GlobalMedic paramedic Shawn Carby and a videoographer, but Beckett indicated it will be inside Western Ukraine, where thousands are without food and potentially facing starvation, and buildings and homes lie in ruins from the Russian invasion.
Langford has raised $500,000 for the effort in just seven days, including a matching $150,000 grant from the Sprott Foundation, said Young.
Council has also drafted “sister city” paperwork to establish an ongoing relationship within the undisclosed area in Ukraine where the team will go. The location won’t be revealed until the team has safely returned to Canada.
It will be Langford’s first sister city arrangement since incorporation 30 years ago.
“They’ve got 20,000 refugees now and it’s growing by 300 to 500 every day,” said Young. “It’s a desperate situation … there isn’t much farming, there are no grocery stores and winter is coming, so they could be facing starvation.
Young said partnering with GlobalMedic, which has been on the ground in Ukraine since 2014, gives Langford an opportunity to have a “direct impact on the lives of Ukrainians who have demonstrated immense courage and resolve in the face of horrifying aggression from Russia.”
The humanitarian effort will focus on food security through the preparation and distribution of meals and meal kits to displaced people and local families. Displaced Ukrainians will be paid to help prepare and pack meal kits.
The project’s secondary focus involves the donation of gear for firefighting and rescues to GlobalMedic’s sister charity, GlobalFire.
Young said the initial $500,000 will fund food and other purchases until the end of the year, and fundraising efforts will continue as the war goes on.
Langford and its fire department previously participated in humanitarian efforts in Haiti, New Orleans, Afghanistan, Mexico and New York City, where they raised money to help families of firefighters who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“I think our city realizes that we have a role to play in the world and have a responsibility to help,” said Beckett, a seasoned firefighter and paramedic who has served in conflict zones. “We have it pretty good here, so let’s share a bit of that.”
Young said the mission gives him a chance to meet mayors and other leaders one-on-one to understand the their needs and to “build a bridge” in a sister-city relationship.
The mission will be under the protection of GlobalMedic, which will only proceed when the risks are low, said Beckett. He said Carby has had years of paramedic experience in conflict zones like Iraq and Afghanistan and is well versed in what is happening on the ground in Ukraine.
Young said several Langford businesses and the development community stepped up with money during a whirlwind of fundraising over the past week. “It was probably the biggest and fastest fundraiser in Langford history,” he said. “We had businesses writing $25,000 and $40,000 cheques. It shows the compassion is there from the people of our community.”
Shannon Russell Willing, chair of the Langford Supports Ukraine Committee and the force behind fundraising and efforts to find housing and jobs for refugees on the West Shore, said the community has already welcomed 19 Ukrainians, including families, individuals and women with young children. Dozens more are expected in the coming weeks, said organizers.
Among them is Luzanovskyi, whose escape route took him through Moscow, Turkey, Germany and Vancouver.
Russell Willing said Luzanovskyi is happy to be part of his new community — he’s taking English lessons and doing ride-alongs with the fire department. “We have him for family barbecues and he’s helped my husband with things on the farm,” said Russell Willing.
She said he starts a new job next week, though the type of job can’t be disclosed until the contract is signed.
Luzanovskyi still worries about his parents, who remain in Russia-controlled Donbas, but Russell Willing said he’s grateful that he has a “new family here, with lots of Langford moms.”
Donations can be made at Langford.ca/ukraine.
