NEWS

At the Davidson for Ukraine fundraiser in February the ambulances were just an idea on a poster.

Supporting Refugees, Raising Awareness

A Note From Amanda Ewington

As we head into the July 4 Independence Day weekend here in the United States, let’s keep the Ukrainian people in our hearts and admire their strength as they fight to uphold their sovereignty. 

The last month has seen a whirlwind of tragic events: Russia blew up the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, an act of ecocide that has caused yet more suffering to a region in Ukraine already suffering from occupation. On the heels of a short-lived Russian mutinythat underscored the true weakness of Putin’s regime, Russia sent a missile into a café-pizzeria in Kramatorsk, killing eleven, including three children, and wounding sixty. In the face of these and other attacks, Ukrainians remain resilient and defiant, continuing their counter-offensive. 

In this month’s newsletter, we have a couple of updates and a “save the date” for an upcoming gathering.

Update on February 24 Event: Emergency Vehicles

As you know, your generous donations to the D4U-UCCA-Davidson College event last February, along with additional funds raised by UCCA, allowed us to partner with Hospitallers to purchase three ambulances and three evacuation trucks fitted out as ambulances for reaching off-road areas. 

Last month, we reported on the evacuation trucks being delivered to Ukraine, while the ambulances still waited in Poland. Now those ambulances have been delivered to Ukraine, so all six emergency vehicles that you helped purchase are on the ground and helping save lives. THANK YOU!

Update: Summer Camp for Local Ukrainian Refugee Children

We did it! Thanks to your generous response, and a few scholarships, five Ukrainian refugee children here in Davidson are enjoying camp all summer long. Yes – the entire summer! The kids are having outdoor fun, strengthening their English language skills, and their parents are able to keep working. We also want to thank the Lake Norman YMCA for working with us on registration and payments, and DCPC for acting as our fiscal agent. It truly does take a village! 

If you would like to make a donation toward other needs for our local refugees, such as medical and dental bills, you can do so through in the following ways:

• To donate online, visit https://onrealm.org/dcpc/-/form/give/now, enter the amount you’d like to give, and select “Ukraine Refugee Fund” from the drop down menu (scroll way down the list).
• To donate by check, please write the check to “DCPC,” note “Ukraine Refugee Fund” in the memo line, and mail to: DCPC, PO Box 337, Davidson, NC 28036. 

Save the Date: Ukrainian Independence Day

We hope you will join D4U and our UCCA in Charlotte partners on Thursday, August 24 to celebrate thirty-two years of Ukrainian independence! We will share details in the August newsletter. Please let us know if you would like to help us with the planning of this celebration.

Saturday D4U Gatherings

With many of us traveling in July, we decided to pause our Saturday gatherings at the Farmers Market until August. Of course, feel free to meet, just keep in mind that we won’t be organizing or sending reminders in July.

Thank You

We are grateful for your interest and support.

Be sure to visit Davidson for Ukraine on Facebook!