c/o Halle Newman, Staff Writer

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, Feb. 24, Ukrainian communities around the world have been watching their country, friends, and relatives fight back against Russia. In Hartford, Conn., for example, the Ukrainian National Home of Hartford (UNHH) is collecting material donations to fly over to Ukraine. President of UNHH Catherine Zastawsky is one of the estimated 20,000 Ukrainian Americans living in Connecticut. She spoke about how the Home intends to send aid to Ukraine.

“Right now we’ve been asked by the hospitals to send any items that they can use,” Zastawsky said.

The UNHH sent its first donations over to Ukraine on Monday, March 7. Boxes full of food, medical supplies, and clothes piled up in the building’s auditorium and basement. Cars pulled up to the door throughout the day, with volunteers and donors hauling boxes of supplies into the building. While some donors were Connecticut residents, others had traveled from as far as New Hampshire to drop off supplies.

The UNHH is partnering with Meest, a humanitarian organization that provides aid to Ukraine. A truck brings the boxes to New Jersey. From there, a plane carries them to Ukraine. Once the materials arrive in Lviv, local organizations distribute the supplies to hospitals, orphanages, and those in need.

Director of the Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life and Associate Professor of Dance Katja Kolcio is an active member of the Ukrainian-American community in Connecticut. She has also worked with Yevshan, a vocal ensemble affiliated with the UNHH, in the past. Kolcio and Julia Kulchytska ’24 stopped at the UNHH on the way back from the Connecticut statehouse, where activists had invited them to speak.

Kulchytska is a Ukraine Global Scholar and spoke with two other Global Scholars at the UNHH a few weeks ago. While she did not plan on becoming an activist when she arrived in the United States for college, she has been leading the University community in solidarity with Ukraine. She translated for Ukrainian student panels at the Allbritton Center and organized a rally at the University for Ukraine.

Although Ukraine is thousands of miles away, Kulchytska, Kolcio, and Zastawsky are reminding their communities that they can make an impact from home. Zastawsky emphasized how important it is to get the word out about opportunities to donate both funds and items. Kulchytska is collecting donations through her Venmo (@kulchytska) to send to a direct contact in Ukraine fighting the war and providing aid.

“Ukrainian Americans have supported and advocated for Ukrainian independence throughout Soviet times and into the present,” Kolcio said. “Ukrainian Americans fear the worst: that Ukraine will again be erased by Russia.”

Halle Newman can be reached at hnewman@wesleyan.edu.