Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund launched in support of refugees

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This article was published 11/03/2022 (1659 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A fund has been launched in the Parkland region to support Ukrainian refugees fleeing their war-torn country.

The Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund was announced Wednesday by the owner and general manager of the Dauphin-based Reit-Syd Equipment Ltd., Don Tarrant. The fund has been organized in collaboration with the Ukrainian Folk Art Centre.

“They [refugees] are going to choose to come to Canada, and I think the Parkland has a really, really good fit,” Tarrant said. “We wanted to come up with a program where we could entice or help Ukrainian families move to the Parkland area … the money is here to help establish them. All the money that goes in supports these families.”

Reit-Syd made the first donation of $25,000 and is continuing to promote the program and encourage Parkland community members to donate to the fund.

The idea to create the program came to Tarrant in the initial days of the invasion. Community members were driven to find different avenues to offer support to those affected by the humanitarian crisis.

The Dauphin and area community has a rich history and ties with the country under siege — the city is home to Canada’s largest National Ukrainian Festival, the Ukrainian Folk Art Centre, there are many language speakers, two Ukrainian Churches and there is a rich genealogy linking community members to Ukraine.

Tarrant’s goal is to raise as much money as possible and stretch the funds as far as possible in support of Ukrainian newcomers to the area. The funds will help get them to the Parkland area and provide a head start as they are forced to restart their lives in a new country.

“It is a humanitarian thing.

“Can you just imagine how good we have it compared to what’s going on over there?” Tarrant said. “If they were forced out in just the last days or in the initial first days of the invasion, they left basically with nothing — they might not even have a toothbrush. They have to start right from scratch.”

Ernie Sirski is a community helper working in the background in support of the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund. He connected with Tarrant through the Dauphin Ag Society’s Farm Outlook Conference to learn about the program.

Between Sirski and his wife, they have been able to build connections in support of the fund, including four volunteers coming forward to offer houses to refugees in need.

“This is all on a volunteer basis, we did not approach them, they approached us,” he said.

Sirski has been an active member of the Ukrainian community for many years. He joined Canada’s National Riding and Dancing Cossacks in the 1970s, a Ukrainian dance group that later led to connections with Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival.

He also has deep ties with the country as he grew up in a Ukrainian-Canadian family and spoke Ukrainian in his household growing up.

These experiences all reinforced his love of the culture and country.

These connections organically grew, he said, to create a solid love for the culture and fostered community relationships that have helped build the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund.

The purpose of the funds is to provide transportation from war-torn regions, access to settlement in Parkland and encourage people to live in the area.

“We have a large Ukrainian-based community here in Dauphin,” Sirski said. “We’re a rural community, and rural community is always in demand of people whether it be for their schools, for their hospitals, to support the local hockey teams.”

Humanitarian crises are expensive — many fleeing the war zone have been left with nothing as they try to rebuild their lives.

“One of the things I know the administrators of this fund are trying to make sure happens is that it goes to people that have lost their homes, their businesses, their lives as a result of this war,” Sirski said.

The success of the program will be centred on helping people through a crisis in their lives and aiding in their return home if it is possible. He added a secondary success will be getting families to live in Parkland and if they stay, helping them build a life in the area.

“I so admire the individuals that have taken the incentive to put this on,” Sirski said. “People are involved in this from not just a financial standpoint but the emotional standpoint as well.”

To donate to the fund, visit any Fusion Credit Union and make a cheque payable to the Ukrainian Folk Art Centre with instructions to deposit the donation in the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund.

Cheques made out to the Ukrainian Folk Art Centre in support of the Parkland Ukrainian Family Fund can be mailed directly to the Ukrainian Folk Art Centre at Box 658, Dauphin, MB, R7N 2V4. Donations are tax-deductible.

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