By Mary O’KEEFE

For over two months the world has witnessed the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign state. America has heard many stories with tragic endings, but there are also stories that show the patriotism, heroism and just plan strength of the Ukrainian people. Most of the world has shown a united front in helping the people of Ukraine but the need for support remains.

On May 26, people can show their support for the Ukrainian struggle through a fundraiser being held at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church. The event will be a fundraiser for Third Wave Volunteers as well as support for a Ukrainian woman who has made her way from the war-torn area of Ukraine to La Crescenta thanks in part to a Boy Scout from Troop 319.

In March, local residents Mike Leum and Dr. John Rodarte traveled to Romania to help get children out of Ukraine. They worked with Third Wave Volunteers, a non-profit organization that has focused on special needs orphans stuck in Kyiv who have U.S. parents waiting for them. Rodarte and Leum, both members of the Montrose Search and Rescue team, along with Jack Osbourne, a civilian volunteer and an EMT, went to the area to help set up a path for the children to evacuate. They saw firsthand what the Ukrainian people were facing and how the many volunteers were there to provide support.

During the May 26 fundraiser, Leum and Rodarte will share photos and stories of their travels to Ukraine and how others can help support the efforts to get orphaned children safely out of the area.

In addition, Boy Scout Lucian Kugler and a resident from Ukraine who had recently relocated to La Crescenta will share their stories, which began in 2017 when Kuglar and his Scout troop attended a Southern California Scouting camp. That is where he met Irina (who we’re only identifying by her first name due to concerns for her safety and security). She is a Russia-born Ukrainian citizen who worked as a school psychologist in Kiev but traveled to the U.S. each summer to work as a camp counselor.

“The night that Russia invaded Ukraine, I called to offer my support and asked if she needed help getting out of the country,” explained Kugler in a previous CVW interview. “She was concerned about leaving the country on her own. She would be a young woman who is ethnically Russian, traveling by herself, carrying valuables, in a country in which the civilian population had been armed and the police were no longer responding to calls for help.”

That’s when other Scouts and Scouting leaders began contacting Kugler to ask if he had any information about Irina and offered assistance.

The trip from Ukraine to America was not easy for Irina, with apparent scammers offering “a rescue” for payment of thousands of dollars, as well as having to navigate massive amounts of red tape but she finally landed on U.S. soil.

 That story will also be shared at the event. 

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the program beginning at 7 p.m. The event is supported by the Crescenta Cañada Lions Club, St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church and CVW. St. Luke’s is located at 2563 Foothill Blvd. Parking is on the street and in the parking lot located off Cross Street. Donations are tax deductible.