That situation is about to change for the Kukharchuks, who are scheduled to escape the horrors of war and arrive in Springfield, Ohio, next month.
Covenant Presbyterian Church is sponsoring the family’s relocation to the United States.
Church members Marlies Hemmann and Cynthia Nowka brought a proposal to a church committee in November to sponsor a war refugee family through an Immigration Service program. After discussion, the committee approved the idea.
Church members David and Virginia Estrop agreed to serve as sponsors with the support of their church community and to extend an invitation to a family of up to five people.
The process to do so has been cumbersome, but the church has found organizations to help and succeeded in opening the door for the Kukharchucks arrival.
“We worked through an organization called North America for Ukraine (NA4Ukraine.com) that works to match those who want to leave the war zone to come to North America,” David Estrop said. “They found a family of five for us — a mom and dad and their children ages 14, 10 and 7.”
David Estrop said the parents are concerned about the impact living in a war zone has had on their children.
“The mother and father feel the war is really taking a toll on the children, and they desperately want to get them to safe harbor. We want to help them find that harbor in Springfield.”
“We completed an exhaustive form of 44 pages for each member of the family. In Ukraine they completed forms at their end, all of which were submitted to U.S. Immigration Services for review. We heard in late January that the family had been cleared by Immigration Services to come to the U.S.,” he said.
“The next step was to obtain transportation authorization allowing the family to travel, and then working with an organization that collects airplane miles that are donated, which can then be used to enable the family to fly. We just learned they will arrive at Columbus airport on March 13.”
The church has already rented and furnished a home for the family, stocked it with supplies and covered utility costs in hopes “they will have a new start here away from the bombing and will find peace in our community,” David Estrop said.
While the parents say they are not very good at speaking English, their 14-year-old daughter is fluent in three languages, one of which is English. She is now working with the parents and other two children to teach them, and the youngsters are learning it quickly.
During the process, members of the church were delighted to discover there are two members who speak Ukrainian who are now helping church members who are interested learn it as well.
A cross-cultural workshop was also just offered at the church by Peace Corps volunteers who have returned from Ukraine to help church members get an understanding of the culture, language and develop an appreciation for Ukrainian food and customs.
One of the first questions asked by the Kukharchuk family is whether Springfield offers anything connected with the arts.
“And oh do we!” David Estrop responded, citing music and the fine arts available through the Springfield Symphony, Springfield Art Museum, the Springfield Arts Council and more.
Members of the family are also avid bicyclists, so they’ve been told about the bike trails accessible in the area, and members of the church have already donated a bicycle for each family member to have when they arrive.
“The church has been incredibly generous,” David Estrop said. “This will be a wonderful opportunity for the church, and we hope a marvelous opportunity for the family.”
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