WEYBURN – New families from Ukraine in Weyburn gathered in the Co-op food store parking lot on Monday morning to organize for a cleanup around the city, as a way to give back to the community that has helped them have a new start in Canada.
Weyburn is home to several families who have fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and they are deeply grateful for the generous support and help that has been shown to them.
Speaking on behalf of the families, Natalia Ivakhnenko expressed how many of the newcomers to Weyburn feel.
She noted some families arrived last July and September, and the Siourounis brothers (John, George and Harry) at the Travelodge Hotel helped put a number of them up until they were able to find a place to live, and some have been employed at the hotel and at the Brothers Restaurant.
Additional families have arrived in the last couple of weeks, “and he hosted them as well until they could find a place to live. They appreciate all the Canadians – you’re really friendly. They really love every one of them,” said Ivakhnenko.
She noted before they arrived in Canada, some had to wait in countries like Hungary for their papers in order to make the flight here, and they much prefer the life they have found in Canada.
“They really love it here,” she said, adding the group wanted to pay tribute to Eileen Ganczar, who has provided help to a number of the families, as have the Southeast Newcomers group.
“She’s an amazing lady. She gave us a lot of stuff, like blankets and sheets,” said Ivakhnenko.
“Last summer, I worked with some seniors, and when they heard there were newcomers, they gave them furniture. They were so kind to share with us,” she added.
The families wanted to give a shout-out also to the housing authority and the City of Weyburn, as they arranged for a number of families to get a really good deal on the rental for housing for their first three months in the city.
As a tangible way to express their gratitude, a large group of the Ukrainian families gathered to do cleanup in four areas of the city on Monday.
The areas included a strip from the Burger King restaurant west over to the Boston Pizza; an area behind the Zippy Mart; the area around Tim Horton’s, and in the Tatagwa View care home area.
“This is to show our appreciation to the city and to Canadians. This is the smallest part we can do. We also wanted to let the City know we are willing to do any volunteer job they need,” said Ivakhnenko.
