Hello,

My name is Eryn Johnston, my family is currently hosting an incredible family of Ukrainians in our home in Ancaster, Ontario, who were forced to flee their city of Kharkiv amidst the bombings. Nicole (21), and her parents Tamara and Eugene have been the most wonderful guests, and we are so happy to help them.

On March 3rd, 2022, the family scrambled to pack their belongings in 15 minutes, and drove to a train station while a Russian plane was dropping bombs all around them. Nicole, Eugene, and Tamara then traveled for a full day by train to Lvov and waited in the -9 degree freezing cold weather for 10 hours at the Polish border. It then took them 3 hours to arrive at a hotel in the city of Krakow, where wonderful volunteers were able to help them settle as they awaited their Canadian visas. Nicole, Tamara, and Eugene were fortunate to have an organization assist them in receiving free flights to Toronto. We are so grateful that they are safe here with us now. 

However, there are still many Ukrainians seeking refuge. Nicole’s boyfriend, Artur, and her friends Anna and Dmitry have been living in an occupied city without any access to electricity, water, internet, or cellular connection since March 31, 2022. Anna and Dmitry also have a 6-year-old non-verbal autistic son, named Alexander. In their city, Russian troops have been taking away cars, food, and access to all medication which Alexander especially needs access to. They have devised plans to escape to Georgia temporarily, as they are not allowed to enter the unoccupied territory within Ukraine. This will be a very dangerous journey through Russia, but they are left without any other option. They will then need to fly to Poland, before applying for their visas and arriving here in Canada. 

Nicole has been working tirelessly to help her friends, but unfortunately, we have been unable to find them complimentary flights, as her family was lucky to find when they were able to flee. The four of them will need to fly from Georgia to Poland, and then Poland to Canada. With all of their belongings left behind in Ukraine, they have no assets to purchase plane tickets. We have worked out the cost of flights for each of them to be $1625, and therefore will need to raise a total of $6500 for the four of them. Any donation, no matter how small, would be massively appreciated in helping Artur, Anna, Dmitry, and Alexander arrive safely in Canada. Any extra money collected will be used to help the family care for their autistic child, and rebuild their lives here in Canada.

My mom has been speaking with many families of Ukrainian refugees, to try to find accommodation for when they arrive here in Canada. We have had many wonderful people in our neighborhood offer extra space in their homes while they get acquainted. When Anna, Dmitry, and Alexander arrive, we are hopeful we will find somewhere within our neighborhood for them to stay.

Any donation that can be made will be incredibly impactful in bringing this family to safety, and reuniting Nicole with Artur.

Thank you for considering donating,

Eryn & Nicole