A very merry Ukrainian Christmas Banquet

Frank St. Germain, Santa, Don Van Galen and John Stevens played the song, “Home St. Marys,” and had some of our Ukrainian residents on stage to help sing along.

By Nataliia Shyshkivska

The Ukrainian Christmas Banquet and Charity concert was a marvelous feast filled with delectable Ukrainian food lovingly prepared by me, Nataliia Shyshkivska, owner of De Varenyk Fine Foods, and my family. However, this was an event with a story.

This fall, my family learned that our friends needed help. Olya and Alexey Pakhomenko live in Lublin, Poland, having moved there from Melitopol, Ukraine (now occupied territory), to help their son, Stepan, who has cerebral palsy. We studied together at university in Melitopol for five years, living in adjacent dorm rooms.

They have a beautiful family. In Lublin, Alexey works in a factory, and Olya cooks Ukrainian food to order from home while taking care of Stepan. They also have an older daughter, Yulia, who helps her parents with Stepan and is studying at university.

Several years ago, Stepan had surgery for his cerebral palsy in Poland, but it was unsuccessful. They have now found a specialist in Athens, Greece. The surgery costs approximately $39,000, not including the long rehabilitation that follows. This is a significant sum for this family, and when we saw sluggish fundraising, we decided to help them ourselves.

I suggested holding a Christmas party at the St. Marys United Church featuring Ukrainian food. My family immediately supported me. The children offered to perform. Alina offered a circus act and Vasilissa offered to sell her hand-drawn cards and sing a song. As we were preparing to make this idea a reality, my Ukrainian and Canadian friends joined me and offered their help, and I am very grateful to them all!

The banquet and charity concert took place on Dec. 22. About 150 people from various towns across our region came to support us. We managed to raise $2,500, which was sent to the mother the next day. She cried with joy, unable to believe that thousands of kilometres away in faraway Canada, in a small town, there were such kind people who had gathered to help her little son.

I would like to send a huge thank-you to everyone who was with us, and to those who couldn’t come but also donated. These include the United Church administration, John Stevens, Robert and Leslie Edney, Barbara Dan-Prosser, Jan Mishkevich, Priya Pickle, Anastasia Vecherenko, Vasylisa Shyshkivska, Larry Hebbert, Alina Shyshkivska, Frank St. Germain, and the jewel of the evening, the inimitable Loreena McKennitt, providing the perfect culmination to the event.

It was an unforgettable, warm evening. The unity and love of the community in our cozy little town was palpable in the hall. When Frank St. Germain played the song, “Home St. Marys,” not just the Ukrainians but half the audience cried.

Together, we brought Stepan’s cherished dream of walking and living without severe spasms and pain closer to reality.

My family and our food business, De Varenyk, wish everyone a Happy New Year, one full of peace, health and warmth in the hearts of each of you!

The fundraising is still ongoing. If anyone wants to help this child, information is available on my Shyshkivska Nataly Facebook page, on the De Varenyk Facebook page, or by emailing me at natysik_nn@icloud.com and I’ll send you a link to the official fundraising website.

The Pakhomenko family and my family thanks everyone for their tremendous help and support. We believe in miracles! You are welcome to join us.