Our Community in Action

By Jackie Devine Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a local family in Fairfield has been raising money to help their Ukrainian exchange daughter, Adel, her fiancé, Mychael, and her 14-year-old little brother, Maxim. With the help of monetary donations, prayer, and a lot of divine intervention, the Vitovskys were able to get the three of them to their home here in Cypress, TX, on April 9th, 2022. The kids’ Ukrainian home city, Melitopol, is currently occupied by Russians. While they have been separated from their families for almost two months now, they have been able to find safety and stability here in Cypress with the Vitovskys until they can reconnect with their families in Ukraine. As a 16-year-old in high school, Adel came to live with the Vitovskys via the foreign exchange program during the 2017-2018 school year. While here, she volunteered more than 100 hours in the local community, including in Hurricaine Harvey recovery, and attended Bridgeland High School, where she worked on the yearbook staff. The Vitovskys have been raising money in various ways, including pop-up lemonade stands, to help their Ukrainian daughter since the beginning of the war, when they were separated from their homes and parents with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They’ve raised $9,251— with a total goal of $30,000. The money is being used to assist with daily living needs and their travel expenses, provisions, and continuing to help their family and friends in Ukraine. The family also has another Ukrainian exchange student who lived with them during the 2012-2013 school year and attended Cy Ranch High School. The Vitovsky’s twin boys, Jace & Jaiden, struggle to understand what is happening and only want to help their sisters. They organize and run lemonade stands to raise money to reach these goals, where 100% of all proceeds go directly to their “sisters” from Ukraine. If you would like to help, please visit www.helpoursisters.com, where donations can be given and updates and prayer requests are posted. The twins also have their own Etsy store where the purchase of any of their Ukrainianinspired creations also go toward their sisters’ needs. www.makeshiftkids.com