Smoky Lake Ukrainian Twinning Committee Hosts Fundraising Gala

Smoky Lake Ukrainian Twinning Committee Hosts Fundraising Gala

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

The Smoky Lake Ukrainian Twinning Committee, (SLUTC) hosted a fundraising gala on Feb. 25. Approximately 100 people attended the event which featured a banquet, live and silent auction and dance.

The event was in support of the SLUTC’s twinning partner Kosiv District in IvanoFrankivska Oblast, Ukraine. SLUTC Chair Lorne Halisky said the partnership was officially established in January of 2020. The committee is comprised of representatives from Smoky Lake County, the Town of Smoky Lake, the Village of Waskatenau, and the Village of Vilna.

From L-R: Michelle Wright, Richard Warren, Melody Morton, Lorne Halisky and Marianne Prockiw-Zarusky.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

Halisky explained that, “Back in 2019, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress set up twinning opportunities for Canadian and Ukrainian communities which the Smoky Lake Region took advantage of.

Our region has a strong Ukrainian heritage due to a large immigration of Ukrainians who came to Smoky Lake in the early 1900’s. So, it’s a natural fit as we are a large Ukrainian community.

The twinning committee explored opportunities in economic development, cultural opportunities, and community connections. We did a couple of artisan workshops virtually where we had Kosiv artists present ceramics and weaving, which is part of their cultural heritage in Kosiv.”

Halisky said the committee remains in regular contact with representatives in Kosiv, and they talk about what they are experiencing. “They’re having rolling power outages due to only being allowed so many hours of power each day, their internet goes up and down, and they constantly are hearing sirens and having to relocate to safer locations which actually happened in one of our meetings.”

Guests browse silent auction items.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

Since the war broke out in February of 2022, the committee has changed its focus. Halisky said they were not going to worry about education or cultural exchanges or trade missions, leaving it up to their partner to tell them what they needed help with.

“Our committee shifted to a humanitarian approach knowing that Kosiv would do the same for us, if our Smoky Lake Region would be in the same predicament. Which involved raising funds for those in Kosiv. So far, $9,000 has been raised and gone directly to the region.

Fundraising activities included a virtual silent auction which involved beautiful work from Kosiv such as carved wooden boxes, woven garments, embroidered dresses, socks, ornaments, and jewelry.

The money raised was all sent back to Kosiv. Our region responded really well and did a lot of bidding on those unique items.

The funds that have been sent to Kosiv are being used for items including: military soldier boots, backpacks, parkas, as well as non-military items helpful to Kosiv citizens who are fighting in the war.”

Michelle Wright, Community Economic Development Officer for the Smoky Lake Region, said, “The gala was a huge success, well attended and enjoyable evening out in support of a great cause.” She expressed her gratitude to everyone who attended and supported the live and silent auction. Approximately $3,000 was raised to help with humanitarian and relief efforts.