​A heartfelt thank you to Ukraine Harmony Foundation and Film Hive, for organizing Ukraine’s Independence Day festival yesterday in West Kelowna, and to the United Way British Columbia for the grant money, which made it all possible.

We are eternally grateful to Amber Paran at Grizzli Winery for allowing us to move our Ukrainian market and meal indoors last minute due to the rain. Your staff were not only professional and courteous, later in the evening they took the time to wipe down the seats of the outdoor theater and provided warm blankets so we could all enjoy the Ukrainian kids movie at the end of our event. Kudos to you all!

We express our gratitude to teacher Natalia Teslia and the Gilea-dancers for their fabulous performance. These precious children are our future and it was amazing to watch them perform with such passion and precision. Thank you Onbelay Creations for hand crocheting the sweet little turtle sunflowers in Ukrainian blue and yellow as a gift to the Gilea Dancers for their performance.

The traditional Ukrainian food prepared by Ukrainian Canadian Volunteers Association was not only delicious, it was enjoyed by several hundred people!

An extra special thanks to Elena Heychenko and Kenny Kushnir for lending a helping hand and saving the day on several different occasions!! We couldn’t have done it without you!!

And last but not least a huge thank you to all the vendors including DNApparel for making our market a fun and festive place to be!

Ukraine Independence Day celebrations will be taking place at Grizzly Winery in West Kelowna this year.

Local groups have organized a festival that will include food stalls, wine tasting, kids games and other vendors, as well as a special screening of the Ukrainian animated movie Stolen Princess (no subtitles).

Donations will be collected to help support those recovering from the recent bombing of a children’s hospital in Kyiv that killed more than 40 people, including five children.

Ukraine Independence Day is August 24. It has been marked publicly in the Central Okanagan for the past three years, ever since the Russian Invasion in February 2022. Last year’s commemoration at Stuart Park in Kelowna was postponed to early September, due to wildfires.

The national holiday in Ukraine dates back to 1991, the first anniversary of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine passed by Ukraine's parliament in 1990.

The family-friendy event at Grizzly Winery (2550 Boucherie Rd.) takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 24, with the film screening beginning at 8:30 p.m.

While it’s free to attend, capacity is limited to 200 people. Reserve your tickets here. Participants are also encouraged to bring a chair, if possible.

The Ukraine Independence Day Festival and movie screening are hosted by Ukraine Harmony Foundation and Film Hive. Other sponsors include the United Way, Bravery Foundation and Sustain Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Canadian Volunteers Association, Kelowna Stands With Ukraine along with other organizations and local vendors are joining the event as participants.

Brittany Webster July 11, 2024
​Olena Heichenko was glad to see dozens of people attend a last-minute rally in support of Ukraine.

The group met at the Spirit of Sails statue in downtown Kelowna on July 9.

"I feel good, but very sad," Heichenko said about the rally. "It's very hard to live in war."
Heichenko hosted the event after a children's hospital in Kyiv was struck with a missile, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. 
​
The Ukrainian wife and mom left Ukraine in 2022, but went back last November to visit her husband and other family she left behind. The war took its toll and Heichenko came back to Kelowna in the spring. 

​DONATE DIRECTLY TO OMATDYT CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
The Bravery Foundation encourages everyone to donate directly to the OMATDYT children's hospital in Ukraine by using the direct link to the hospital's donation page, as this is the fastest and easiest way for them to receive funds.

• https://www.ohmatdytfund.org/en​ ​

Gary Barnes Apr 12, 2024

​In a world often marked by division and conflict, there still are beacons of hope.

The small hands and big hearts of Aberdeen Hall’s Grade 3 class recently came together to make a difference in the life of Dimtry, a nine-year-old Ukrainian disabled boy living amidst the chaos of war-torn Kharkiv, Ukraine.

It began at Aberdeen Hall’s annual community market where students crafted bookmarks, bracelets, necklaces, purses, and keychains to raise funds for a meaningful cause.

When they learned Dimtry needed a generator to power his life-sustaining medical equipment they donated the $1,107 they’d raised at their school market to support him.

The Ukrainian Canadian Volunteer Association (UCVA), a not-for-profit society based in the Okanagan, joined forces with Kelowna-based Bravery Foundation to help.

Through the acts of kindness by the students of Aberdeen Hall, UCVA, and the Bravery Foundation, a profound difference has been made in Dimtry’s life.
​
Their collective effort stands as a testament to the universal impact that compassion, collaboration, and empathy can have, transcending borders, nationality, and distance.

Gary Barnes Feb 8, 2024 5:30 AM

Bravery Foundation and Ukraine Harmony Foundation are presenting Ukrainian Movies in the Okanagan.

The film is called My Carpathian Grandpa and it will be shown at the Grand 10 Cinema.

It tells the story of Michele, who lives in Italy, and how his life is turned upside down when forced to relocate to a small village in the Carpathian Mountains to live with his grandfather.

Tickets are $22.18 and are available through Eventbrite.

The show is on Feb. 22 at Grand 10 Cinema, 948 McCurdy Road, with seats on a first come first serve basis.

The film is in Ukrainian with English subtitles.

Doors open at 6 p.m. with the movie showing from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

More information about the Bravery Foundation and Ukraine Harmony Foundation can be found on their websites.

The screening will be a Grand 10 Cinema, 948 McCurdy Road

GARY BARNES Aug. 22, 2023 1:15 pm.
Frontline responders were treated to 160 authentic Ukrainian meals

Members of the Ukrainian Canadian Volunteer Association (UCVA) in the Central Okanagan have been busy cooking traditional Ukrainian food for frontline crews fighting the McDougall Creek wildfire.

Svitlana Shkyn of the UCVA, and Westside Salvation Army Coordinator Jennifer Henson, put a plan in place to cook and deliver 160 authentic Ukrainian meals that include borscht, nalysnyky (crepes) and fried stuffed buns to frontline first responders.

Eight Ukrainian families helped prepare the meals.

“The UCVA is assisting Canadians in West Kelowna during a disaster by arranging and offering delightful Ukrainian lunches, including Ukrainian borscht and other delectable treats,” said Shkyn.

She has worked with Bonnie Penner of Kelowna’s Bravery Foundation, a Canadian CRA-registered charity, over the past year and a half to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and to support displaced Ukrainians relocating to the Okanagan.

Penner and Shkyn connected to expand the movement of Ukrainians giving back to the community that has supported them.

“We greatly appreciate all the support Ukrainian people get from the Canadian citizens,” added Shkyn. It is our time to pay back for all the great support we have received and continue to receive.”

Penner is also coordinating ‘Ukrainian Work Bees’ to help with property clean-up for the McDougall Creek, Walroy Lake and Clarke Creek fires.

She is also spearheading other initiatives with local organizations to help wildfire evacuees.

“My family and I were evacuated in the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Fire, and keenly understand what our community is going through,” said Penner.

According to a news release from the United Way, the event was spurred by a request from the Salvation Army, which is coordinating response efforts.

“Among those who prepared these nourishing meals are Ukrainian volunteers, some of whom are refugees themselves,” the release said. “Their journey has come full circle, having previously benefited from the United for Ukraine initiative spearheaded by United Way BC earlier this year.”

Donations to help pay for the ingredients for future meal preparation and other fire-related initiatives can be made to UCVA by e-transfer to [email protected].

​One of the goals of our foundation is to assist displaced Ukrainians and refugees who are on their way to the Okanagan. I believe together we can accomplish this by facilitating connection between individuals, like yourself, with those who’ve been forced out of their war ravaged homeland. At the Bravery Foundation we tap into resources our community offers so we can help our new Ukrainian friends. I’m confident everyone I connect with wants them to feel welcomed, supported and a part of our Okanagan family.
 
The Power of One
 
Many of us believe we can’t make a difference because we are only one person, but my experience has taught me this simply is not true. Community is comprised of many ones. A great example of the difference one can make is represented by how many toys, clothes and household items have been donated to displaced Ukrainians settling in the Okanagan, including Ivanka, Maksym and Natalia, the displaced Ukrainian family our foundation helped bring to Kelowna early on in the war. 
 
Soon after the war began I realized in order to help Ukrainians who want to enter Canada would benefit by having easy access to government programs. As one person all that was required was to make a few strategic phone calls to our local MLA’s, MP’s and mayor’s offices. Each offered various links and information regarding programs already in place to support displaced Ukrainians. After some simple data entry by one person, the Federal, Provincial, Regional and Local resource pages on our website was born! 

The Connection of One

Since the start of the war, I’ve developed a deep connection with many Ukrainians in the Okanagan. I do not speak Ukrainian, and I have no prior connection to Ukraine through family or friends. What I’ve uncovered is that Ukraine has a rich culture and that they are all connected one with the other. I’ve found each Ukrainian has a heart so big and a solidarity to remain free so strong, that it’s inspired me to help them in any way I can.


My hope, as each one of you reads this one blog, is that you are empowered to continue your one person journey. I strongly believe in the power and connection of one, that together as other ones, we can collectively accomplish the commission of helping those who’ve lost everything. Thank you to each and every one of you for joining me in this connection of one! 
 
TOGETHER we are stronger ! 

by Bonnie Penner

Mamas for Mamas teams up with the Bravery Foundation to offer a shopping spree for displaced Ukrainians
Cindy White - Jun 11, 2022 / 4:00 am ​

Many arrived in the Central Okanagan with just the clothes on their back, and now Bravery Foundation and Mamas for Mamas are teaming up to offer displaced Ukrainians a chance to go on a free shopping spree.

“We’re basically closing down Mamas for Mamas Karma Market and our warehouse to the public so that we can have all of the Ukrainian families who have come in, either displaced or refugees, to get access to anything and everything we have,” explains Mamas for Mamas founder Shannon Christensen.

“So, hygiene products, clothing, baby essentials. We’re working with a couple of different companies in town right now to see if we can get extra food there, just to get them set up with a few extra things right off the bat.”

Christensen said they are working in conjunction with KCR Community Resources, the Central Okanagan Food Bank and other organizations that are helping the new arrivals.

She adds that many of the Ukrainians need furniture, bedding, kitchen essentials and other things to fill their homes here.

Mamas for Mamas will be opening their warehouse and store locations on June 15 from 10:00 a.m to noon and then again from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. so the families and individuals who recently arrived in the Okanagan from the conflict zone can pick up some needed supplies.

Those who are interested are required to register in advance because time slots are limited.
Christensen estimates the event will help about 150 people.

“Right now we have primarily people registered from Kelowna but we’re opening it up all the way from Vernon to Penticton because we know that many agencies are stuck for resources right now in terms of the extras. So we want to make sure that any family from all over the Okanagan knows that they can come in.”
​
Anyone who wants to help can sign up to volunteer with Mamas for Mamas at: [email protected]

Kelowna will welcome a temporarily displaced Ukrainian family this weekend.

The Bravery Foundation has supported a Ukrainian family in their escape from the war in Ukraine.

Local teacher Nina Typusiak is housing the displaced family, mother Ivanka, and children Maxim, 9, and Natalia, 6.

Their last name has been redacted to protect their privacy. Andre, their father and husband stayed behind in Ukraine to fight.

“We need to honour their privacy and fear,” said Typusiak about respecting the trauma that the family has endured.

The family fled Ukraine on March 4 and since then have been staying with 12 other people in a one-bedroom apartment in Prague.

The three had to leave behind most of their belongings, able to bring only one suitcase and two small backpacks of essentials while fleeing the Russian attack.

Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran told Capital News that he is “pleased that members of the community have stepped up, I really commend those people opening their homes.”

Basran said “more refugees are welcome,” but acknowledges the difficulty that people face securing housing in the Okanagan.

“The situation is heartbreaking,” said Basran.

Typusiak hired a Toronto-based company to help Ivanka and her children obtain the appropriate papers to enter Canada.

The family has received their Visa and has purchased their plane ticket, paid for by Typusiak.

“The Bravery Foundation is working to help all refugees fleeing the war.”

Those looking to help Ivanka and her family, and those that will be arriving after them, can do so by donating or checking the Bravery Foundation website for specific needs that the arriving families have.

The website also provides up-to-date information for refugees and people escaping war hoping to enter Canada and for those able to host displaced families.