On June 14, we hosted a tour with a Ukrainian themed garden celebrating the deep connections between Canadian and Ukrainian gardening traditions. A cozy photobooth invited guests to step into Ukrainian culture with traditional hustkas (headscarves), a copy of Kobzar by Taras Shevchenko, and an elegant tea set. Stefania Miroshnichenko shared her breathtaking Petrykivka paintings, and guests were treated to a live painting demonstration. Over 500 people visited! We were grateful to host so many community members and share Ukrainian traditions and history with them.

Over 100 people joined us for breakfast, presentation, and discussion, focussed was on how Russia's genocidal war is impacting the church. We shared information on the invader's targeted, strategic attack of the Evangelical church in Ukraine with the clear goal to eliminate this expression of the faith, based on its perceived link to the West. We took considered what we can do to contribute to active solutions for those suffering in Ukraine.

This event, hosted by the Okanagan Regional Library on November 30, 2024, brought stories and storytellers from around the world to bring delight to all ages. Okanagan 4 Ukraine's held a session with stories, crafts, and music.

War in Ukraine: our neighbour's trauma, and considering a coordinated response, October 23, 2024. Ukrainians in the Okanagan have experienced lasting war trauma. Dr. Svitlana Kominko, CEO and Co-Founder of Maple Hope Foundation, focusses on grief and trauma interventions. She shared the effects of war trauma to help us discern fit responses.

For a child, books are a portal into wider worlds and a place where important memories are built. Okanagan 4 Ukraine has helped to fill library shelves with Ukrainian children's books. "We are honoured to support this initiative, which not only enriches our library’s collection but also strengthens our commitment to serving all members of our diverse communities," said Danielle Hubbard, CEO of Okanagan Regional Library. "The addition of Ukrainian children’s literature is a significant milestone in fostering cultural understanding and inclusivity within our library system.

At our Ukrainian market scene, visitors tied out traditional Ukrainian dress, had photos taken, met newcomers, and learned about the situation in Ukriane and what we can do.

Together with the the Maple Hope Foundation, the Dolyna Ukrainian Cultural Society, and Kelowna Stands with Ukraine, we hosted the Gerdan Choir for an amazing evening of music and song. The group comes from Chernivsti, a foremost cultural centre in Ukraine. They shared the stories beyond their songs and brought us updates about the war in Ukraine. The event was a moving and great success.

Launchpad for women entrepreneurs. The YMCA of Southern Interior BC offers employment support services—specifically, for women entrepreneurs.

In April, we shared with you the words, crafts, songs, and tastes of Ukraine at NITEO's joyful Stories from Around the World event.

Through the Dormition of Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church, Sts Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and Grace Lutheran Church West Kelowna (host of the Ukrainian First Baptist Church), kits were delivered to families to celebrate the season by building gingerbread houses.

November 23, 2024. More than 100 booths had a huge variety of crafts. and Okanagan 4 Ukraine was there, selling beautiful Ukrainian handicrafts to raise funds for our humanitarian endeavours. This was a charity fundraiser hosted by Hands in Service (www.handsinservice.ca), with artworks from two Ukrainian artists, Stefania Miro and Alex Tovpinets.

It's a wrap! Gene Krupa completed his swims across Okanagan lakes this summer, raising $3,000 for mental health care and trauma recovery for Ukrainians in Canada and in Ukraine. Thank you to all our generous supporters who donated and cheered Gene on! We look forward to providing information about how these funds are supporting the recovery of Ukrainians.

Families, couples, and children gathered for relaxation, fun, and building community at beaches in the Kelowna area. This was with the generous support of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada Foundation.

In collaboration with Trinity Church, we organized a learning and prayer event for local faith communities. A presentation was given on the third front of Russia's war of agression against Ukraine, showing the systematic, targeted destruction of local churches and their leaders. During the presentation, photos of the exhibit, The Destroyed Temples of Ukraine (curated by Maidan Museum of Kyiv) were projected. This was followed by presentations about the impacts of the war on local churches, based upon information provided by more that 70 Ukrainian Catholic, Orthodox, and Evangelical leaders. Moved by this learning, we turned to prayer to support churches in Ukraine. We hope to follow this with a second event that includes concrete ways we can help address some of the enormous needs experienced by the faith community in Ukraine.

During the summer of 2023, we organized three family day camps at Owaissi Anglican Camp. The Anglican church genererously opened the doors to the camp to ensure newly arrived Ukrainians could enjoy a day of activities, water sports, a BBQ, and general fun and games. The three events (June, July and August) were well attended and camp staff, under the direction of Ian Dixon, did a remarkable job hosting participants. We will provide family day camps in 2024. See "upcoming events," above for information.

This important exhibit was first displayed in Kelowna at the prayer for Ukraine event (see below). Our goal is to find funding to print the photos and place the exhibit in local museums, churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, universities, and colleges. It is an important visutal reminder of war crimes and the price paid daily in Ukraine, from Russia's criminal war.

In March, we gathered to celebrate our volunteers! Over a barbeque, we discussed 2025. Everyone offered commitment and creative ideas, which the Board and Advisors can now take into account. Thank you, volunteers, for your skill, efforts, and compassion! If you're reading this and are interested in joining in, please be in touch!

The Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce hosted this event on December 3, 2024 in Toronto. Okanagan 4 Ukraine took forward information from the business sector in Kelowna (thanks to the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission) on agriculture, wine-making, aerospace, and more. We met with potential partners and learned about what Ukrainian needs and how the Okanagan Valley can help.

November 16, 2024. High quality fibre arts were on sale for the holiday season, with unique spinnings, weavings, felting, crochet, knitting and more. Okanagan 4 Ukraine was present, along with Cool Arts Society and many guest artists. All purchases raised funds for the work supporting Ukrainian newcomers in the Okanagan and those enduring the war in Ukraine.

Kelowna Stands With Ukraine and Okanagan 4 Ukraine hosted a special event celebrating the freedom, democracy, and courage of Ukrainians on this, the third Independence Day since Ukraine was invaded by Russia. This was an opportunity to not only commemorate the ongoing resilience of Ukrainians, but to build community among Ukrainians and Canadians, meet our new neighbours, learn about the experiences of displaced Ukrainians, celebrate with dance, dance, and food, and enjoy sports and children’s games. Thanks to all of you who came on such a rainy day to celebrate with us. We appreciate your participation!

At our summer tea fundraiser we had an arts and crafts display, a chance to meet the artists, a floral display from the gardens of community members; a silent auction; tea and treats, and a chance to view the beautiful church, its gardens, and the historic cemetery.

Working with tax experts, we invited Ukrainians new to the Canadian tax system to ask their questiosn and receive support in submitting their 2023 taxes. The two events were a success and this is something we will repeat for the 2024 tax season!

With the March 31, 2024 closing of access to the CUAETs visa, many newly arrived Ukrainians needed answers to pressing questions about their status in Canada. Working in collaboration with a Ukrainian speaking immigration consultant from Maple Hope Foundation, we invited participants to register for 1-hour private sessions. The event was a great success.