As the war in Ukraine continues to rage, more and more children are losing their parents, even as efforts are made to keep families safe from the brutality of the conflict.
But in their darkest hours, a bit of help will soon be arriving from a faraway land.
The Knights of Columbus Bishop Budka Council will be sending $10,000 to assist the war-torn country’s orphans through the Sisters of St. Joseph charity after their successful 100 Mile Bicycle Trek Fundraiser during the May long weekend.
The event saw riders from the Catholic men’s organization and St. Basils Ukrainian Catholic Church along with a host of volunteers and supporters from Regina and Moose Jaw take to the Trans-Canada Highway on Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22. Riders covered 50 miles each day, travelling to Moose Jaw and then back to Regina
Through it all, the support the fundraiser received was amazing, said organizer Terry Shalley shortly after arriving in Moose Jaw on Saturday.
“It was a good start, we had a little bit of headwind and it was a bit cool, but everyone was really looking forward to it and it was a good time out on the highway,” he said. “People were honking their horns as they were driving by, there was a lot of support as we were riding and it’s good to see people from Moose Jaw and Regina care so much about this.”
Before they’d even hit Moose Jaw, the donation total was hovering around $8,000, with another $2,000 donated by the time they made it back to Regina.
The best part of it all is the funds will be put to good use -- the Knights of Columbus have many connections on the ground in Ukraine through the Sisters of St. Joseph, and the need as extreme as one can imagine.
“We have good correspondence with people on the ground both in and outside of Ukraine and we’re constantly getting texts and pictures from our friends over there, showing the need,” Shalley said. “There are hundreds of orphans who need help with the war, to make sure they get medical supplies, food, anything you can think of.”
The riders didn’t have to look far for inspiration either. Joining them on the trek was Father Ivan Nahachewski, who rode over 2,000 kilometres in northern Saskatchewan and raised $50K for wheelchairs for Ukraine last summer.
“It means a lot to have Father Ivan along with us, he joined us today for some inspiration based on his legacy and it was great to have that support,” Shalley said.
On a whole, Shalley was more than happy with how the fundraiser turned out.
“I’m speechless, it’s just fantastic what’s happened,” he said. “It’s great to see so many parts of the community coming together to help in this humanitarian crisis, and it’s just super to see this kind of support from so many different organizations.'
