CAZENOVIA — On March 23, members of the Cazenovia College faculty and student body presented “Stand with Ukraine,” a culturally based fundraiser and educational program for the Cazenovia community.

The event featured a performance by the ODESA Ukrainian Dance Ensemble of Syracuse, educational presentations, Ukrainian art displays, and raffles for donated goods and services.

Cazenovia College students also sold hand-made Ukrainian-themed bracelets along with baked goods donated by 15-20 local businesses.

“We have all been stunned, horrified, and outraged by the senseless invasion of Ukraine and the incredible violence inflicted on its people,” said Cazenovia College President David Bergh in his introductory remarks. “Locally, we are especially sensitive to the impact [of those acts] on members of our own community of Ukrainian descent and for those who have loved ones in Ukraine. . . As an institution and a community of learning, we are committed to the concepts of sovereignty and to the support of human rights. We also have a deep belief in the importance of free and open discourse in our public spaces and our media. As we have seen in recent events in Russia, the freedom of speech and freedom of the press are not things that we should take for granted.”

Bergh also noted that the Central New York region has one of the highest concentrations of individuals of Ukrainian descent in the country and urged everyone to continue to share knowledge and learn about Ukraine, to speak out against the cruelty and repression happening there, and to look for ways to help globally and locally.

The one-hour event raised a total of about $5,000.

All proceeds from the event will directly support humanitarian aid — in the form of baby formula, diapers, food, water, and medications — to Ukrainian families who are suffering due to the Russian invasion. The funds will also go towards the evacuation and resettlement of the 12 million Ukrainians who have been forced from their homes.

Stand with Ukraine was co-sponsored by The MOSAIC Center, a multicultural resource center established to educate the Cazenovia College campus regarding issues of inequality, promote cultural diversity in many forms, and provide a space for dialogue for and with the entire campus community.

“It’s important to note that this is a festive and educational event, but this is not a celebration,” said Associate Professor of Human Services Christina Bobesky, who coordinated the event with Art Professor Anita Welych and Assistant Dean for Student Life Tiffany Varlaro. “We are providing some immersion into Ukrainian culture and raising funds for the victims directly impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”

The ongoing humanitarian crisis is particularly distressing for Bobesky, who has extended family members currently sheltering in Ukraine.

According to Bobesky, all four of her Ukrainian-born grandparents experienced trauma from Soviet forces since they were children.

Under Soviet rule, she explained, Ukrainian language and religions were outlawed, schools were converted to Russian, and Ukrainian libraries and churches were burned.

During World War II, Soviet and German troops invaded Ukraine.

“Soldiers came to Ukrainian homes and shot anyone who would not be useful to them,” Bobesky said. “My grandfather lost his parents this way. He was one of four siblings, and while very young, he joined the war. My grandmother was taken as a prisoner of war, sewing uniforms during the day and [removing] corpses from burning buildings at night.”

When the United States intervened, her grandfather was presented with the options of returning to Ukraine or coming to the United States. Unsure of the fate of his friends and family, he chose the United States.

“This single decision changed the trajectory for my family,” Bobesky said.

In the United States, Bobesky’s grandparents were involved in establishing Ukrainian organizations that remain important to her family and other Ukrainians who lived in oppressive circumstances and without linguistic and religious freedom.

“Subconsciously, my immediate family has committed themselves to preserving Ukrainian culture and to raising bilingual children,” Bobesky noted.

Today, Bobesky serves as the assistant director of the ODESA Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and the head counselor of the Syracuse CYM: Ukrainian-American Youth Association, with which she runs social and educational programs focused on history, traditions, and citizenship.

The program, which currently includes about 50 children, meets weekly throughout the year.

Bobesky, who has worked with the organization in a leadership capacity since 2002, grew up participating in the program.

“We discuss the values we admire so much about the United States and translating [them] into our everyday lives,” Bobesky said. “Democracy, multiculturalism, and civic responsibility are pillars for [both] Ukrainians and Americans. Each year, CYM members create gifts for the sick and homebound in our local community. They [also] coordinate food drives. . . A unique aspect of the group is that it is done bilingually, with children and counselors of varying generational status; some having lived in the United States for two or three generations, and others arriving from Ukraine just years ago.”

After WWII, Bobesky’s grandfather was able to reconnect with his three siblings, who, incredibly, had survived in Ukraine.

Bobesky noted that Ukrainian visa policies are remarkably strict, and her family in Ukraine has been denied visitation to the United States for decades.

“So, across three generations — my grandparents, my parents, and me — we have visited Ukraine throughout the years,” she said. “Most recently, before COVID, I spent three summers and one Christmas there.”

Prior to the escalating tensions, Bobesky typically communicated with her uncles, aunts, and cousins in Western Ukraine weekly via social media. In February 2022, however, when the threat of Russian invasion was rising, they spoke every day for three weeks straight.

“[Currently], with bombing closer to their area, the internet has been spotty, and two to three days will go by without hearing from them,” she said.

On March 21, Bobesky said the crisis in Western Ukraine looks different than in Eastern Ukraine.

She explained that each day, 5,000 internally displaced Ukrainians are bussed to Western Ukraine. Schools are being used to house the new arrivals, grocery stores are empty, medications are unavailable, and other resources are scarce.

“Of my 30 or so relatives in Ukraine, one cousin with two young children made the nearly impossible decision [to flee] to a neighboring country,” Bobesky said. “The trip took three days to reach a refugee camp. Another relative has joined the volunteer military to fight against Russia’s invasion. The rest of my family remain sheltered in place. Many Ukrainians remain in Ukraine by choice and others [remain] because current restrictions prevent them from leaving. Men ages 18-60 cannot leave the country in preparation for a draft. Another cousin has two sons — 18 years old and four years old. She can’t imagine leaving one child behind.”

After learning of the invasion, Bobesky, who is program director of both the clinical mental health counseling and human services programs at Cazenovia College, found it impossible to continue teaching her classes “business as usual.”

Instead, she initiated meaningful conversations with her students around the topics of crisis, separated families, and refugees — all of which helped reinforce the missions of both academic programs and sparked the students’ interests in getting involved.

Human Services Club President Caley Wiltsie mobilized the undergraduate students to make bracelets to raise money for humanitarian aid. Soon after, members of the REACH student support services program, the inclusion program, and the art and design programs joined the effort.

The March 23 event began to take form when students in the clinical mental health counseling graduate program offered to run a bake sale and gather raffle prizes; Varlaro offered to support the event; Bobesky and Varlaro agreed to focus the event on awareness, education, and aid; the education department volunteered to organize activities for kids; and Bobesky invited the ODESA Ukrainian Dance Ensemble to perform.

Leading up to Wednesday night’s event, the Campus Activities Board and Residence Life organized a sidewalk chalking event in support of Ukraine.

“Ukrainians are feeling helpless watching this crisis from a distance,” said Bobesky. “Sharing fears and concerns with family and friends in Ukraine does not help, so we — my family and other youth counselors — try to remain positive and have relied on faith and sense of community. What is different now is that most of the world is seeing Eastern Europe in terms of trauma, which many Ukrainians have internalized for generations. This is validating to Ukrainians, and other Eastern Europeans, who have been oppressed and targeted. I love working in a small community that unites in a time of crisis. It shows me that people know what to do; they are supportive, kind, and generous.”

The Ukrainian-American Youth Association continues to collect humanitarian aid to help those displaced by the war in Ukraine. Donate at Square.link/u/oYhfb5vv. Learn more cym.org/mainnews/cym-aid.

For more information on Cazenovia College, visit cazenovia.edu.