Our aim is to collect $30,000 for dental implants for our coworker and friend Sergey.

Sergey is a young man who started his life in Canada after escaping the unimaginable horrors of the Mariupol siege; horrors that are thankfully in the past now. Sergey would very much like to start living in the present, but to do so he needs to smile again. We hope that a new smile will provide him with new joyful moments that will eventually eclipse the terrible months he experienced in the blockade. We would love your help to prepare him for the many new smiles in this new life he has created for himself out of the worse imaginable circumstances, thank you.

Last summer (2022), Sergey was hired by our construction company in Ottawa. Sergey was very closed off for the first few months, our conversations were short, mostly limited to work, and monosyllabic. We knew that he had escaped from the besieged Mariupol, his excessive thinness spoke for itself, and we, therefore, tried not to disturb him with questions. The work was completely new to him but our team saw how dedicated he was and how hard he worked at learning the ins and outs of his new trade; it also seemed that the creative work was fulfilling to him. Slowly he started to open up and we got to know him better. Sergey has survived a real hell on earth; the lack of basic vital supplies: food, water, shelter, electricity, communication, and most importantly, security. He and everyone around him saw so much death and destruction, they never knew if they would remain alive; life itself was a minute-to-minute privilege. Nevertheless, he survived under constant shelling, providing him and the ones close to him with some basic items for their survival. After Sergey painstakingly recounted his experience of the blockade in Mariupol and his treacherous journey through enemy checkpoints and three different countries to get to our safe and hospitable Canada, I decided to tell it here. His stories and experiences are real historical accounts, and also evidence of unimaginable atrocities that no one should ever have to go through. Unfortunately, Sergey’s health deteriorated considerably while being in the siege, most notably his teeth decayed and many fell out. After several consultations with dentists, it became apparent that he needs dental implants to sustain his general health. They are very costly and are completely out of reach for Sergey so any contribution will make a difference.

Thank you from the contraction crew.