Lera's Family

A good friend of our family, Valeria (Lera) fled the Ukraine two years ago with her 3 young children, ages 4, 6, and 11 years. The relentless bombing was so close to their home and so much of the city of Kyiv had been destroyed that she knew she needed to do whatever was necessary to get her children out of the country and find a safe place for them to live. She left her home, her job, her parents, and her friends all behind and sought refuge in the United States. This is a bit of what Lera and the children went through, as the war broke out and destroyed the world as they knew it, in Lera’s own words.

“The full-scale Russian invasion jolted me awake on March 1st, 2022, at 5am, with the sound of a deafening explosion, and then there was another and another and another, five in all that morning. The war was now on our doorstep. At about 6am, an eerie unsettling calm came over the city of Kyiv as the mass exodus had begun. As I watched my neighbors fleeing for their lives, I knew my only priority now was to get my children out of the country to safety, but how, when, and where do I go? My three young children and I ran up and down 17 flights repeatedly to gather some of our things and bring them to the basement of our apartment building, where we spent several days huddled with our neighbors, as the city was relentlessly bombed. We learned that the trains were now evacuating families to the border in Poland, and that gave me hope and a plan. Ordinarily a 30minute trip to the train station now took 2 perilous hours, trying to avoid the military that were stationed at every intersection, scrutinizing Ukrainian documents.”

Lera worked very hard and found sponsorship to the U.S. with a non-profit organization, and thanks to our good friends the Karonis’ generously opening their home, she and the children have lived safely in an apartment on the third floor of Ted and Sheila’s house for the past two years. She has secured a job at a local bank to support her family, and worked very hard to help her children acclimate and transition to an English-speaking environment and a brand-new school system.

Tragically, just a few weeks ago, Ted and Sheila’s house caught fire accidentally, and the Karonis’ were forced to relocate while their home is being renovated. Thankfully Lera’s apartment was not damaged at all in the fire, and she and the children were not hurt. But on March 7th, the Fire Department posted a NOTICE to VACATE the premises immediately, and Lera and the children are now, once again fleeing to find a safe place to live.

We are all aware that rent, utilities, and food are very expensive right now, and this tragedy will force Lera into a situation that is very much out of reach for her income. The Karonis’ have very generously helped support Lera for two years, keeping her monthly rent and utilities in line with her income, but she is now facing a doubling, or possibly even tripling of her monthly expenses!

So, we are asking our friends, family, and anyone else, that will find it on their heart to help out this beautiful Ukrainian refugee family, [once again displaced, homeless, and in desperate need], to please give generously.

We thank you all in advance for your kindness and generosity!

Walter and Lori Kotkowski