Town of Vegreville Initiates Committee to Support Ukraine
Michelle Pinon
News Advertiser
Many citizens in the Town of Vegreville have been asking its elected officials in recent weeks what they plan to do to assist the people of Ukraine.
The question was answered during town council’s March 14 meeting when it was announced they would be creating a new community-based committee to help streamline humanitarian aid efforts to provide assistance to the war-torn country.
MacPhee has been in contact with the Mayor of Kolomyia, Bogdan Stanislavskyi, from the town’s sister city in Kolomyia that has been shelled a couple of times. There is an immediate need for medical supplies and food. Financial contributions can also be used to buy some of the necessary items that could be bought in Poland or Romania and brought across the border and into Ukraine, added MacPhee.
Even though the Town of Vegreville is facilitating the committee, the intent is that it will be powered by the community.
The inaugural meeting of the ‘Vegreville Stands With Ukraine’ committee, which will include Councillor Jerrold Lemko and Legislative Coordinator Sandra Ling as representatives of the Town of Vegreville, will be held on March 23rd at 7 pm in the Vegreville Social Centre.
MacPhee said Sandra Ling and Coun. Lemko were the ones who came up with the suggestion for the committee.
MacPhee said that with the number of calls that were coming into the town office and to each individual councillor “there was no way that we could’ve taken this on without the support of the whole community, and I mean outlying areas to Lavoy, old Vegreville, the Mayor of Mundare and their citizens.”
He went on to say, “The response to the announcement of the meeting has been incredible. I’ve contacted most of the service clubs, non-profits and sporting groups in town and asked for their help.”
As well, “The general public has been reaching out asking what they can do,” added MacPhee.
“We were at a conference in Edmonton of Alberta Municipalities and we put out a collection box when everybody was leaving to help support our sister city of Kolomyia. We raised $450 in about 20 minutes and when we came back the office staff at the town hall said they would match that donation.”