There are Zoom meetings and then there are Zoom meetings. Yesterday the Rotary Club of Farragut (RCF), during its Wednesday meeting at Fox Den Country Club, connected via Zoom with Rotarians in Zilina, Slovakia, 4,889 miles away. The Rotary Club of Zilina is supporting eight refugee families from Ukraine, and one family has close ties locally.
Julie Sergyeyeva Tryukhan was a Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) student here in 2007-2008, and her host club was Farragut Rotary. She spent her school year here at Webb School. On the call with Julie was Zilina Rotarian Jurag Sabaka, Igor Yamnicky, the president of the Zilina club, and Yurai Kavecky, one of the club’s managers for its Ukraine relief work. Also on the call was Ivana Sabaka, Jurag’s daughter now living in The Netherlands. She was an RYE student in 2008-2009, also hosted by Farragut Rotary and attended Webb.
Julie’s husband is now with the Ukrainian Army and fighting in East Ukraine, an area the Russians are trying to control. Yesterday, through tears, she spoke about her life now: “I’m talking about my country, Ukraine, and I have gratitude for your help. I have no idea what my life and my kids’ lives would be like today without Rotary. My children are 3 and 1. I’ve not heard from my husband in two days. He’s fighting in a very dangerous place. I can’t wait to go home, back to a normal life. I’m homesick for it. I’m trying to be strong for my kids and not let them see me cry. I love you all.”
Farragut Rotarian Bill Nichols of the Farragut club, a longtime tireless worker in the Youth Exchange world, put the call together and coordinated it. Liz Gregor, the director of Webb’s International Center who knows both Julie and Ivana, said this cooperation between Farragut Rotary and the Zilina club is “proof that Rotary really does change lives.”
The Slovakian Rotarians talked about all they have done, are doing and will be doing. They have many needs. Here is a list of club activities:
- Directly supporting eight families from Ukraine (8 adults and 15 children). “We provide them with accommodations, food and clothing, hygiene products, medicines and vitamins for children, household equipment, cleaning products, children’s clothing and school supplies,” Sabaka said.
- Support for the 300-beds Camp Zilina for refugees. To date more than 2,000 refugees have passed through the camp. They are working in cooperation with the Rotary District 2240 (Czechia & Slovakia).
- Providing aid directly to Ukraine – thousands of first aid kits, hemostatic tourniquets and sleeping bags. Two shipments have been made, and a third is planned.
- In cooperation with the Rotary District 2240 (Czechia & Slovakia), working through district coordinators and Ukrainian Rotarians, have sent financial aid, humanitarian aid and equipment direct (mats, flashlights, drugstore goods and durable food, medical supplies for hospitals, warm clothing).
All of this takes money. To help our fellow Rotarians, the RCF last week wired $13,075 through the Rotary Club of Farragut Foundation to Zilina Rotary. Our new Interact Club at the Christian Academy of Knoxville raised $742 for the effort and the Webb School Interact Club raised another $1,600.
And Rotary International’s commitment is broad and deep. Thanks to the generosity of Rotary members and others, the Rotary fund for Ukraine support, to date, has received more than $10.4 million in contributions. These funds are being distributed to Rotary districts that apply for disaster response grants and will be used to provide relief to refugees or other victims of the crisis, including items such as water, food, shelter, medicine and clothing. So far, 64 disaster response grants, totaling $1,799,873, have been awarded to support those affected by the war in Ukraine.
Past President Jim O’Brien, president of the Farragut Rotary Foundation, says Rotarians and others can still make tax-deductible donations. Those who wish to donate should mail their checks (with a memo noting that the donation is in support of Ukraine) to: Rotary Club of Farragut Foundation /10805 Kingston Pike, Suite 200 / Farragut, TN 37934-3064.
Alternatively, donors who wish to contribute using a credit card or PayPal can go to the Home page on our RCF website here and click on the “Donate to the Foundation” link on the right side of the home page. Again, they should note that the donation is in support of Ukraine.
To explore membership in the Rotary Club of Farragut, call 865-659-3562. Farragut Rotary meets each Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at Fox Den Country Club.