Volunteers needed in the Ottawa Valley to help incoming Ukrainians to the community
Posted May 10, 2022 11:30:39 AM.
A Carleton Place based community group is looking for volunteers to assist with local efforts for Ukrainians fleeing Eastern Europe.
The plan, they say, is to build up a volunteer support network, specifically within the Ottawa Valley area.
“Ensuring that those pockets of volunteers are kind of at the ready so that when we do have new community members join us, we can really be there and ready for action,” explained Jodi Bucholtz, the manager of the Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) of Lanark and Renfrew.
The group is looking for volunteers willing to open their homes to Ukrainians, to help fundraise, assist with speaking a second language, such as Ukrainian, Polish or Russian, or help with setting up donation hubs, where physical items can be dropped off and picked up.
The LIP has partnered with the Ukrainian Diaspora Support Canada, which focuses on helping Ukrainians with their Visa applications, while the Carleton Place group can focus their attention on the community.
“There are a lot of employment opportunities here in the Ottawa Valley and there are a lot of folks willing to put in the effort to really ensure that our displaced Ukrainian community members have the support that they need so they can really consider making this their long term home.”
Bucholtz says as of Monday, May 9, 915 Ukrainians have requested flights to the area, while 68 Ukrainians have been successfully rehomed.
