THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS POTENTIALLY TRIGGERING CONTENT INCLUDING DESCRIPTIONS OF WAR AND DEATH AND MENTIONS OF RAPE.

Nothing is quite as it seems if you rely on your American instincts,” says Zachary Dickerson, Montrose carpenter and small business owner. Dickerson traveled to Ukraine with volunteer educators and a territorial defense force unit, all of whom came from various backgrounds, including former United States military members; the volunteer unit was formed by the mayor of a small town in western Ukraine.

“I went over there for a shot of humanity and humility, and I’ve got to say, I overdosed on both,” he shares. The needs in Ukraine are immense and diverse, and many Coloradans are stepping up to express their solidarity for the country in a variety of ways, such as welcoming refugees, participating in medical mission trips, providing prosthetic limbs and other supplies and raising awareness about Ukrainian culture and history.

FRIENDS OF UKRAINE

This Montrose-based organization’s goal is to welcome and support Ukrainian refugees for the duration of the war. Michelle Prentice-Leslie, one of the organization’s leaders, brings a wealth of understanding to the cause from her nearly 40 years of work with refugees from around the world.

“On the Western Slope, we have a lot to offer [refugees], because we have a lot of generous, caring people here,” Prentice-Leslie shares. “They would be an incredible asset to the rebuilding of Ukraine. They will have experienced another culture [and] a democracy. They will have learned a language; they will have developed many life skills, and hopefully, they will be able to use those to help rebuild their own country.

Doctors providing medical care to Ukrainian refugees in Poland. *Photo courtesy of Jeannie Mueller.*

Friends of Ukraine raises awareness for their cause in numerous ways, including wearing yellow and blue ribbons celebrating Ukrainian holidays. Recently, one of their members, Jeannie Mueller, chief medical officer at River Valley Family Health Centers, traveled to Poland with International Medical Relief — a nonprofit out of Denver — to serve Ukrainian refugees.

“The people I was taking care of are just like you and I,” she says. Mueller was forever changed by the people she met while on her medical mission. She recalls, “There are stories that women shared with me when I was over there of torture and rape, and I just don’t think Americans get that. They don’t understand that one day you’re living your life, and the next day your home is being blown up, and you’re on a train to a different country.”

Dr. Jeannie Mueller and Dr. Vuong Duthinh in Poland holding drawings given to them by a young patient.

“I remember doing acupuncture on this one lady, and when she got up to leave, she gave me a hug, and she went to leave the room, and she got a phone, and on that other end was somebody informing her that her husband had just been killed on the frontline,” Mueller shares. “I just hugged her. I don’t know how long I stayed there ... that really made me [understand] this is real; this is war; this is happening.”

LIMBS FOR LIBERTY

“At the onset of the war, I had zero connections to Ukraine. My grandfather’s family was helped out of Belgium during World War II, and I’ve always wondered why some people help others, regardless of relationship or lack thereof. When I saw the videos of people crossing the border to Poland from Ukraine, I felt moved and understood that this was maybe my calling,” says Kelli Rohrig, co-founder of Limbs for Liberty.

Her organization brings wounded amputees to Colorado for prosthetics. Plus, they help source and deliver phones, computers, hand-held radios and GPS units to the frontlines, drones, winter clothing and boots to civilians and civilian defense, and various medical supplies. Rohrig also helps coordinate volunteers and doctors on trips in and out of Ukraine.

“At this point, sending financial aid to small, American-based, vetted nonprofits is the best way to support Ukraine,” Rohrig shares. “Organizations like Limbs for Liberty and Backroads [an organization delivering supplies to communities that are inaccessible due to conflict and other factors] know what supplies, via our Ukrainian and American contacts in Ukraine, are needed, and we make sure the supplies are delivered to the people directly. We never hand over supplies to a mediator, because we’ve found that not all supplies make it to those in need.

“If it wasn’t for this country and their gumption and will to be a sovereign country, Russia would have walked right across the country and would be positioned at the Polish doorstep. Since Poland is part of NATO, we would have been obligated to step up and support Poland who, in all likelihood, would have pushed back, creating a bigger international crisis,” Rohrig shares in regards to why it’s important for Americans to support Ukraine.

UKRAINIANS OF COLORADO

Ukrainians of Colorado leads fundraisers through community events to bring medical supplies and other necessary recourses to Ukraine.

Originally co-founded in 2014 by Marina Dubrova, Ukrainians of Colorado partners with Project C.U.R.E., an organization based in Centennial meeting medical needs around the world, and is involved in a myriad of other efforts, such as markets, festivals, local readings and partnerships with restaurants around the state.

Ukrainians of Colorado gathering for a festival and fundraiser to support Ukraine and offer education on Ukrainian culture. *Photo courtesy of Ukrainians of Colorado.*

Mark Dillen, who is involved in public affairs and political advocacy, points out that Ukrainians of Colorado was originally founded to keep Ukrainian culture alive, but now, the organization’s goal is to keep Ukraine alive.

Dillen encourages Coloradans to support Ukraine however they can and at their own level, which could look like a mission trip, community activities, supporting refugees, political awareness, fundraising or sharing stories and inspiring others to help.

Dubrova recently attended a screening of 20 Days in Mariupol, a film made by two Ukrainian journalists that documents the first20 days of war after the Russian invasion. She remembers watching the film next to a refugee that had lived through the experience. “Her father was a Ukrainian army veteran, and one of the neighbors ratted him out, and Russians killed him,” Dubrova recalls the woman’s story.

During that time, there was only one spot in the whole town where Ukrainians had cell connection for one hour a day, and they would go there every day in attempt to access information. “It was on the 20th day, because of her husband running every day to that spot under bombing and the shelling, that he learned that there would be a Red Cross convoy leaving Mariupol on such a day, and that’s when they were able to escape town and escape Russians.”

Dubrova believes that education is key, which is why Ukrainians of Colorado will continue to host events such as this throughout the state. “Without Coloradans, we wouldn’t be able to help Ukrainians in Ukraine as much as we were able to,” she adds, “and we’re still helping.”

SOLIDARITY ACROSS 5,664 MILES

Although the state of Colorado is 5,664 miles from the capital of Ukraine, the similarities in our communities are striking; they come together in times of need and appreciate their home and culture; they are generous and loving people, much like those who call the Centennial State home.

Dickerson recalls being hosted at a safehouse during his time in Ukraine; after an enjoyable time spent dining on breads, cheeses, coffee and tea, his group left the house that was being lit by a generator. “As we stepped out and went on to the apartment across the way that we were to be staying at, I looked back, and I saw that our host turned off the generator and put it back inside, and the house went dark,” he remembers. “So, they couldn’t afford that convenience for themselves, but they would have been ashamed to offer us any less than the very best that they could possibly afford.”

From being with his group, Dickerson, along with the Ukrainians that his group continues to educate, learned how to tell the difference between exit rumbles and impact rumbles, dig efficient trenches and assume safe formations, be aware of their surroundings and understand that everything may be rigged to explode. More than anything, Dickerson developed a profound appreciation for how good people come together in bad times. “There was a simplicity to it; there was a gratitude for every moment; there was a comradery between the people for their shared struggle,” he imparts.

Dickerson, along with many other Coloradans, are acting on an ardent desire to help Ukraine in ways big and small. You can help, too.

Solidarity Enduring Borders: Efforts To Support Ukraine From Colorado

FRIENDS OF UKRAINE

LIMBS FOR LIBERTY

UKRAINIANS OF COLORADO

SOLIDARITY ACROSS 5,664 MILES