Rotarian Andrew Kole introduced Denys and Tetiana aka Tanya as guest speakers at the Rotary Club of Belleville's lunch meeting in recognition of Remembrance Day coming up.  Andrew, Denys and Tetiana were all born in Ukraine and met in Belleville through an event organized by Rotarians for the Ukraine community, to show support and help wherever they could.  Denys and Tetiana and their three children were sponsored and hosted by Judi Rufo and Doug Peterson, Past President of the Rotary Club after narrowly escaping their home in Ukraine as war broke out.  Through courage, resilience and hope their journey started 2 1/2 years ago.
 
Today we are gathered to honour those who have served and sacrificed so that we can live in peace and freedom.  As we remember the bravery of past generations, we also think of people around us today who have been affected by the lasting impact of war.   Both Denys and Tetiana were born in Odesa, a beautiful seashore city in Ukraine, married almost 15 years ago and have three wonderful children, 13 and 9 year old sons and a 4 year old daughter.  Both obtained their Master's degrees and had good jobs in Ukraine.  Life was stable, something they thought would last forever.  In January 2022, they sensed that war was on the horizon.  By early February, emergency bags with documents were packed, a travel route identified toward a NATO country.  By later in February, their fears became a reality and the Odesa airport was destroyed and military installations and infrastructures were attacked. Overwhelmed by fear and confusion, they initially moved to their cottage, hoping to find peace, but days later, they packed their car along with some friends' car and headed to Tetiana's parents' home located south on the border with Romania.  Constant news updates and explosions across the country kept them on edge and very stressed.  Crossing a bridge, the only route in their escape to Romania was a terrible experience and when that bridge was bombed a few months later, they realized they had narrowly escaped death.  In Romania they found an apartment and were introduced to a Canadian who encouraged them to consider Canada.  Some research told them that a labour shortage in construction and finance might provide them with good jobs as they were both qualified in these areas.
 
By March 2022, over 3 million people were forced to leave their homes in Ukraine, and this became one of Europe's largest refugee crisis since WWII.  Canada has welcomed nearly 300,000 Ukrainians.  A website proposing accommodation for Ukrainian refugees led them to Judi Rufo and Doug Peterson and through that connection they found hope once again that the world is full of wonderful people after the nightmare they had been through.  Quickly they became part of the Belleville community, guided by people like Andrew Kole and his wife Julie, now very close friends.  Advice they gave was invaluable in helping Denys and Tetiana rebuild their lives, even today.  In turn, Denys and Tetiana have helped other families settle here and organized an event at Zwicks Park that brought almost 100 Ukrainians together on Ukrainian Independence Day.  Surrounded by people who shared similar experiences and understood the journey taken.  Denys is a project manager at TaskForce Engineering and has earned his professional project management certification.  Tetiana has recently completed the Canada Payroll Compliance Professional course and is an assistant Chief Financial Officer at Truck Right.
 
One of their happiest days was when their schnauzer Deya arrived in Canada, bringing much joy and happiness to the family.  Denys left us with a powerful truth "nobody should see the war".  Peace should never be taken for granted.  Let us not only honour the courage of those who served, but also celebrate the courage of those who start over, those who carry the values of freedom and resilience into a new future.  Thank you for your kindness and generosity, our journey would not have been possible without the support of people like you.