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Post by leemerrifield on Mar 7, 2022 12:43:51 GMT
I'm sure we've all been shocked and horrified at the unfolding events in Ukraine and as a club we're keen to show our support for the Ukrainian people.
The last 2 weeks have been especially distressing for club stalwart Graham Dunn whose son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren live in Ukraine and as a result, we're liaising with Graham as to how best to show our support and raise valuable funds.
We've agreed that the home match against Hayes & Yeading on Saturday March 19th will be the focus of our efforts with more news to follow when we've settled on a plan with Graham.
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Post by gemma on Mar 7, 2022 14:29:16 GMT
Best wishes to you Graham, my thoughts are with your family and everybody else in Ukraine during this difficult time.
Great idea by the club to do something, and I look forward to supporting the good cause at the designated match.
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Post by dorsetdave on Mar 7, 2022 16:20:10 GMT
Thank you to the club for this. My son-in-law had relatives in Ukraine. Their young son had been staying with his grandparents in Ukraine but luckily all managed to get out to Poland.
I should imagine many supporters know of Ukrainians who are neighbours, work colleagues etc and our hearts go out to them
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Post by webster on Mar 7, 2022 18:32:54 GMT
I'm sure we've all been shocked and horrified at the unfolding events in Ukraine and as a club we're keen to show our support for the Ukrainian people. The last 2 weeks have been especially distressing for club stalwart Graham Dunn whose son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren live in Ukraine and as a result, we're liaising with Graham as to how best to show our support and raise valuable funds. We've agreed that the home match against Hayes & Yeading on Saturday March 19th will be the focus of our efforts with more news to follow when we've settled on a plan with Graham. Great idea... |
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Post by magpiesgraham on Mar 10, 2022 10:21:16 GMT
I thought you might like some background on my son Russ …
Russ has a strong Christian faith, and a heart for young people and Eastern Europe.
On a gap year he worked with an American Christian charity at a drop-in centre for teenage street kids in Simferopol, capital of Crimea. While there, he also helped at an orphanage, and joined a local church. Masha went to that church too, and worked as a house mother at the orphanage. They met and fell in love.
Russ moved to Simferopol in 2008 working as a teacher of English. He and Masha were married later that year.
They had to leave Crimea in 2014 when Putin annexed it, and leave with what they could carry, including a toddler and a baby.
Later that year they all returned to Kiev, where they set up a small church. Recently Russ has been working as a Science Teacher at an American Missionary School. They now have three boys (11, 8, & 5) who are all bi-lingual, but speak with American accents!
So until two weeks ago they were living happily in Kiev. In the early hours of that Friday morning, when the shelling intensified, they, together with Masha’s younger sister, decide to load up their old car and head west. First to Zhytomyr, where they stayed with friends who run a residential centre for disabled children, until missiles hit the nearby airfield, then on to Lviv.
And then last Friday, amazingly they were able to board an evacuation train and cross the border into Poland. From there some wonderful Polish people transported them to Krakow. Russ was able to get his wife and boys on a flight to Bournemouth, and they arrived here on Monday.
Now his family are safely in UK, Russ has decided to stay and go back to Ukraine to help. His intention is to buy a mini-bus and use that to take aid into Ukraine, return with refugees, and repeat.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Please pray for the people of Ukraine.
And if you have any left over, please pray for Russ.
My wife and I would like to say a grateful “thank you” to our lovely friends at WTFC who have stood with us during this uncertain time. Your support, encouragement, and prayers have meant so much to us. Bless you.
Graham
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Post by newmagpie on Mar 10, 2022 11:39:45 GMT
Hi Graham, I have just read your post and can only imagine what you and your family are going through, it really does put life and football into perspective! I wondered whether the Club could arrange for your grand children to be mascots for one of the upcoming home games, perhaps the Hayes & Yeading game as Lee has highlighted, or maybe the local derby against Dorchester on Saturday 2nd April? I appreciate that this may not be seen by some to be a good thing, bearing in mind the recent results, but I thought it would be a nice treat for them.......just a thought? Hopefully the Club would be able to cover the costs for this and getting them all shirts for the day, but if not I am happy to make a donation? Best wishes to you and your family. I thought you might like some background on my son Russ … Russ has a strong Christian faith, and a heart for young people and Eastern Europe. On a gap year he worked with an American Christian charity at a drop-in centre for teenage street kids in Simferopol, capital of Crimea. While there, he also helped at an orphanage, and joined a local church. Masha went to that church too, and worked as a house mother at the orphanage. They met and fell in love. Russ moved to Simferopol in 2008 working as a teacher of English. He and Masha were married later that year. They had to leave Crimea in 2014 when Putin annexed it, and leave with what they could carry, including a toddler and a baby. Later that year they all returned to Kiev, where they set up a small church. Recently Russ has been working as a Science Teacher at an American Missionary School. They now have three boys (11, 8, & 5) who are all bi-lingual, but speak with American accents! So until two weeks ago they were living happily in Kiev. In the early hours of that Friday morning, when the shelling intensified, they, together with Masha’s younger sister, decide to load up their old car and head west. First to Zhytomyr, where they stayed with friends who run a residential centre for disabled children, until missiles hit the nearby airfield, then on to Lviv. And then last Friday, amazingly they were able to board an evacuation train and cross the border into Poland. From there some wonderful Polish people transported them to Krakow. Russ was able to get his wife and boys on a flight to Bournemouth, and they arrived here on Monday. Now his family are safely in UK, Russ has decided to stay and go back to Ukraine to help. His intention is to buy a mini-bus and use that to take aid into Ukraine, return with refugees, and repeat. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please pray for the people of Ukraine. And if you have any left over, please pray for Russ. My wife and I would like to say a grateful “thank you” to our lovely friends at WTFC who have stood with us during this uncertain time. Your support, encouragement, and prayers have meant so much to us. Bless you. Graham |
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Post by welshwingwizard on Mar 10, 2022 13:44:21 GMT
Oh Graham.Thanks for filling us in abd im so glad your sons family are now safe. What a worrying few weeks .You must be very proud of him and his efforts to help those yhat need it.lets hope there can be a resolution to this dreadful situation ASAP.
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Post by leemerrifield on Mar 18, 2022 13:02:46 GMT
You may have seen details via our social media already, but just to confirm that after consultation with Graham we will be collecting on the day for the DEC Appeal for Ukraine whilst the club will also be making a separate donation of £1 for everyone that attends the game. In addition there is a feature in the programme and a minutes applause planned before kick-off.
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Post by yogi on Mar 18, 2022 13:07:37 GMT
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Post by dorsethammer on Mar 21, 2022 13:00:48 GMT
It would be good to get a formal update on how much the club made for the DEC appeal. I heard a figure close to £1000 which is great news but I think that was before the end of the day!
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Post by leemerrifield on Mar 21, 2022 15:20:37 GMT
Just to confirm we raised £427 on the day via collections which the club will top up by way of a £405 donation to match the £1 per person pledge for those who attended the game so £832 in total.
A fantastic effort and many thanks on behalf of the club for the generous donations.
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Post by magpiesgraham on Apr 11, 2022 19:21:20 GMT
In practice in Ukraine, humanitarian aid and other support for refugees and displaced people is being provided by two groups. National charities with their established infrastructure are providing large-scale support, while individuals and small groups are doing so at a more focussed, personal level.
The funds so generously raised by WTFC at the Hayes & Yeading game at New Cuthbury on 19th March are being used in both these ways. Firstly, the over £400 raised in the "Bucket collection" has been donated to the DEC appeal. Secondly, Lee and the BOD said that they would donate £1 for every spectator at that game, and, true to their word, they have given £405 to my son Russell to help him in his work over there.
After getting his family on a flight from Krakow, Russ stayed in Poland and, using funds kindly given to him, bought a second-hand mini-bus, and filled it with dried food, thermos flasks, and soft toys before driving back to Lviv. There he has joined with friends from churches in the area to support those arriving in the city from desperate backgrounds. Russ has made journeys back to the Polish border to pick up medicines and other supplies which are used locally or forwarded on to other areas in need. An example of an individual need was from a cousin of one of the guys Russ is working with. He is fighting on the front-line and asked for food, first-aid kits, and toiletries, which the group sourced and sent. The group have recently rented and refurbished office space as potential temporary accommodation for those arriving from the war-torn east of the country.
Later this week, Russ is intending to head back to Kyiv, via Zhytomyr, for a couple of weeks before, God willing, he flies back to UK to be re-united with his young family in early May.
Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and good wishes during this difficult time - it's humbling when I think of the support we've received from the WTFC family.
Graham
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chez
New Member
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Post by chez on Apr 12, 2022 9:50:29 GMT
Thanks for the update Graham. It's incredible what Russ is doing!
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