Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows welcome Ukrainians fleeing conflict

A committee of volunteers from Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows were part of one of the biggest stories in 2022, as they assisted refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The groundwork they laid helped some 200 people who left their war torn home, and as the calendar turns to 2023, their work will be taken up by a new organization.

Vladimir Putin ordered his tanks and troops into Ukraine in February. In March, the local committee was formed to help refugees.

Tom Bowen was the chair of the Ridge Meadows Ukraine Welcoming Committee, which was organized with the help of Maple Ridge city councillors Ahmed Yousef and Gordy Robson and others. Robson had experience taking in 17 people who fled the conflict in Syria, while Yousef worked five years with the U.S. Department of State and Department of Commerce in Kuwait, including experience working in conflict zones.

Ukrainian couple Aleks and Natalia Vrublevskij of Maple Ridge were key volunteers, the public face of the organization. They have been in Canada for 20 years, but had family members who left their homeland with almost nothing.

READ ALSO: Ukrainian couple and Maple Ridge politicians work to host refugees

The committee quickly started assembling resources for newcomers.

In less than a year, more than eight million people have fled the country, after months of war. Another 6.5 million have been forced to leave their homes, but have stayed in the country, making Ukrainians the victims of the largest displacement of people since the Second World War.

The committee helped the newcomers who arrived in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows find housing, gain employment, enrol in language classes, receive trauma care, and get settled.

READ ALSO: Ukrainian refugees receive therapy to deal with trauma

Now the Fraser Valley Refugee Readiness Team, funded by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, will take over that work. That team will take a regional approach to helping newcomers rebuild their lives.

The new readiness team will cover Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Mission, Chilliwack and Abbotsford and will help Afghans and Ukrainians with housing, health care and employment.

Coun. Bob Meachen represents Pitt Meadows on the team while Maple Ridge is represented by Carolina Echeverri, immigration partnership coordinator at the Family Education and Support Centre.

“We came together to fulfill a need for families who escaped the atrocities their country was suffering and chose Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows for their resettlement,” said Bowen. “As we became aware of barriers they were facing, we took action to help resolve them.”

“This once again shows how our communities of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadow continue to stand up and pitch in when called upon to help,” Bowen said.

Yousef gave props to the generosity of the citizens of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows who stepped up with donations of all kinds.

“We exceeded our initial goals and objectives by miles,” said Yousef, noting the committee supported more than 200 people.