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COURIER LIFE, MARCH 25-31, 2022
Greenpoint neighbors
raise more than $20k
for Ukrainian refugees
BY KIRSTYN BRENDLEN
In just a few weeks, a fundraiser
spearheaded by Greenpoint residents
has raised more than $20,000 for Ukrainian
refugees arriving in Poland.
When the invasion began late last
month, New York City’s focus turned
largely toward the Ukrainian enclaves
in the city, in Manhattan’s Ukrainian
Village and Brighton Beach’s Little
Odessa — but the news was hitting just
as hard in heavily-Polish Greenpoint,
especially once millions of Ukrainian
refugees fleeing their homes found
safety in Poland.
Jennifer Cooper, a longtime resident
of Greenpoint, spoke with her
friends and neighbors as the war unfolded
on television screens and newspapers,
and as firsthand accounts
from friends and family on the ground
in Poland started coming in.
They decided to do something, and
joined forces with the Greenpointbased
Polish and Slavic Federal Credit
Union to launch an online fundraiser
for Caritas, a nonprofit providing direct
aid for Ukrainians crossing the
border.
“They mobilize volunteers, they really
do provide frontline relief to those
who are entering the country at the
border,” Cooper said. “Meals, money,
directions, a place to stay. All of the
things that they need in an emergency
situation.”
A longtime employee of the United
Nations, Cooper is familiar with Caritas’s
work and knew the money raised
would be well used.
The GoFundMe went live on March
4. By March 7, more than $5,000 had
been donated. On March 9, that number
had doubled, and, just two weeks
later, donors have contributed more
than $22,000 to Ukrainian refugees.
“Most of the contributions have been
generated through word of mouth, I
have to say, and direct outreach,” she
said. “And a number of local businesses
have contributed as well.”
Working with the credit union
spares the group having to collect the
money in one of their personal bank
accounts, and, even better, the company
has agreed to waive all the international
transfer fees, so not one cent
is wasted.
“The credit union has a long history
in the neighborhood of supporting
people arriving from Poland,” Cooper
said. “Who, when they came here back
Photo by REUTERS/Hannah McKay
in the 70s, they couldn’t get credit. PSFCU
was able to give credit to people
who were arriving to buy houses. So
they’re a really important part of the
building of this neighborhood and its
identity.”
According to the UN, more than 3
million people have left Ukraine since
February, with more than 1.8 million
crossing the border to Poland. Many
are staying with friends and family,
but thousands more are seeking aid
and shelter, especially in the country’s
large cities.
Nonprofits like Caritas are providing
food, shelter, medical care, and
guidance, and Cooper said many of her
Polish friends and neighbors are sending
money right to their family members
on the ground.
“What I really hope is that people
who are not necessarily old-school, so
to speak, from the neighborhood, will
also continue to care about this,” Cooper
said. “And I hope we started the
conversation. The new people moving
in have an appreciation for the cultural
heritage of this neighborhood
and take some responsibility to help
out in a situation of dire need. I’m optimistic
on that.”
She’s also hopeful that people will
stay engaged with the conflict and the
needs of Ukrainian refugees as the
war draws on, as the demand for resources
is probably only going to grow
as time passes. The fundraiser has no
end date or fundraising cap — it will
stay open as long as it needs to.
Two of Cooper’s neighbors are getting
ready to take a trip to Poland in
the coming weeks, she said. They’re
feeling nervous, but also like it’s an
important thing to do.
“We’re trying to do whatever we
can,” she said. “We tried to make it
easy for people who had the question
‘What can I do to make a difference?’”
for end of war
newly elected southern
Brooklyn Councilmembers
Ari Kagan and Inna
Vernikov, both of whom have
eastern European roots.
Kagan, who immigrated
from Belarus in 1993 and
represents Bensonhurst, Coney
Island, Gravesend, and
Sea Gate in the City Council,
has publicly condemned the
invasion and said that it was
“unprovoked aggression”
against a peaceful neighbor.
Speaking Saturday on
the boardwalk, his calls for
resolution received resounding
applause.
Councilmember Inna
Vernikov, whose neighboring
district also includes
a large number of Ukrainian
immigrants, and who
herself immigrated from
Ukraine at a young age, has
similarly condemned the invasion,
and said her office
will be open to assist anyone
in need.
While she wasn’t in attendance
at this weekend (the
newly minted rep instead accepted
an invitation to meet
with former President Donald
Trump), Vernikov appeared
to keep her constituents
in mind over the course
of her visit, despite the former
leader’s ties to Putin.
“Grateful to have met
with President Trump,” she
tweeted Sunday. “He expressed
his solidarity with
the people of Ukraine and
sent prayers and love for my
constituents from Ukraine.”
Brighton Beach has
earned the nickname “Little
Odessa,” owing to its population
and its perch near the
beach, just as the moniker’s
Ukrainian namesake.
Additional reporting by
Ben Brachfeld and Matt Tracy