Norwood Jewelry Store Raises Money, Awareness About Crisis In Ukraine

NORWOOD, MA - A Norwood jewelry store has taken the occupation of Ukraine to heart, selling a collection of necklaces called "Hearts of Ukraine" and donating all the proceeds and monetary donations directly to volunteers in the wartorn country.

The idea was inspired by Vitalina Kovbasiuk, a Keegan's Jewelers employee and native of Ukraine who has family there. She moved to the United States about seven years ago from Vinnytsia in central Ukraine, which is a three-hour drive from Kyiv, the capital city.

"I just got married a few months ago, and my husband is Ukrainian, too," said Kovbasiuk, a former teacher there.

She has been working in the jewelry store for the past two years with owner Sean Keegan. He said he wanted to help the Ukrainian people whose country has been decimated by daily bombings and firefight.

"We had to do something because of the injustice going on over there" Keegan said. "It's hit home for us because one of our special employees is from there. She has a brother there, in-laws and friends. This brings it right to the forefront, and it's heartbreaking to see the way it has unraveled."

Keegan decided to create "Hearts of Ukraine," a collection of three necklaces with heart-shaped pendants. All proceeds will go directly to volunteers with whom Kovbasiuk is in contact, as well as any monetary donations received.

The hearts were made in Providence, Rhode Island, Keegan said. The manufacturer, with whom Keegan has been working for 40 years, gave him a 10% discount off the wholesale prices for the hearts because of the charitable cause.

"They are just a pretty straightforward heart," he added. "We wanted to get one in gold and one in silver so it would be affordable. It's more of the meaning behind it. The volunteers are doing it from their hearts."

The store has been promoting the necklaces for Mother's Day, but Keegan plans on continuing to sell them, he said. So far, $3,000 has been wired via Moneygram and Wise to the volunteers over the past month, but Kovbasiuk said it is worth double there.

"Before the war, the average salary there would be like $500 per month," she said.

Kovbasiuk described the volunteers as "friends of friends." One oversaw purchasing medicine from western Ukraine. Another bought food, while a third bought baby formula, diapers and clothes.

"The Ukrainian people, they always think that someone is more in need," she explained. "They were embarrassed."

Volunteers started to distribute cooked meals, she said, but when people were reluctant to eat despite hunger, they brought groceries directly to families.

Stories from Ukraine

Kovbasiuk's mother and 15-year-old brother were evacuated to Germany, she explained. However, they recently had to find another place to live because the hotel in which they were staying gave them three days' notice to leave. Also, her brother's visa was denied, so he cannot come to the United States.

"My father could not leave the country because of his age," she continued. "All men in Ukraine from age 18 to 60 years old cannot leave the country because they have to stay in the country and fight. So my father is volunteering and also helping my grandparents, because it is hard to get food in some cities."

Her father owns a store that supplies kitchenware. He has been donating his supplies to volunteers, who then provide them to refugees and soldiers.

Kovbasiuk said her hometown has seen an influx of refugees who are moving westward to flee the country. She described it as a "transit territory" where people rest for a day or two before continuing to Poland or Germany.

"Everything that Vitalina is saying is coming firsthand from Ukraine," Keegan added. "It's made it extremely helpful for us, because we know the money we receive will go directly into the hands of the people who need it."

While her family has faced grim circumstances, Kovbasiuk said her best friend's family endured unspeakable conditions while they were held hostage for 21 days by Russian soldiers in the village of Nova Basan in northern Ukraine near the Russian border.

"They held her, her mom, her sisters and her dad separately," Kovbasiuk explained, telling each of them that their family members were dead. "They gave them one raw potato a day."

She added that her friend told her they were held captive in an unfinished basement on the ground. Ukrainian soldiers were able to rescue and reunite the family almost three weeks ago, but the sisters said they had been sexually assaulted.

"The 14- and 18-year-old daughters cannot talk right now, but they are writing about how the soldiers were touching them," he continued. "I've heard stories about 14- and 15-year-old pregnant girls in Ukraine who don't know what to do now."

"We are seeing buildings blowing up on TV, but we're not seeing what's really happening to the people," Keegan added. "Ignorance is probably bliss. But these are seriously heartbreaking things."

"In Russia, you cannot write the word 'war,'" Kovbasiuk said. "You can go to jail. I hear the words 'conflict' and 'crisis.' A conflict is an argument you have with a neighbor. I am talking about people being held hostage and sexually assaulted. This is a war."

Kovbasiuk has been posting pictures she received from the volunteers of the refugees being helped, sharing them on Facebook and Instagram. Kovbasiuk shared some of these pictures to Patch. She has been in contact with family members and volunteers "daily."

Without Kovbasiuk's direct contacts, Keegan said he would be disinclined to donate because he would be unsure of how much would go directly to help people.

"You can see from the pictures that these are just regular people," Keegan said. "And you can see that the help is getting to them. The money is all going where it's supposed to go, and I love that. People are just coming together to help the country become as strong as possible."

To learn more about the jewelry, go to this website. Money can be donated at the store at 1135 Washington St. in Norwood.