Rallying In Phoenixville For Peace In Ukraine

PHOENIXVILLE — Flying blue and yellow Ukrainian flags and carrying sunflowers on a blustery Sunday afternoon, more than 200 men, women, and children displayed their support for Ukraine at a rally in Reeves Park here.

They chanted in unison, “Pray for Ukraine. Stand with Ukraine.”

They sang, “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” and several hymns in Ukrainian.

Dora Powzaniuk and daughters, Oriana, 15, and Lara, 11, of Schwenksville, were overwhelmed with emotion by the devastation going on in their homeland. They want to end the war and help their loved ones survive.

“We have family in Ukraine,” Powzaniuk said. “This rally is to make people aware of Ukraine.
It’s unfortunate that it took this to put Ukraine on the map.”

The children learn about their heritage at the Ukrainian Heritage School in Jenkintown.

Oriana organized a food and supply drive at her school, Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School. Lara collected $5,000 from families at her school, Saint Helena School, Blue Bell.

The children made paper sunflowers and signs.

They are decorating pysanky eggs for Easter. Pysanky eggs are Easter eggs decorated with beeswax and dyes. The arts dates back to ancient times, when eggs were decorated as a symbol of rebirth.

Eugene Luciw, president of the Philadelphia branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America in the Ukrainian Education and Cultural Center, rallied the crowd leading the “Stand With Ukraine” chant.

“We are trying to rally support for Ukraine,” said Luciw, who is also the external relations director of Ukrainian American Sports Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing soccer in eastern Pennsylvania.

Luciw called on the community to provide emotional support to Ukraine and petition the government to provide material support.

He said Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, is acting like a child who lost a game.

Luciw, whose parents are from Ukraine, noted there is a significant population of people of Ukrainian descent living in the Philadelphia region.

More than 60,300 residents of Ukrainian descent are residing in the Philadelphia region, according to Ameredia, a San Francisco-based company tracking demographics of Ukrainian Americans.