St Volodymyr Cathedral and Hearts4Ukraine

Hearts4Ukraine is an initiative established to support Ukrainians fleeing the war to find safety and help settle families in our communities. The founding members include St Volodymyr Cathedral of Toronto, Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society (CUIAS), and local donors passionate about supporting Ukrainians escaping the war.

We have helped over 30 individuals come to the GTA and are helping find safe accommodation and the support they need.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

We have now reached 100 days since the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, with many cities and towns destroyed and the lives of many Ukrainians crushed. Over 6.8 million Ukrainians have fled Ukraine with an additional 8 million displaced from their homes seeking safety in other parts of Ukraine.

Over 250,000 have applied to come to Canada with hundreds of newcomers arriving in Toronto every day. Many more are still to come. Over 95% of the newcomers are women and children who have left their homes, husbands, fathers, and sons behind to fight in this brutal war.

Many arrive in Canada with little, seeking safety, shelter, and a warm welcome for their children. Thank you to all of you that welcomed these families and helped them to start their new lives in our community. We can and must do more! Our brothers fighting in Ukraine must know their families are taken care of.

Hearts4Ukraine is an initiative created at the start of war to effectively provide support for Ukrainians fleeing the war to Canada. The founding members of this initiative, which grew out of a “Pilot Program” supported by our Cathedral Executive, include St Volodymyr Cathedral of Toronto, the Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society (CUIAS), UCC Toronto Displaced Persons Committee and local donors passionate about supporting Ukrainian arrivals escaping the war. Over the last two months our priorities have been to:

· Secure Emergency Flights for “families in need” fleeing to Canada and provide Emergency Aid for families facing delays in the Visa approval process

· Provide funding for Emergency Shelter as well more Longer-term Accommodation for families in need

· Establish “Community Support Networks” by engaging with community organizations, local businesses, and settlement agencies to develop local networks to provide the range of services to support the needs of the newcomers

Together with our partners in Toronto and Halton Region, we are busy welcoming the newcomers and helping them settle into our communities.

We have been working with over 50 individuals with 30 individuals having already arrived in the GTA .The remainder will be arriving in the coming weeks, many of them planning to settle in the Oakville area. Our focus is now shifting to support families in need by helping them find suitable accommodation and support services for their families, together with our partners including CUIAS, UCC Displaced Persons Resettlement Committee.