Ukraine: A Cause Worth Fighting For
Apr 06, 2022 12:00AM ● By By Elise Spleiss
At Bethany Slavic Missionary Church from left to right: Pastor Viktor, Church Administrator, Youth pastor Pastor Zachary and his son Jeremiah; Pastor Oleg with his wife Lyudmila and daughter Anna; Pastor Vitaliy with his wife Natalya, and guest speaker Dr. Leo Frank, professor of Bible theology. Photo provided by Elise Spleiss
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - It was the day that changed their lives forever, February 24, 2022. Friends and relatives in Ukraine started calling. Facebook was full of reports of bombings. It was unreal.
The Ukrainian community in the Sacramento region is a close-knit group from all walks of life who work well with all people in their lives. It is estimated to be over 100,000 Ukrainians in the greater Sacramento region, many who came for their religious freedom.
Therefore, when the attack by Russia on their homeland began, it was a smooth transition, turning their attention from their everyday lives, to working together strategizing plans to get help as soon as possible to their families in the Ukraine. In the words of community leader Vlad Skots, “America/Ukraine we are one family we help each other, this is everyone’s problem.”
This proved true as immediately, neighbors, friends, businesses and others in the community were reaching out to see how they could come alongside their friends and co-workers who now needed their help.
The Ukrainian American (UA) House in Rancho Cordova is a “nonprofit focused on promoting business relations between Ukraine and the United States.” It is now in the forefront of working to get aid to their family and friends.
According to their website, “On February 26, a citywide interfaith prayer service for Ukraine was held at the Spring of Life Baptist Church, a Ukrainian church in Orangevale together with the UA House. It was opened by senior pastor of the church, Vadim Dashkevich. Together with pastors, priests, government officials, public officials, public figures and the Mayor of Sacramento, we prayed to our Lord for Ukraine.” As Vlad said, “We rely on God for many things, but for others we must rely on ourselves. We must do everything we can for ourselves.”
One of the families who immigrated here and have successfully found the “American Dream” to be a reality is the Skots family. Stephan Skots, owner of USKO Ukrainian Realty in Sacramento, the oldest of 10 brothers, was the first to arrive. He came in 1997 at the age of 20 to escape Communism. He now has five daughters, the last three girls were born in the U.S. He employs 25 agents. He offers his office for regular fellowship breakfasts meetings for Ukrainian community leaders to continue keep up with the status of the war and their people’s needs.
Four of his brothers from ages 19 to 24 followed him. Their parents, had connections in the U.S. and wanted them to come here for a good education. Stephan learned English at Adult School and opened a business. He brought his brothers here, sponsored and took care of them. He sent them to school and they worked together. The five remaining brothers are still in Ukraine with their parents.
Vlad Skots is Chairman and Co-founder of Ukrainian American House in Rancho Cordova and CEO of USKO Express, Inc, a national trucking company founded in 2006.
Vlad grew up in a very small village in western Ukraine, the seventh of 10 brothers, no sisters. He came here in 2001, knowing no English. He attended school during the day, worked as a janitor, in construction and a truck driver. As a truck driver, driving through all 48 states in America and marveling at their beauty, he fell in love with the transportation business and started his own company.” He now has 100 employees.
He appreciated that he, “as a simple guy who grew up in a small village and came here with only a high school diploma, without money, parents or language could build and operate a successful business”.
Two other organizations have been instrumental in bringing the Ukraine community together to help spearhead this daunting task.
Branch Manager Mikhail Tkach, Ukrainian Federal Credit Union in Citrus Heights, is helping with fundraising. They provide money grams and money transfers free of charge to credit union members.
Bethany Slavic Missionary Church in Sacramento is a mainstay of the Ukrainian community. With a congregation of over 1,000, the church and its pastor lead the Ukrainian community. All requests for help go through the team at the church.
According to Vlad Skot, the three things needed most are: 1) Prayer! “We pray about it all. God can help us the most”; 2) Funds to purchase medical supplies and for defense items which can be purchased locally; 3) “Contact your legislatures, raise your voice, they have a moral imperative to help Ukraine more than they are now”. He sees more help from the public and businesses than the government.
One hundred percent of donations to [email protected]. go directly to the needs of Ukraine. Or go to uahouse.org and click on the donate button.