‘Love thy neighbor as yourself’

TRETA PROBA  Kalyna Leschuk sets up a Christmas tree as part of her Treta Proba (Eagle Scout) project with the Plast Ukrainian Scout Organization. The Christmas tree had the names of children affected by the conflict in Ukraine on it and she invited people to “adopt” a child for Christmas.

CONVENT STATION  The headlines about the conflict in Ukraine have vanished and have become forgotten in the minds of many, but not for Kalyna Leschuk, a junior at Academy of St. Elizabeth here and a parishioner of St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover. She not only thinks about the suffering that the ongoing unrest is causing Ukrainians, she is doing something to help Ukrainians.

Through her efforts, Leschuk has created a variety of projects to help the people of Ukraine. This cause hits close to home for the hardworking honor student — her roots began in the Ukraine. “Even though I wasn’t born there, I have always been proud of my heritage. From when I was very little, my parents have made sure to immerse me in my Ukrainian culture and foster in me a love for Ukraine,” she said.

Since she was 6, Leschuk has been taking Ukrainian dance lessons, attending Saturday language school and playing the bandura, the national instrument of the country. She is also a part of the Plast Ukrainian Scout Organization in the United States, which is similar to the Boys Scouts and Girls Scouts of America, but both boys and girls belong to a single organization. The Plast organization’s goal is to help raise good citizens that will become leaders in society. Because of these activities, she feels very fortunate to share her culture with so many others.

Since the conflict began in 2014, Leschuk has hosted several clothing drives at her alma mater, St. Rose of Lima Academy in East Hanover, where her family also are parishioners as well as the local Ukrainian church, to help the Ukrainian soldiers fighting against Russia. Items she collected included warm clothes for the harsh winters there such as gloves, snow pants, fleeces and sweaters. These went directly to the soldiers serving on the front lines. Another one of her projects was writing letters to the soldiers with the participation of members in her Scout group. Leschuk said, “We wrote letters thanking the soldiers for their bravery and courage in the face of the enemy. We thanked them for their devotion to democracy and freedom.”

One of her most important projects is raising awareness about the current situation in Ukraine and its history throughout the years, including the famine genocide known as Holodomor, which occurred in 1932 and 1933. It is believed seven to 10 million Ukrainians were killed in this famine, according to Leschuk, who said, “When Ukraine became subjugated to the Soviet Union, the Soviet regime passed laws that banned the Ukrainian language, churches, clothes, dance and other Ukrainian traditions. During these difficult times of oppression, the Ukrainians proved that they are strong, proud and faithful nation.”

The young men who are leaving their families and studies to fight for the nation have inspired Leschuk. “This want for freedom and democracy in the Ukrainian nation has been my motivation behind my projects. My mother (who was born in Ukraine) has told me stories about life under the Soviet regime and they are sad and painful. I don’t want Ukraine to fall under the direction of the Russian empire again. I don’t want Ukrainians to be imprisoned or killed because they have a Ukrainian book at home, sing a Ukrainian song or say they love the Ukraine,” Leschuk said.

Similar to American Scouts, Leschuk also had to complete a project to become an Eagle Scout or “Treta Proba” in Ukrainian. She decided to focus on the children in Ukraine affected by the conflict and titled it “Child to Child.” The project was done in December 2014 and she recently earned her Treta Proba rank as a result of the project. She contacted a Ukrainian organization called Yellow-Blue Wings, which provides aid and support to children whose parents are either fighting in the conflict or were killed. She received names of 53 children to help.

She decided to set up a Christmas tree with decorations that had the names and ages of the 53 children and introduced the project to parents of fellow Scouts. She asked the parents and children to “adopt” a child for Christmas. Each family brought a gift for the child they picked and some even wrote letters and sent photos of their families. After the gifts were collected they were sent to the children.

“Several children wrote back thanking the families. Some of them also sent pictures. I am very happy to know that I made a difference in these children’s lives. It feels good to see smiles on the children’s faces in the pictures,” Leschuk said.

Father Owen Moran, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish in East Hanover, said, “Kalyna is a very giving and bright young lady. I know what she does for other people comes directly from her heart and I know she gets it from her parents. A couple of years ago, her parents spearheaded our outreach to those affected by the Ukrainian conflict.”

Leschuk attributes her efforts to her strong faith and family, whom she said are her inspiration to help others. “My Catholic faith has had a major impact in my life,” she said. “My Christian values, which have been always important to me, have taught me to love others. Jesus told us: ‘Love thy neighbor as yourself.’ When we help others, we are making a difference in someone’s life. We are making someone’s life better, whether that is by a simple gesture, such as a smile, or a large gesture, such as donating money towards charity.”