DETROIT, Mich. (WLNS) — Olena Danylyuk grew up in Ukraine before moving to Michigan in 2004.
During her time in the Great Lakes State, Olena served as an active member of the Ukrainian community.
With Olena’s friends and family living in Ukraine amidst the war, her heart goes out to her friends and family.
“Every single day I am worrying about my friends, my family,” said Olena.
Additionally, Olena works with the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan.
With daily phone calls, she receives updates from the ones who stayed behind, often with news of Russian missile strikes targeting nearby power grids.
Olena also said the attacks come as bitterly cold temperatures arrive, leaving millions cold and in the dark. Some are having to get creative with how they find water.
“For people without water, they are using snow, melted snow to get clean water,” Olena said.
Danylyk says she’s doing everything she can to help, including working with the crisis response committee and coordinating relief efforts with international groups on a daily basis.
Response teams send care packages and even help to deliver more cars to the area.
“They are very important for people to deliver food to take wounded people from the battlefield and civilians,” said Danylyuk.
For now, Olena said her friends and family are banding together.
“They are saying that we are all keeping together and right now in Ukraine you don’t have rich and poor,” said Olena. “If someone has electricity or water, they share.”
Though she is more than 5,000 miles away, hearing of people sharing is helping keep her spirits up.