Michelle next introduced Dan Heitzenrater, who presented our speaker, Patrick Stokes, who came to discuss his extensive volunteer work in Ukraine.
Patrick shared firsthand experiences from his time in Ukraine, where he served both as a volunteer and as Director of Operations for a non-governmental organization. Over the past 18 months, he spent a total of eight months living in Ukraine, documenting his work and daily life through more than 7,000 photographs. His photographic work is on display at the Darwin Barker Library in Fredonia, where it can be viewed through the end of January, when it moves to Buffalo.
Patrick worked with a Scottish-based NGO, Hopefull Charities, that has provided humanitarian and moral support in every city and village of Ukraine, beginning in March 2022. His first group delivered pizza to citizens in Ukraine; he showed a short video of that experience. They gave away three million pizzas in three years. Patrick wore a Ukraine-colors Scottish kilt.
He said the Ukrainians are tired, but defiant and will never quit. Their fighters are called “defenders,” not soldiers. Their frontline vehicles are their personal vehicles, painted green. Many families are divided, with members on both sides of the conflict.
He spoke about visiting an orphanage with 280 orphans, mentioning one boy whose father was shot in his front yard and his missing mother. He mentioned a defender they met who stayed with their group while on his ten-day break from the fighting. They kept in touch until he went missing in action in the war.
He said when they volunteered and needed extra help, the Ukrainians they were helping would step up to assist the teams.
Patrick hopes to return in the spring or summer. In Fredonia, he runs a photography business, an antique military business, is a business consultant, and rents his home when he is in Ukraine. He “makes it work.” He said he lives simply here so he can go out and see more of the world and its people.
Following Patrick’s presentation, Michelle closed the meeting and noted that we won’t meet next Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. See you on January 26th!
