By Annalisa Summea
Eagle Times Correspondent
CLAREMONT, NH — On Sept. 30, the Claremont-Sugar River Rotary will host Stand with Ukraine at the Claremont Opera House.
“Claremont has a historic connection with the people of Ukraine and Poland,” said Rotary Club President Charlene Lovett.
And, the local club wants to invite the community to “come and share fellowship, learn what is still happening and help make a difference,” she said.
The event will consist of formal presentations and activities for the whole family, including a live discussion with the people of Ukraine and Poland.
“This event is designed to be both informative and interactive,” Lovett said. “The formal program will last approximately an hour, followed by multiple activities and opportunities to socialize.”
Among the activities planned is a stuff-a-sock event, in which participants will stuff socks, a much-needed commodity, with other needed items including earplugs, mini emergency thermal blankets, energy bars and notes of support.
Rotary will also collect donations of non-liquid multivitamins at the event.
As part of a larger organization, Rotary International, the local club has arranged for all of the donations to be distributed via Rotary Clubs in Poland and Ukraine.
“Polish Rotary Clubs along the Ukrainian border will distribute donations to Ukrainian refugees. Ukrainian Rotary Clubs will disseminate donations in country,” Lovett said.
The Stand with Ukraine event will also include a silent auction for a quilt donated by The Quilt Store in Chester, VT. And additional quilts will be auctioned off by local clubs throughout the Rotary district which includes all of southern New Hampshire and Vermont.
The event will be sponsored by Rotary clubs in the surrounding community, including Charlestown and Newport and by local businesses.
Ukranian and Polish food will be served at the event including cabbage rolls, pierogies, kielbasa bites and baked goods. The Opera House will be selling wine and beer. Ukrainian music will be played on the Opera House sound system prior and after the formal presentation.
“I am looking forward to sharing Ukrainian culture with our community through folk music, food, art and customs,” said Sophia Sushailo, a Ukrainian-born Claremont resident who has been instrumental in helping the Claremont Sugar-River Rotary to plan the event.
“I assure you, this will give Ukrainians an extra boost, because just like in sports, if you know your team has your back, you can move the mountains to the victory,” Sushailo said.
“On Aug. 24, Ukraine marked its 32th anniversary of independence,” Sushailo said. “It also marked 539 painful days, 1 year and 6 months, since the beginning of full-scale invasion by Russia.”
A long-time resident of the Granite State, Sushailo said she believes New Hampshire residents are in a unique position to understand the import of current events.
“We understand one another on a subconscious level, as our shared worldview is manifested in four words, ‘Live free or die.’ This is what Ukrainians are doing right now, fighting for their country to be free.”
“World history is being written as we speak,” she went on to tell The Eagle Times. “In front of our eyes, as the war in Ukraine continues, the Stand with Ukraine event will bring more awareness, so we are not merely bystanders, but have a chance to move the needle, even a little bit, for greater good of the world.”
Stand with Ukraine will be held from 3 to 6 p.m., Sept. 30, at the Claremont Opera House and is free.
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.