24 | JULY 7 • 2022 

partners in Ukraine.
These Ukraine-based part-
ners conduct deliveries, help 
find housing for displaced per-
sons, and even secure and dis-
tribute medical supplies, among 
other vital services.
“Sunflower Network has 
partners that understand what 
supplies are needed, and they 
get them around the world 
in different areas,
” Wasvary 
explains. “Then, they distrib-
ute them to the worst areas of 
Ukraine.
”
This includes hard-hit cities 
like Mariupol, Kharkiv, Odessa 
and the Donbas region.
Recently, Sunflower Network 
distributed $25,000 worth of 
supplies to its partners in Kyiv, 
Lviv and Zakarpattia. Now, 
they’re looking to acquire 
medical equipment for trauma 
victims, such as hemostatic 
bandages and tourniquets.
They’re also doubling their 
goals. The network’s third 
mission to Ukraine on July 12, 
aims to raise $52,250. A private 
donor is also matching all dol-
lar donations through July 8.
In addition to purchasing 
life-saving supplies, the goal is 
to transport a fully equipped 
ambulance from Ireland to 
Ukraine. Sunflower Network 
also plans to purchase five 
drones with the funds, which 
help locate wounded people in 
dangerous areas.

MAINTAINING AWARENESS 
ABOUT THE WAR
Wasvary says there’s a greater 

need than ever for help for 
Ukraine.
“I’ve been trying to spread 
awareness about how distressed 
these areas are,
” she says of 
cities like Mariupol, where it’s 
estimated that up to 95% of the 
city has been destroyed, and 
where people struggle to find 
clean water or basic medicines 
like antibiotics.
It’s important for people to 
remember the war is still going 
on, she explains, and that some 
areas continue to fall into worse 
and more dangerous shape.
“Now that I’m away from 
school, we’re hearing a little 
bit about it, but not nearly 
enough,
” Wasvary says of 
decreased media coverage on 
the war. “I want people to know 
what’s going on.
”
Together, she explains, “we 
can make such a difference.
”
Even if people aren’t able 
to financially donate or send 
supplies, simply maintaining 
awareness about the ongoing 
Russia-Ukraine crisis helps 
propel the mission further. It’s 
a chain of events, Wasvary says, 
that sends the message from 
one person to another.
“Staying in the loop and 
understanding what’s going 
on, educating yourself on 
what’s happening in the world 
… that’s the most important 
thing.
” 

To learn more about Sunflower 

Network and its mission, visit 

sunflowernetwork.io.

continued from page 23

OUR COMMUNITY

Members of the 
network unload 
medical supplies 
in Ukraine.

JARC Holds Annual Meeting

JFS Receives Funding for 
Trauma-Focused Interventions

JARC, a Metro Detroit-based nonprofit agency that serves 150 
individuals with developmental disabilities, held its annual 
meeting on June 14 at Soul Café, located in the Farber Center 
in West Bloomfield. Nearly 30 people were on hand to review a 
successful year and look ahead to many exciting and innovative 
plans for JARC in the coming year. 

Jewish Family Service of 
Metropolitan Detroit, in col-
laboration with Jewish Family 
Service of Washtenaw County 
and Jewish Community 
Services of Flint, has received a 
two-year $500,000 grant from 
the Jewish Federations of North 
America’s (JFNA) Center on 
Holocaust Survivor Care and 
Institute on Aging and Trauma.
“The COVID-19 pandemic 
has not only taken a toll on 
our mental health, it also has 
created new barriers for those 
seeking mental health care,
” 
said Yuliya Gaydayenko, chief 
program officer of Older Adult 
Services at JFS of Metro Detroit. 
“Older adults often experi-
ence barriers to telehealth and 
connecting with loved ones. 
They have trouble re-engaging 
in social activities offered in the 
community due to fear, mental 
health issues or physical decline 
over the course of the pandem-
ic.
”
Metro Detroit is home to an 
estimated 650-800 Holocaust 
survivors, with an additional 
100-130 living throughout the 

state of Michigan. JFS of Metro 
Detroit also serves as a regional 
hub for Claims Conference-
funded homecare services to 
survivors in 15 states. 
The grant from JFNA will 
allow JFS of Metro Detroit to 
expand its services to reach 
more participants and create 
new programming. JFS of 
Metro Detroit and its partners 
will implement the following 
supportive services:
• Connecting older adults 
to family and friends by using 
social technology, virtual and 
in-person programming, 
support groups, workshops, 
cognitive training classes and 
community events.
• Providing person-centered 
trauma-informed care training 
for new professionals and com-
munity partners.
• Family caregiver supports, 
such as educational events, 
family consultations and respite 
assistance.
“We’re looking forward 
to providing services to our 
most vulnerable populations,
” 
Gaydayenko said. 

Past-President Michael Feldman, Joshua and Alyssa Tobias, Lenora 
Hardy-Foster and Duane Foster at JARC’s annual meeting.

