Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish Supports Ukrainian Nationals with Day Camps
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Calgary’s mission is to have children’s camps that welcome Ukrainian newcomers and help them become familiar with the curriculum and structure of schools in Calgary. Teachers are volunteering to help familiarize the children and a nearby school has allowed them to host the camp there so they can have more campers. The parish has planned activities such as learning about their faith, arts and crafts, singing, going to parks, and various games. The parish encourages parishioner children to join so they can connect with Ukrainian newcomers. Newcomer parents are helping by making lunches and giving out snacks to the children. The team at the parish is thankful to have the grant, as well as continuous donations from the community that will continue to support the camps.
The parish received the Humanitarian Aid Settlement grant from the Eparchy that will fund the “Ready for School” day camp from August 2-19 and “Vesleli Kanikuly” from July 25-29 and August 22-26 which are full! Newly arrived children from Ukraine (since February 24, 2022) aged 7 and up can attend for free. For volunteering opportunities, contact welcome@abvmcalgary.com.
Art Camp
The parish ran an art camp, funded through the Calgary Foundation, where the children get to explore their inner creativity. The parish community is excited about the upcoming camps and hopes to plan more for the children! You can learn more about their initiatives here.
Veseli Kanikuly/Веселі Канікули
Their recent “Veseli Kanikuly” camp was a huge success! They had 25 Ukrainian national campers and a few parishioner children. The parish was happy to see the children and parents engage with one another.
A fun activity they did was visit the museum in St. Vladimir Orthodox Parish in Calgary. They got to learn about early Ukrainian settlements from 130 years ago and got to see historical artifacts such as sheepskin coats, traditional Ukrainian blouses, and photos. The campers also had a lot of fun on the bus ride to and from the museum. Many Ukrainian campers had never been on a yellow bus and had only seen it on TV shows.
The camp also enjoyed a lot of singing, led by a university music professor, arts and crafts, and catechism. They enjoyed delicious foods and snacks including varenyky, hamburgers, hot dogs, mango juice, rice Krispies, and watermelon!
The parish is happy to see Ukrainian national parents bond among themselves and with other parishioners. The Parish thanks all the supporters who continue to help make these camps happen, including Sobeys, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Eparchy’s Humanitarian Aid Settlement Grant, the parish community, and the Canada Ukraine Foundation. Their next “Veseli Kanikuly” camp is full with 40 Ukrainian nationals registered.
We pray for the Ukrainian nationals and for them to find peace and freedom. We hope that the war will end soon. Say a prayer for Ukraine, or watch Bishop David’s homily here. You can make a donation to support Ukraine here.