Bridge of Hope Celebrates 25 Years of Bringing Hope to Children in Ukraine

More than 120 people gathered at St. Vladimir Parish in Edmonton on October 9 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Bridge of Hope, a charitable ministry operating under the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton.

The anniversary celebration began with the Divine Liturgy with Bishop David Motiuk, Eparch of Edmonton, and concelebrating clergy. Priests, Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, volunteers, donors, families and longtime supporters then gathered to honour a quarter-century of service to vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.

A special guest was Sister Iryna Khomyn, SSMI, who travelled from Ukraine. Sister Iryna is a member of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate and serves as an administrator of Bridge of Hope in Ukraine, overseeing the work of the sisters in 13 centres. Through these centres, the sisters support children in orphanages and children and families experiencing vulnerability.

A bridge between Edmonton and Ukraine

Bridge of Hope was founded 25 years ago by Liuba Kowalchyk with a simple mission: to build a bridge between the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton and the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate in Ukraine to support orphaned and underprivileged children.

The mission began through the generosity of Alex Werner. Alex never married and had no children, but he often remembered his childhood in the Ukrainian village of Uhniv during the Second World War. Near the end of his life, he decided to leave half of his estate to orphaned and poor children in Ukraine through the Eparchy of Edmonton, with Liuba serving as executor of his estate.

During one of Liuba’s visits to Ukraine, she went to the SSMI main home in Lviv. There, she saw two young girls standing with bowls in their hands and asking the sisters for soup. She could not forget them.

“On the flight home, I began thinking about what we could do,” Liuba recalled in her anniversary speech.

From the generosity of one person and the commitment of many volunteers, Bridge of Hope was born.

Four programs serving children and young people

Bridge of Hope began with four major programs: the Sponsorship Program, Shoeboxes for Sviatyi Mykolai, summer camps and the Home of Hope.

Sponsorship Program

The Sponsorship Program began in the villages and cities where the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate had communities. Over the years, Bridge of Hope expanded to 14 centres in Ukraine, including Odesa, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia.

More than 3,000 children have participated in the Sponsorship Program, and more than $1 million has been donated by sponsors and sent to the SSMI in Ukraine.

The program has also produced unexpected spiritual fruit. Two former participants became priests, and two became SSMI Sisters.

For many children, the support meant more than receiving clothing, food, school supplies or other necessities. It meant knowing that someone remembered them and cared about their life.

“Sometimes hope begins with nothing more than knowing that someone remembers you,” Liuba said.

Shoeboxes for Saint Nicholas

The Shoeboxes for Sviatyi Mykolai program began through the initiative of Pani Vera Oszust, who organized volunteers to prepare and pack gifts for children.

The first shipment of shoeboxes was sent to:

• Chervonohrad Government Orphanage: 240 children, ages 5 to 17
• Lviv Orphanage No. 1: 120 children, ages 3 to 8
• Zalishchyky Internat: 140 children, ages 3 to 8
• Nadvirna Shkola Internat: 220 children, ages 5 to 17
• Perehinske Internat: 140 children with special needs
• Nadvirna Maliatko: 90 children, from newborns to five years old

Shoeboxes were also distributed to children living on the streets of Lviv and to children connected with Bridge of Hope centres.

During one visit to the Chervonohrad orphanage, a Grade 2 student told Liuba that he still had his shoebox, even though it was already May. He had hidden the box beneath his bed and was saving some of the candy inside.

The shoebox was one of the few possessions he could truly call his own.

More than 70,000 shoeboxes have been shipped through the program. With an average value of approximately $50 per box, this represents more than $3 million in gifts and support for orphaned and underprivileged children in Ukraine.

Summer camps

Bridge of Hope also helped children attend summer camps. In the early years, volunteers in Canada shipped sleeping bags, tents, plastic plates, bowls and other supplies so that children could camp outdoors and experience the joy of simply being children.

For many of them, summer camp was the only holiday they experienced during the year.

Liuba remembered one trip when Sister Arsenia took 20 children from a Bridge of Hope centre to Kyiv. They travelled by train with a large pot of soup and slept on the floor of a church basement. They prepared their own sandwiches and visited holy sites throughout the city.

The trip required courage and dedication, but many of the children continued to remember it for years afterwards.

Liuba estimates that more than $150,000 has been spent supporting children’s summer camps over the life of the program. Today, sending one child to a spiritual summer camp costs approximately $250.

Home of Hope

The Home of Hope was created for young women leaving orphanages at age 17 with nowhere to live and limited opportunities to continue their education.

Liuba was able to purchase an old home that had belonged to Alex Werner’s uncle. With a loan from the Edmonton Eparchy, the building was transformed into a permanent home for young women.

The fully furnished three-storey building, including fencing and landscaping, cost approximately $800,000 Canadian. The loan to the Eparchy was repaid three years ago.

Today, the Home of Hope provides a home for 23 young women and three SSMI Sisters who care for and support them.

A legacy measured in lives changed

During her anniversary remarks, Liuba shared the following figures from 25 years of Bridge of Hope:

• More than 3,000 children have participated in the Sponsorship Program.
• More than $1 million has been sent to Ukraine through child sponsorships.
• More than 70,000 shoeboxes have been shipped.
• Shoebox donations represent more than $3 million in gifts for children.
• More than $150,000 has supported children’s summer camps.
• The Home of Hope provides accommodation for 23 young women and three SSMI Sisters.
• The Home of Hope building cost approximately $800,000 Canadian.
• More than $5 million has been donated to Ukrainian children through Bridge of Hope programs under the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton.

These figures are significant, but Liuba emphasized that the true impact of Bridge of Hope cannot be measured only in dollars.

It can be measured in children who knew that someone cared, young women who were given a safe home, children who experienced their first holiday at summer camp, and former beneficiaries who went on to become priests, religious sisters, professionals and contributing members of Ukrainian society.

Gratitude for a shared mission

Liuba expressed her deep gratitude to the volunteers, families, organizations and supporters who made the work possible.

She remembered Alex Werner, Helen Filipowech, Joan Laskoski, John Mandrusiak, Frank Alore and others who helped build the mission and are no longer with us.

She also thanked her family, including Vlodko and Danielle, Andryj, Wanda, Kristine, Larissa, Maxim, Zoryana and Victoria; her sister Slavica and her husband Vlad; and Mariana Dublanko, who now leads sponsorship together with Danielle Kowalchyk.

Special thanks were offered to Irene O’Brien for maintaining the Bridge of Hope website and supporting graphic design, and to Wanda and Victoria Kowalchyk for organizing and shipping the shoeboxes.

Liuba also thanked the SSMI Sisters in Canada, the UCWLC Eparchial Executive and members, the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood of Canada, the Canadian Society of Ukrainians from Former Yugoslavia, the Ukrainian National Federation Women’s Organization, the Knights of Columbus and the Bishop Budka Society.

She expressed particular gratitude to Bishop David for his guidance, support and funding of the Bridge of Hope icon of St. Sophia and her daughters. She also thanked him for joining the 25th anniversary pilgrimage to Zarvanytsia, where they met children connected with Bridge of Hope.

Continuing to build the bridge

For 25 years, Bridge of Hope has connected the Ukrainian Catholic community in Alberta with children, families and young women in Ukraine.

The needs have changed over time. Poverty, displacement and limited opportunities continue to affect children and families, while Russia’s full-scale war has added fear, instability and trauma to the lives of many Ukrainians.

The work of Bridge of Hope continues to provide practical, emotional and spiritual support through the ministry of the sisters, the commitment of Canadian volunteers and the generosity of donors.

“Bridge of Hope was never the work of one person,” Liuba said. “It has always been the work of all of us.”

As the ministry looks to the future, its hope is that the children and young people who received support will carry that generosity forward into the next generation.

For 25 years, Bridge of Hope has carried compassion, faith, dignity and hope across the distance between Canada and Ukraine. May this bridge continue to serve children and families for many years to come.