Beaufort decided to help a Ukrainian city. Here’s how much it raised in 2 months
In March, Beaufort decided to help out a city in Ukraine as its citizens fought to repel an unprovoked invasion from neighboring Russian.
Beaufort plans to end the campaign at the end of April with $64,000 in the relief fund.
Of those funds, about half were donated by Thibault Gallery through the sale of pins and pendants honoring Ukraine’s yellow and blue flag.
Donations came in from around the country to benefit Ostroh, in western Ukraine.
Ostroh plans to use the money to help refugees it’s seeing from areas that are hard-hit by war. The money went to the city’s Pride of Place fund. Usually, donations to that fund are used for city projects such as playground equipment or other efforts to beautify Beaufort.
In mid-March, Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray reached out to Ostroh Mayor Yurii Yahodka to see how Beaufort might help. Donations, Yahodka said, would help Ostroh feed and offer shelter to refugees coming to Ostroh, and supply the military with various needs.
Shortly after the relief campaign began, Greg Rawls, who displays his work at Thibault Gallery on Bay Street, designed a blue and yellow glass pin that sells at the gallery for $20. When the campaign ends, the gallery will have donated $32,280 to the Pride of Place fund
Beaufort has transferred some funds to a special bank account that Ostroh has set up, the city says, and will transfer the rest at the end of the campaign. The city will keep the Pride of Place fund open for several more weeks to gather any last donations.
