The Owensboro Sister Cities and Regions (OSCAR) Board is now accepting donations for the newly established Ukrainian Relief Fund, and the local organization hopes to raise at least $30,000 to aid the refugees who have fled the country.
OSCAR President Michael Vanover said that through the partnership with Owensboro’s sister city Olomouc (located in the Czech Republic), they are looking to provide humanitarian aid to 50,000 Ukrainians who have sought shelter at the refugee camp established at Chernivtsi University in southwestern Ukraine.
“It has touched the hearts of every board member we have. Everybody on board is fired up about the idea of helping,” Vanover said. “What it’s going to do is it’s going to allow us to get closer to folks that are in need of help in Ukraine.”
Vanover said that Olomouc has provided shelter for more than 5,000 refugees — many of them women with small children. Many of the refugees are in the process of seeking a permanent VISA to allow them to reside in Olomouc indefinitely.
In honor of this year being the 30th anniversary of Owensboro as a member of the Sister Cities International, they want to raise $30,000.
Donations can be made at any Independence Bank location, or via Paypal here. Donations are tax-deductible as OSCAR is a 501(c)(3) organization.
