Charlotte for Ukraine: 1 year anniversary

(bells ringing) - [Jason] Creating unique sounds.

(singing in foreign language) Practicing those dance moves, and of course enjoying story time.

Just some of the things you'd expect to see at a daycare.

(speaking in foreign language) But if you listen, you'll hear a language that's most likely unfamiliar.

The language is Ukrainian, and it's being spoken at the Legacy European Academy at the Matthews United Methodist Church.

- We have created a Russian/Ukrainian daycare.

We created this to just keep our culture all together.

- [Jason] A good number of the 40 plus children who attend Legacy are Ukrainian refugees, having come to the United States over the last year since Russia's invasion.

(bomb explodes) - [Liliya] This is a safe place for kids, and we try to make them happy because they saw the war.

They came here so sad, so scared.

(bells ringing) - [Jason] Thanks in part to donations totaling more than $7,000, Legacy was able to provide summer day camps to 20 children for free.

But as news reports of the war have dwindled over the last year, so too have those donations.

- I take the kids for free in our daycare, at least for first month.

They came here with nothing.

- It breaks my heart that we can't help every single person.

It really does break my heart, and I just wish we had more budget and more donations to keep more children because they need it.

- [All] Stop their war!

Stop their war!

- [Jason] When the invasion first began, local Ukrainians gather in Romare Bearden Park to protest.

- [All] Save Ukraine!

Save Ukraine!

- [Jason] Among them, Marina Alexander, who immigrated to the United States from Ukraine 26 years ago.

- Most of our friends are Americans.

So when the war happened, it was like a punch in the gut.

It's very hard to explain.

It's almost like you start realizing that your entire childhood is being erased.

(smooth guitar music) - [Jason] An award-winning, classically trained guitarist, Marina began seeing some of the same people from Romare Bearden at other protests.

- And we just start noticing each other.

We start noticing people who are more active than others and we basically contacted each other on Facebook and decided to form a committee so our rallies could be more organized.

- [Jason] The newly formed committee named itself Charlotte for Ukraine, created social media platforms.

And before they knew it, refugees coming to the Queen's City started seeking them out.

- Because these people need help with absolutely everything.

Because of the language barrier, they need a lot of assistance.

- [Jason] They created the charlotteforukraine.org website, filled with information about local food banks, doctors' offices, finding places to live, daycare options like Legacy, and just general support.

And it's all run by local volunteers.

- [Marina] Because they're all eager to work.

But the problem is finding for them work.

So we're helping them.

We're contacting the local stores.

We talk to managers and see if they could take someone who doesn't speak great English yet.

- I'm really thankful for them because when we just arrived, I had some problems with my health, and they didn't, I didn't have health insurance.

And Marina and volunteers, they can find doctors who can help.

- [Jason] An estimated 300 to 400 Ukrainian families have come to the region over the last year.

Yulia Mikhachova and her 11-year-old daughter Ava went from Ukraine to Western Europe, Mexico, into the United States, first to Colorado, and then to Charlotte last summer.

- [Yulia] It's very difficult to start our life from the beginning.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Jason] Wanting to create a sense of community and fellowship, Charlotte for Ukraine in January brought together refugee families at the Plaza Midwood International & Cultural Center.

It was all part of a holiday celebration of the Orthodox Christmas and New Year.

- [Marina] So we all came together and decided to produce this party at no cost to kids.

So we looked for partners for sponsors, and they actually came through from Russian and Ukrainian community.

The business owners donated.

- [Jason] The holiday variety show featured everything from stories, singing, dancing, music, face painting, arts and crafts, toy balloons, baked goods, and even little ballerinas.

(bouncy upbeat music) All of it being done in an effort to bring just a little joy to people who've been through so much.

- Today is really like a fairy tale.

I remember these events, holiday events, Christmas events from Ukraine.

Yeah, because I was a vice principal in Kiev.

- I mean honestly, it's a huge stress relief to be able to help people.

Otherwise, you feel helpless.

You feel like you don't care.

You feel guilty.

You feel guilty for being here, for being safe, and those people are suffering.

- [Jason] For these Ukrainian refugees, nothing is familiar.

They're in a new country with new people, a new language, new city, new culture, new foods, new everything.

But in a way, they're the lucky ones.

- [Liliya] All my family lives there.

So my father, my stepmother, my brother, my sisters live in Ukraine, and they are still there.

They never moved.

- Our classmates are still in Ukraine, our friends.

My teachers are in Ukraine.

- [Jason] What those here have is safety, but still carrying the fear of the unknown for those loved ones still in Ukraine.

For "Caroline Impact," I'm Jason Terzis reporting.