'Little actions can have big effects'

Tetiana Piskun was grateful for the opportunity to enjoy a day not focused on watching and listening to news coverage of the Russian invasion of her homeland in February.

Instead, she proudly displayed her oil paintings and handmade clothing crafted with silk impregnated felt fabric at a local community hall near her new home.

Piskun, a permanent resident in Canada, arrived in Tremont, Kings County, in December 2021 from the city of Lyman, Donetsk Province, in Eastern Ukraine. She is living in the home of her sponsors.

Recently, Piskun joined in a yard sale fundraiser at the Three Rivers Community Centre in Torbrook. The event was a co-operative effort by the hall’s board and the Torbrook Mines United Church. Church members offered tables full of baked goods and other homemade food items for sale. The community centre donated the proceeds from renting tables to vendors participating in a community yard sale.

With the assistance of a translator, Piskun said she was overwhelmed when she learned the community joined together to raise money for humanitarian relief in Ukraine.

She said she became emotional describing to people in the community the area where she is from in Ukraine and her family’s situation since the invasion. Some family members she had to leave behind are waiting for permission from the Canadian government to follow her.

She said she looks forward to the day her mother and sisterin-law join her in Tremont.

Her uncle also wants to come to Canada. Her three brothers are required to remain and fight.

Piskun said she appreciates the welcoming attitude of the community.

“The area is very open and kind people,” Piskun said. “I like Canada. I like the people in Canada.”

Homer Noble is the board chair of the community hall and a member of the Torbrook Mines United Church. During an interview, Noble said $1,128 was raised from the event and will be donated to Red Cross Humanitarian Relief in Ukraine.

Noble said many visitors to the yard sale offered to donate their change when making purchases from the church’s food tables.

“They said, ‘Keep the change because this is a very good cause. We are glad you are doing this.’”

Noble said it could be unnerving and stressful to learn of the extent of the humanitarian need caused by the war in Ukraine. But residents of the small rural community are joining together to do what they can to address this problem.

“It gives a sense of empowerment. I think ordinary people living in ordinary communities have the same concern about these issues as anybody else. They have people power,” Noble said.

Amy Klein of Torbrook Mines is the secretary of the Three Rivers Community Centre board.

“We are happy we had such a good turnout. We would like to play our small part in a big issue,” Klein said. “Little actions can have big effects. It might just be a small amount of money, but if other community halls and other events raise a little here and there, it could make a difference.”

Piskun continues to listen to the news every day about what is happening near her home in eastern Ukraine. The region has been embroiled in conflict since 2014. The conflict intensified with the Russian invasion of the country in mid-February.

Piskun said she is worried about her family and friends. She also worries about her dog Mousa and her cat, simply named Kit, the Ukrainian word for cat.

She said she couldn’t rescue her pets because regulations around vaccinations required her to leave them behind. Unfortunately, they became lost during the confusion caused by armed conflict in the area.

In Tremont, however, Piskun is comforted by regular visits from several deer, which come right up to her house. A sight rarely seen in the war-torn area around her home in Lyman.

Piskun said she had seen raccoons through the window in Tremont.

“They are so cute,” she said, almost giddy.

She has visited Halifax, Lunenburg and areas around the Bay of Fundy.

Piskun is happy to be on the path to Canadian citizenship.

She is inquiring about having the bachelor in psychology degree she earned in Ukraine recognized in Canada. In the meantime, Piskun hopes to support herself with income from her art and crafts business.

She said she has made it a priority to improve her English skills.

Piskun said she has a great life here in Nova Scotia. She said it is a peaceful life, far away from any conflict.

Information about Tetiana Piskun’s art is available on Instagram at Piskun Artistic Arts.