Peachtree Corners shows support for Ukrainians

Lights on the Pedestrian Bridge are shining blue and yellow in solidarity with a war-torn country half a world away.

Peachtree Corners has joined the throng of cities and governments throughout the world showing support for the country of Ukraine as is battles against an unprovoked invasion by Russia.

City officials unanimously agreed to shine the colors of the Ukraine flag on the pedestrian bridge.

“The reasons why we had the bridge built was to give people a sense of place,” said City Councilman Alex Wright. “When you see it, you know you’re in Peachtree Corners.”

But in designing the structure, the city had the foresight to add a feature that could make it even more special.

“There are four lanterns that can be lit with different colors to commemorate different events or holidays,” Wright said. “We used red and green around the end of the year and different groups have asked us to shine different colors like pink for breast cancer awareness.”

Although it was Wright’s idea to stand with the second largest country in Eastern Europe as it defends itself against the superpower, he admitted it was really a no-brainer.

“We built this to engage our constituents and from the reactions on social media, it looks like everyone agrees with our decision.”

Scores of passers-by have commented on the blue and yellow lights.

Wright disclosed that he has a personal reason too for wanting to advocate for the cause of freedom. His mother-in-law is a descendant of Ukrainian immigrants.

“That makes my wife and daughters all Ukrainian, too,” he said.

Local Ukrainian Faction

Familial ties with Ukraine are much more prevalent in this area than many would suspect.

Attorney Liliya Makhlaychuk-Sharma, a co-founder of Peachtree Corners-based law offices of Bair Wilson Sharma was born in the former Soviet Socialist Republic.

“I’m one of the lucky few in that my parents are here, and at least that part of the worry is a little bit easier on me. However, all the rest of my family and friends are still in Ukraine,” she said. “And as far as communication goes, it’s really it’s on and off. We kind of have to live by their schedule, because you never know when the air raid will begin again. So, they have to go into shelters. And obviously, the communication there is not great. They are also busy, busy saving their lives, busy watching what’s going on busy rebuilding little things, looking for food and everything.”

Even with spotty communication, Makhlaychuk-Sharma is overjoyed with the progress her countrymen are making.

“It’s definitely going bad for Russia, because as of the seventh day of the war, they lost more soldiers than in two years of the first war with Chechnya,” she said. “But we’re not overconfident. … And keep in mind that since the war started, there were 42 newborns. … Ukrainians are strong. Ukrainians keep going. But even when Ukraine wins, and when the war is over, we would need a lot of help on all fronts.”

How Can I Help?

Nataliia Onyskiv, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Georgia Branch which is headquartered in Peachtree Corners, said she’s heavily involved in passing along information about loved ones and raising funds and support for the war-torn country.

“Being in America, we do have ways to help. However, just shipping supplies is not the most effective way, because we are far away. … There are already established structured funds that have their volunteers in their warehouses on the border with Ukraine. So what we do here we as UCCA, we started a fundraiser on the first day and we transfer money as we receive them to this reliable foundation. And these foundations, they take care of the rest. They purchase everything they need, directly from factories and plants in Europe.”

With the conflict, there are already reported scams and Onyskiv wants donors to know their money is going to do some good.

“We offer one easy way so you can take your credit card or debit card and we collect money and direct it to the people who need it. The website is ukrainianatlanta.org.”

The organization has planned a “Stand with Ukraine” rally for noon Saturday near the CNN Center at the corner of Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park. There are several similar protests staged across the globe in the hopes that more countries will support Ukraine and force Vladimir Putin to call off his troops.

At last count, Onyskiv said there are nearly 20,000 Ukrainians in the state of Georgia. Her organization has several hundred active members, but after living under Soviet rule, many aren’t keen to “join” anything.

“We come together to enjoy our language and our culture,” said Makhlaychuk-Sharma. “We don’t force people like back in the days of the Soviet Union to ‘belong to the Communist Party.’”

The freedom and unity felt here in the United States is something both women hope their country can rebuild.

“We have a great and trustworthy government,” said Onyskiv. “We were in peace up until the invasion.”

While many are fleeing Ukraine for foreign borders, coming to this country isn’t an option for most.

“Unfortunately, there is no refugee war refugee status for Ukrainians right now in the United States. So, Ukrainian people cannot just come and claim refugee status. It’s not in place. And I’m not sure whether that’s going to be in place soon. So it’s not as easy,” said Makhlaychuk-Sharma.

But Onyskiv is hopeful that it will come about eventually.

“I received a lot of phone calls from American citizens. And I feel huge, huge help and support. People call and ask, ‘What can I do? How can I help?’ They offer their housing. And believe it or not, I have a note where I write down all the phone numbers, it looks it looks very messy, but I’m keeping track of every contact,” she said.

At the end of the day, Ukrainians near and far are uniting and are grateful for the worldwide efforts to keep them free from a Russian takeover. This area has shown that it is living up to the words of one of its greatest native sons.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Contact Ukrainian Congress Committee of America Georgia Branch: ukrainianatlanta.org, 404-259-0824 or 6460 Spalding Drive Suite B Peachtree Corners, GA 30092