Community rallies together to bring Ukrainian family to Ellis County
- Charity Fitch
- Aug 21, 2023
- 4 min read
The Hubenia family, a Ukrainian family of seven, recently moved to Ellis County through the Uniting for Ukraine program, which allows Ukrainian citizens to come to the United States with the help of a financial sponsor in the U.S.
A member of Waxahachie Bible Church, who is also Ukrainian, approached pastor Bruce Zimmerman and his wife, Sheila, about sponsoring a Ukrainian family.
“He knew this gal 20 years ago when she was a little girl in their church,” Zimmerman said. “Now, she’s married and has five kids (four girls and one boy ages 5 to 12), and he wanted to know if we could be their sponsors.”
Before becoming sponsors, the Zimmermans supported different organizations in Ukraine like the Far East Broadcasting Company and Ukrainian churches.
“It was on our heart already, so when this opportunity came up, we prayed about it and felt like it was something we could do,” he said.
Once all the paperwork was filled out and processed, the Zimmermans were approved to be sponsors in just a few weeks.
Then, the preparations began.
As a sponsor, they had to find a place for the family to live, secure transportation for them, provide clothing, help them find employment, enroll them in English classes, help them find any needed medical services, welcome them to the United States at the airport, help them complete paperwork for a Social Security card and other services, enroll the children into school and more.
Zimmerman reached out to Waxahachie Bible Church and asked members to consider assisting in some way. An account was set up through Waxahachie Bible Church, where people could donate to help pay for the needs of the Hubenia family. Soon, people from across Ellis County were giving money, items, services and more.
“Other people got the word, and people gave money,” Zimmerman said. “They heard about it here in town, and it started spreading around.”
A church member had a rental home available and offered it to the family.
“It was completely furnished – bunk beds, beds, linens, everything,” he said. “People came by to go shopping to buy clothes when they came.”
For Christmas, people donated toys, and Waxahachie Care provided bikes for all the kids. Before going to the airport to pick them up, Zimmerman said he stopped by a greenery to pick up blue and yellow flowers, the color of the Ukrainian flag, so the home could be more welcoming. The greenery worker gave them blue and yellow pansies for free because he wanted to be a part of what they were doing.
“It’s just great to see other people get excited about it and invest all kinds of time,” Zimmerman said.
As the Hubenia family was flying into Dallas in November, community members were still painting their new home and adding finishing touches like planting the pansies and arranging the furniture and decorations.
Zimmerman, Sheila, and other members of the church, including a family with children around similar ages, welcomed the Hubenias to America at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Since the Hubenias arrived in America, the children have been enrolled at Red Oak ISD, and the family had medical checkups at Hope Health, an organization that provides healthcare services in Ellis County. Pavlo, the dad, got a job overseeing and taking care of the heavy equipment at a shop.
“After we got them settled in, my wife said to me, ‘I think that’s one of the best things we’ve ever done,’ ” Zimmerman said.
When Zimmerman recently asked Pavlo and Ina, parents of the Hubenia family, what else they needed, Ina responded, “My children are safe, that’s all I need.”
Uniting for Ukraine
Uniting for Ukraine was announced April 21, 2022, as a program to help “fulfill President Biden’s commitment to welcome Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion,” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.
It allows Ukrainian citizens to stay temporarily in the United States for a two-year period with the help of a U.S. citizen supporter, who provides them with financial support “for the duration of the stay in the United States.”
The supporter must file Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, with USCIS. After being vetted by the U.S. government that they have the means to financially support the individuals and will not exploit or abuse them, the Ukrainian beneficiary must confirm they complete all eligibility requirements.
Eligibility requirements, according to the Department of Homeland Security, for Ukrainians include:
Resided in Ukraine immediately prior to the Russian invasion (until Feb. 11, 2022) and were displaced as a result of the invasion
Are a Ukrainian citizen and possess a valid Ukrainian passport (or are a child included on a parent’s passport), or are a non-Ukrainian immediate family member of a Ukrainian citizen who is applying through Uniting for Ukraine
Have a supporter who filed a Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, on their behalf that has been confirmed as sufficient by USCIS
Complete vaccinations and other public health requirements, and
Clear biometric and biographic screening and vetting security checks
Once they’ve been approved, Ukrainians have 90 days to travel to a United States port of entry. The program allows them temporary stay in the United States for up to two years and makes them eligible to apply for employment authorization.
For more information about Uniting for Ukraine, visit https://www.dhs.gov/ukraine and https://www.uscis.gov/ukraine.
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