Honokaa is 12,454 miles away from Ukraine, but the two places have a new connection thanks to a generous community.
Honokaa is 12,454 miles away from Ukraine, but the two places have a new connection thanks to a generous community.
Margarita Obodovska has recently moved from Alexandria, Ukraine to Hawaii Island with her two daughters, Daria and Yelyzaveta, while her husband is still fighting at home.
On Friday, she and the girls were welcomed to the island with a special lei greeting by the Honoka‘a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, and treated to a shopping spree in the temple’s thrift store.
Obodovska was joined by her sister, Olena, who has lived on the island for the past three years.
The Obdovska ‘ohana is one of the five Ukranian families that the Peace Committee is assisting, along with two others in Ukraine, and one each in Poland and Czechoslovakia.
Last week, concurrently with Buddha’s Birthday Party, they raised over $3,000 with a silent auction and voluntary donations. All the money was sent directly to the families.
“Having one of the families on the Big Island is wonderful, because now we can give them better support as well as friendship,” said organizer Miles Okamura.
Margarita and her daughters have been impressed and have felt welcomed during their experience in Hawaii. They noted that the weather is always warm to go along with a warm, familial environment.
