BOISE, Idaho —
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Every morning when Julia Marten wakes up, she texts her family members in Ukraine to ask if they’re alive and well.
“And if I can’t hear from them, I’m crying on my knees,” Marten said, addressing the crowd of 40 people gathered in front of the Idaho State Capitol on Saturday for a rally to show solidarity with Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
Marten moved to Idaho 20 years ago, but she and her husband still have family in Ukraine who are fighting on the front lines or aiding those efforts, she said.
The Boise Bench Lions Club organized Saturday’s rally. Lions Clubs International is a philanthropic organization with local clubs in 200 countries, including Ukraine, said Jay Lugo, executive director of Envision, the club’s Boise sight and hearing clinic. One philanthropic effort the organization does is raising money to address humanitarian crises, and the local club is currently asking for donations that will be distributed to Ukrainian Lions clubs that are still in the country, according to an earlier statement from the Boise Bench Lions Club.
"Ukrainians want to live their lives, independent from Russian persecution and meddling," said Maryna Kucheriava, a Ukrainian exchange student who is currently attending Boise State University.
“Unfortunately, when you have such a strong neighbor who doesn’t recognize you as a nation, who possesses your culture, and jokes about your language, it’s impossible to live peacefully,” Kucheriava said.
“Why you need to support Ukraine: because it has not only a great land, picturesque places and ancient history, but also because we are a strong people who want to live peacefully, who want to have their own democratic country, who want to be a real European nation, who want to build a new society,” she said.
It is important to support people fighting for freedom around the world, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said at the event.
“While Ukraine is over 6,000 miles away, we stand together, in our commitment to peace and democracy and to self-government, recognizing that living with liberty, living with justice requires personal commitment, partnership, and frankly, everyday practice,” McLean said.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke virtually to U.S. Congress asking it to create a no-fly zone over the country, according to reporting from NPR. But the White House has expressed concern that doing so could escalate tensions between NATO members and Russia.
Kucheriava and Marten both made the case for closing the airspace above Ukraine as a way to help the Ukrainian people still in the country.
“We are not afraid of Russians,” Kucheriava said, “so don’t be afraid to secure our children, our civilians, to secure our skies.”
“Praying is the most powerful tool we have, but please close the skies over Ukraine in the name of Jesus Christ,” Marten said. “Please close the skies. We do not want those little kids dying anymore.”
Donations to the Boise Bench Lions Club can be mailed to Envision at 1090 N. Cole Road, Boise, 83704. The organization is a 501(c)3 organization, so donations are tax deductible, the statement said.
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press. Read more at IdahoPress.com
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