Stories of Welcome
'If every church could sponsor just one person… what a difference it could make.'
September 03, 2024
An Indiana community embodies the spirit of welcoming
Three days after Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2022, Lesia Popovych, her husband Dmytro, and their two children fled their hometown of Kyiv. Their goal was to make it to the western border of the country near Poland, but with so many people fleeing, it took them five days to cross.
"After we crossed the border, we tried to stay close to the Ukrainian border, because at the time everyone was hoping everything would settle in 1 to 3 months," shared Lesia.
Prior to the start of the war, Lesia was on a three-year parental leave from her work at a bank while caring for her toddler while Dymtro worked in transportation logistics. But as the war continued, they realized they would not be able to return to the normalcy of the life that they had left behind.
They ended up in a Polish town near the border, however settling into a new routine was extremely difficult. A Russian rocket fell on the Polish side of the border about 12 miles from where the family was living, killing 2 Polish farmers. As time passed and they saw more rockets flying above, Lesia and Dmytro knew that they needed to make a change for the safety of their family.
After doing some research online, Lesia discovered Welcome Connect. She registered and created a profile in the spring of 2024, and shortly after, she connected with Angie Lee.
Angie, from Carmel, Indiana, has a history of opening up her home and heart to strangers who become like family.
“In the past, I sponsored an exchange student from Guatemala for 10 weeks. I sponsored a high school student from China for three years during COVID,” she shared.
When her son graduated from high school in May 2022, she became an empty nester. This is when she discovered Welcome Connect, seeing it as an opportunity to give back and help others. Angie shared she had “a big empty house” and was ready to put it to use.
I like to give back and help where I can, and this was an opportunity.
After some initial training, orientation, and additional research, Angie found the momentum to continue her sponsor journey. In March of 2024, she connected with Lesia on Welcome Connect. Lesia, who was now pregnant with her third child, shared with Angie that she and her husband were looking for a way out of Poland for their family. After hearing more about the family’s situation, and a few weeks of conversation on the platform, Angie agreed to sponsor the family in April of that year.
Once Angie and the Popovych family matched, the family’s travel authorization came in just 17 days. Angie then hit the ground running to prepare for their arrival, using her network and community support to secure an apartment and source furniture and other supplies.
“People just came out of the woodwork,” she said, “They were so generous. I got a bed, I got a dresser, I got a table. The community was super welcoming.”
The Grace Church in Noblesville, near Angie’s hometown, partners with Mission to Ukraine, an organization that provides humanitarian aid to women and children in Ukraine. Grace Church and Mission to Ukraine helped Angie cover some of the costs for the Popovyches’ initial resettlement needs and connected her to local Ukrainian families that could be a support system for the family once they arrived.
Although the Popovych family had found a sponsor, their challenges were not over. At nearly nine months pregnant, Lesia worried about flying, and finding an airline was proving difficult.
“Airlines were turning us down, not letting us fly out because they kept asking for more and more things from the doctor that I needed to get before [I could] fly,” Lesia said.
After finally being approved to travel, a nine-months pregnant Lesia, Dmytro, and their other two children arrived at the Chicago airport late on the evening of May 16, 2024. Angie drove three hours to welcome them at the airport and bring them to their new home in Carmel.
To support her sponsorship of the Popovych’s, Angie also received a matching grant that is offered to Welcome Connect sponsors through a Welcome.US partnership with GoFundMe.org. The matching grant “was a godsend for them” Angie said. With the funds that were raised and matched, the Popovyches were able to purchase a used minivan after they arrived. The family was used to the public transportation options in Europe, but in this small town in Indiana, public transportation options are sparse. With a working parent and three young children, the minivan provided the family with freedom and independence.
The Popovyches also received rideshare credits after they arrived through a partnership between Welcome.US and Lyft. Dmytro planned to work day labor jobs whenever he could and needed the minivan to get to work, so the Lyft credits were very helpful for Lesia to use to get to appointments and run errands.
“She will use [the Lyft credits] when he's at work. She's got a newborn now, and she's got to go to the doctor's office or she's got to get to the school with one of the kids. So I showed her how to install the app, and I showed her how to load the credits,” Angie said.
We're proud to support families like the Popovyches with ride credits. Reliable transportation is crucial, especially for families with young children. Our partnership with Welcome.US helps ensure they can get to work, appointments, and run errands with ease.
Less than a month after their arrival in the U.S., Lesia and Dmytro welcomed their third child, a baby girl.
“The community poured out with stuff for that baby,” Angie said. “That baby's got clothes till she's 4. We had furniture, cribs, bassinets, car seats. It really was amazing how generous people were with their things.”
Now, Lesia and Dmytro consider Angie part of their growing family as well.
“She became part of our family. We’re really good friends,” Lesia shared, “It's amazing really, to find somebody like that and they become your new member of the family.”
The community in Carmel truly understood the spirit of welcoming. Angie shared that whenever she had a need, the community stepped up and fulfilled it. She’s kept track of every person who has donated money or goods for the Popovych family, and Lesia has handwritten a thank you note for every single person.
I just couldn't imagine that there's such an open heart of people who will just help out of the goodness of their hearts to someone they [have] never met, they don't know.
Since welcoming the Popovych family, Angie has already begun the process of sponsoring two other families, one from Cuba and one from Nicaragua. She explains that she wants to continue to do this and help others.
“Especially in our current political climate it's just so rewarding to see people wanting to help other people,” she said.
Angie encourages others to take the leap and sponsor someone, especially if they have the support from their community. The Welcome.US website and sponsor Facebook group are incredible resources, she said.
“People will surprise you, and people will come through and help,” Angie said.
