Newtown 'Sunflowers' Campaign Supports Ukrainian Refugees

NEWTOWN, Pa. — A fundraising effort is underway in Newtown to assist 25 Ukrainian refugee children who are now attending class in the Council Rock School District.

The Newtown Rotary Club has teamed up with the Newtown Hardware House and Countryside Gallery for “Sunflowers For Ukraine,” which is raising support through the sale of posters, the auction of an original piece of artwork and a gift card collection campaign.

According to Rotarian Paul Salvatore, $25 gift cards to Wal-Mart and Target along with Visa Gift Cards can be dropped off during regular business hours at the Newtown Hardware House at 108 South State Street and at the Countryside Gallery at 2 South State Street.

In addition, the gallery will be selling “Sunflowers for Ukraine” posters for $15 each starting on Welcome Day, Sunday, June 26.

"So many people want to show that they stand with Ukraine and want to help out, but
just aren’t sure how to do that," said art teacher Bonnie Porter, who is organizing the poster sale. "The posters are an easy way for people to do both. Hanging the posters in a home, business, office space, or dorm is a nice way to show support, and at the same time the purchase of the posters helps the Ukrainian refugee children new to our area."

According to Porter, the gallery will also be auctioning off an original piece of art created by 39 Council Rock students and used to create the poster.

The original painting on canvas is 24"x 30" and would look beautiful in any home or business, said Porter. "It is definitely an attention getter. The colors are vibrant and uplifting, showing a bouquet of sunflowers in a blue glass vase with an impressionistic illustration of the Ukrainian flag in the background. It is signed on the back by all of the aspiring young artists."

The young artists, age 9-22, have all done a really nice job, and all coming together with such a wide range of ages and skill levels was a great example of teamwork, said Porter. Each spent about 10 minutes painting a sunflower petal or another part of the painting. "Everything came together really well," she said.

"The kids were all very happy to help with the painting. Every student can relate to the thought of being nervous about going to a new school, even just within the same school district," said Porter. "So, they can only imagine how refugee children must feel going to a new school in an entirely different country, where a different language is spoken. Some of the refugee students may not even have every member of their family with them. It all must feel so unsettling."

Proceeds from the sale of the posters and the auction of the original art will be used to purchase additional gift cards for the children and their families.

“We’re accepting gift card donations now, but we’re having our big kick off on Welcome Day. While you’re in town, you can buy the poster, make a bid on the artwork or donate gift cards,” said Salvatore.

“The beautiful thing is that the original art was done by the children of Council Rock and that it’s going to help their classmates,” said Salvatore. “The kids thought that was phenomenal when we told them what we were doing.

“These kids came here with virtually nothing but the clothes on their backs,” said Salvatore of the Ukrainian refugees. “One family literally walked from the Ukraine into Romania. They had nothing. Their fathers are all in the Ukraine. They had to stay and fight.

“Imagine if that were you and you had to leave your home, leave your father and husband and go to a strange country,” said Salvatore. “A lot of these kids had some traumatic experience. How can you not feel for the children? The least we can do is to help.”

Later in July, Salvatore said plans are in the works to organize a picnic for the kids and their mothers at Crossing Community Church.

Salvatore encourages everyone who reads this to help out.

“Think of it as an act of kindness for an individual you’ll never meet, but you know it’s going to make a world of difference in their lives.”

As the gift cards are being collected, they are being distributed to the refugee children through the school district’s social workers.

“They’ve seen the horrors of war. Now they need to see some kindness. They need to know that people care,” said Salvatore.