Five months after fleeing Europe and moving in with the Winters on St. Joseph Island, the Balievs have secured full-time jobs and a new car thanks to the generosity of residents throughout the area
A Ukrainian family who fled their homeland and moved in with a couple on St. Joseph Island has come a long way since arriving in the area last August.
Dmytro and Oksana Balieva, along with their 12-year-old daughter Varvara, moved in with St. Joe couple Richard and Dolores Winter last summer, each carrying just one suitcase of clothes and personal belongings with them.
Using Google translate, SooToday caught up with the family to see how they’re doing.
“A lot of people found out about them after the first article,” says Richard Winter. “When they read the story, everyone wanted to help.”
The Winters say residents of Sault Ste. Marie, Blind River and everywhere in between are constantly checking in on the family to help what they can.
“A lot of people can’t host a family but will donate other things to help,” says Richard.
From cash and gift cards to household items and food, locals are stepping up with gifts and donations of all sizes.
Last week, the Balievs got an unforgettable surprise when a St. Joe family gave them a car, along with a year’s worth of car insurance and winter tires.
“We were shocked and couldn’t believe it,” says Oksana Balieva. “We are very grateful to everyone, even for the smallest help. This is wonderful.”
Dmytro now has a G1 driver’s license and can drive his new vehicle as long as Richard or Dolores accompanies him.
The father will soon be able to get his full license after completing a 30-hour online course and 10 hours of driving lessons.
“It creates a little more freedom for everyone,” says Richard. “This car will be a big help to everyone. They will be able to drive straight to work.
Since September, Dmytro and Oksana have been working full-time at Birchland Plywood in Solon.
The job includes several benefits, and their employer has been very accommodating to their unique needs, such as translating their WHMIS training into Ukrainian for them.
“In the early days, many colleagues downloaded a translation for themselves,” says Dmytro.
“The people there are very nice,” adds Oksana.
Meanwhile, Varvara is in the 7th grade at CASS and feels more and more comfortable with the new atmosphere.
“I do well in school,” she says. “The teachers and classmates there are very nice and friendly. Even a few teachers make fun of me.”
Playing in the basketball and volleyball teams, Varvara already has the chance to participate in several tournaments.
“It’s a lot of fun,” she says. “I made a lot of friends.”
Back home, the Baliyevs describe the situation in Ukraine as heartbreaking, with family and friends scattered across Europe.
“I have no relationship with my father, I don’t know anything about him at the moment,” says Oksana. “The city he lives in was captured by Russia.
“Dmytro’s sister is in Germany – everything is fine with them. Dmytro’s parents are safe in Russia. Their apartment burned down and they have nowhere to go back.
Although the situation at home is dire, the Balievs continue to make special memories in Canada.
Last month they got to experience their first Canadian Christmas as a family and it was certainly one to remember.
“Our Christmas was spent in a warm family atmosphere,” says Oksana. “We enjoyed decorating the house and the Christmas tree and had a delicious holiday dinner. This is how the holiday should be.”
“Richard and Dolores went above and beyond to make sure we had that Christmas magic, and it worked out in the best possible way,” she adds. “They have a lot of friends who have been nice to us too.”
“I’ve never seen so many Christmas presents under our tree this year,” says Richard. “You can see the water in the eyes when they get some things. They just kept saying ‘why’ and it’s because people want to help.”
“Everyone was so generous,” adds Dolores. “It was really heartwarming.”
The Baliyevs have been in contact with several other Ukrainian families living in the area through Facebook and WhatsApp groups and ran into several of them at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Sault.
The Winters say they are also pleased with how well the Balievis are adapting to the English language.
“We try to emphasize English as much as possible,” says Richard.
“It’s great to see them progressing in Canada,” adds Dolores. “I’m very proud of them and they’re doing a very good job.”
Richard and Dolores agreed that the Balievas were visibly more comfortable and “at home” compared to SooToday’s first visit in August.
What hasn’t changed since the first visit, however, is the genuine love and appreciation that can be felt between the two families.
“We don’t think of them as strangers, they’re our family,” says Dolores.
“People asked me who they were, and I answered ‘refugees from Ukraine.’ But now I’m starting to say, “they’re my extended family.” We are very happy they are here,” adds Richard.
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