'I knew he was the right candidate for it': Baba's Closet gives unique donation to 16-year-old Ukrainian refugee
Donations for Ukrainians have been pouring into a shop in Saskatoon offering free basics to those who have fled the Russian invasion, but one special donation struck a chord, prompting a search for the perfect recipient.
Sixteen-year-old Mykhailo Osadtsiv fled the war in Ukraine five months ago, leaving with only the essentials.
He was a student at a music school in his home country and is proficient in three instruments, one of those similar to the accordion. When he heard there was an accordion up for grabs at the store for displaced Ukrainians, he jumped at it.
“I found out on Facebook and I was so satisfied because I was searching for it for a long time. I wanted to buy one. I’m so grateful to Baba’s closet,” Osadtsiv told CTV News.
Baba’s closet is run by Nettie Cherniatenski who received the accordion donation and immediately started the hunt for the perfect recipient. She got dozens of inquiries, but Osadtsiv stood out.
“When he came in for the accordion I said, 'In order for you to take the accordion home I need to know you know how to play accordion',” Cherniatenski says.
Cherniatenski said she’s not a musician at all, so gathered an audience to help.
“He sat down and strummed at the keys there and I called all my volunteers from the back warehouse. They got their phones out and took photos and video,” she said.
She knew after the first few chords this accordion was going to Osadtsiv and admits it was emotional with many of those in the room holding back tears.
The decision to give it to the teenager was solidified not only because of his musical ability, but something else too.
“A young chap at the age of 16 to stand up and come to me and give me a big hug. I knew he was the right candidate for it.”
The store has also had donations of a drum set that she’s given away as well as a guitar that went to a 6-year-old boy. She said she has learned quickly how artistically talented many of the newcomers are.
Osadtsiv said the instrument that he played in Ukraine was called a bayan and has slightly different keys than the accordion, but after practicing about three times a week, he’s learned to adapt. With all that has happened to him this year, adapting is key.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.