Sask. woman works to get her family out of Ukraine

A woman in Martensville is trying to get her family out of the warzone in Ukraine and into safety in Canada.

The community is rallying behind her efforts, raising thousands of dollars to cover travel costs.

“It’s really not a good situation in Ukraine right now,” Olga Vasyleha, who moved to Canada in 2008, told CTV News.

Vasyleha received a video of Russian tanks passing her mother’s home in Sumy, Ukraine.

She said her family now covers their windows with tinfoil, in hopes of going unnoticed during air raids.

“It’s scary,” Vasyleha said.

She’s hoping to get her mom, sister and niece to Martensville – but they’re under strict rules when it comes to leaving their homes.

“When they have a green light, they can move. They can’t go every day or whenever they want,” she said.

To add to the struggle, Vasyleha said cell service can be spotty and her calls often drop.

Vasyleha’s friend, Karen Sharpe, is hopeful and preparing for their arrival.

“We’ve started to fundraise in the community,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe has helped facilitate local donations, a dinner fundraiser and a Facebook auction – where people bid in the comments on donated items.

So far, the online auction has raised more than $6,000.

“I think it just brings it right home when there’s someone that you care about. The community has really rallied,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe said donations can be dropped off at her Saskatoon-based clinic, Thrive Hearing Solutions.

Vasyleha said she’s grateful and in awe of the generosity.

“Canadians really care about some who they’ve never met before, they just want to help,” she said.

On Monday, about 100 displaced Ukrainians arrived in Edmonton.