An unknown type of fire next to a vehicle in the parking lot of Tim Horton's in the City of Batavia has been reported by law enforcement.
City Fire dispatched.
UPDATE 10:33 p.m.: The transmission of City Fire reporting what it found was garbled, and City Fire is back in service.
If your child has visions of skimming the ice, hockey stick in hand, in a mad dash to slide a puck into the net, that vision can become reality — and for free, Sharon Valyear-Gray says.
As coordinator for the Try Hockey For Free program, Valyear-Gray encourages families of kids ages 4 to 9 to visit the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena from 11:40 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. this Saturday and give it a whirl. All they need to get started is a hockey or bike helmet and winter gloves. Free rental skates and the introductory lesson are free.
“The Event is a part of USA Hockey Week Across America with the support of the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs, among others, and is designed to provide youth hockey associations with a national platform for introducing children to the sport, free of charge,” Valyear-Gray said Wednesday. “It is hosted by the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association and we have participated every year except two during Covid.”
She is a bit disappointed with a total registration of about 20 kids so far, as the sport and this opportunity have usually drawn more interest, Valyear-Gray said. Prior years (since its inception in 2010) have usually meant 25 to 35 youngsters slapping hockey pucks around and learning to balance on thin skate blades.
As a core member of Friends of the Rink, Valyear-Gray has been coordinator of this free hockey program for six years, and has more rcently been working with Matt Gray, operator of the McCarthy arena. He hosted an open house in late September so that folks could see the improvements taking place inside the Evans Street facility.
There’s a newly opened snack shop and other upgrades to check out. Gray’s list of current and future work includes replacement of most fixtures for the concession area, upgrading surfaces for a “warmer and inviting space” to serve as a party room, installation of new LED lights throughout the facility, adding new inventory of roller and inline skates for summertime public use, making improvements to the audio/visual system, and expanding the food stand with dedicated seating in a sports bar concept.
Another plus is that this weekend’s participants will be working with Lead Coach Erik Triftshauser and Fred Hamilton – both who have more than 25 years of experience, she said.
“They will be on the ice with many of the present United high school players,” she said. “Several present and past coaches also show up to participate as they believe in the event and enjoy the time with youngsters and experience their enthusiasm for hockey.”
“I believe strongly in the event and still have four grandchildren playing within the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association organization,” she said. “Up until two years ago, I had six playing hockey. I realize that there are still many sports still active currently, such as football and soccer that many youngsters are still participating in.”
So why would families want to attend this Saturday? Kids will learn how to skate, to get up after falling, get some basic skills with a hockey stick, shooting pucks into a hockey net, and all with no monetary investment, she said. Although the program is geared for ages 4 to 9, some participants have been up to 12 years old.
“We look forward to welcoming families to David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena to try our great sport of ice hockey,” she said. “Our goal is for these families to enjoy watching their kids learn new skills with big smiles on their faces.”
Interested? You can pre-register at TryHockeyForFree.com. Use the 14020 zip code when registering. Walk-ins are also welcome to join, she said. If parents have questions, contact Valyear-Gray at svgray@rochester.rr.com or call 585-344-2248.
File photo from the 2016 Try Hockey For Free program, by Howard Owens.
Kristopher Kelly and staff celebrated the opening of the second Ascension Outpost location this week at 12 Center St., Batavia.
The shop offers several services, including psychic readings, reiki healings, integrated energy therapy, past life readings, Shamanic healings and an emotional code work/subconscious reprogramming through Theta reprogramming.
Kelly is a certified Reiki Master, IET attuned and certified, a ThetaHealing practitioner, a certified reverend and a psychic medium who now owns two metaphysical stores, one each in Batavia and Attica.
He offers readings, healings and classes, with a focus to teach others how to “develop their intuition, heal and connect with the other side.”
Kelly started developing his skills and became Reiki attuned two months after getting clean, he says. He has healed his body from a traumatic accident and overcome mental illness, and it is his mission to make this form of healing available to those in need.
Hours at the Batavia site, located in Glass Roots, are noon to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. He encourages folks to feel free to stop by and chat or ask questions about the services offered.
Top Photo of Megan Dysinger, Kristopher Kelly, Sierra Browne and Betsy Marshall celebrating the opening of Ascension Outpost at 12 Center St., Batavia. Photos above are various items available for purchase at the shop, including jewelry and crystals. Photos courtesy of Katy Hobbs.
The annual Batavia Boys Youth Basketball Camp begins Saturday with slots available for groups of grades 1-2, 3-4, and 5-6.
The training sessions will be held at John Kennedy School in the gym (use the door by the bus circle).
The program will include instructions on the fundamentals of basketball, drills, contests, relays, and games will be played.
There is no cost.
Instructors this year are Batavia JV Coach Dave Pero and Batavia Modified Coach Greg Mruzcek.
Classes will be held Saturday and on Nov. 19, 26, Dec. 3, 10, and 17.
Class times:
For more information and to register, email mbrasky@bataviacsd.org
Press release:
Quicklee’s Convenience Stores, headquartered in Avon has opened three level 3 DC Fast Charge, charging stations for electric vehicles, at their Batavia, Belmont, and Avon Travel Center locations. The charging stations were manufactured by Chargepoint, one of the largest Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and open charging network providers in the industry.
“As a community-focused organization, we have to pay attention to and be prepared to help address the needs of our customers, and the communities we serve.” Said Ken Perelli, Quicklee’s VP and COO, adding, “Electric vehicles are growing in demand, and our customers, as well as travelers passing through, need and want convenient places to stop and charge up.”
To aid in the rollout of the charging stations, Quicklee’s partnered with the Power Management Company of Victor, NY. Together they identified which locations would be ideal for the EV charging infrastructure. Power Management provided Quicklee’s a turnkey solution on the project, including design, installation, incentive coordination and commissioning services.
“We are proud to partner with Quicklee’s on their venture to offer electric vehicle fueling across their portfolio of convenience stores and fueling stations.” Stated Michael J. Hedges, Quicklee’s Energy Advisor and VP of Sales at Power Management Company. “Quicklee’s put forth considerable time, effort, and financial resources to start building out EV charging infrastructure for the benefit of the communities they are a part of.”
The new charging stations are part of a network of over 200,000 charging ports globally. The ChargePoint units deployed can offer up to 125kW charging capacity, and a majority charge to vehicles within 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the make and model of the electric vehicle. The chargers are app-driven, making planning and payment easy for travelers.
“Range anxiety, or worry stemming from how long your charge will last, is a real concern for many EV owners.” Said Hedges. “Power Management commends Quicklee’s in their dedication to serving the under-developed EV infrastructure market and doing their part to improve convenience for EV drivers on main thoroughfares in New York State.” He continued.
“We are one of the first retail operators in the Upstate NY area to really start focusing on making charging easier for those traveling through.” Added Perelli, continuing, “By investing now we are helping to eliminate concerns, while also investing in the area we love by building out an EV infrastructure that will help benefit it for years to come.”
Quicklee’s leadership team continues to evaluate locations for new chargers, with possible destinations throughout their service territory from Buffalo to Syracuse. Tesla charging adapters will be available at locations with charging stations soon.
Through their partnership with Power Management, Quicklee’s is evaluating the energy needs of electric power commercial fleets, and ways to integrate future faster-charging technologies. For more information about Quicklee’s and the chargers and these locations, please visit www.quicklees.com.
Submitted photo.
After pleading guilty to a drug-dealing charge and then getting arrested on a weapons possession felony, Tarrence Y. Williams wanted a new attorney, one he thought could help him get a plea bargain that consolidated his cases.
Judge Melissa Lightcap Cianfrini granted Williams' request on Oct. 18 to change attorneys even though District Attorney Kevin Finnell said he saw no grounds for letting Williams withdraw his prior guilty plea.
Williams was back in court today for sentencing on the drug conviction, but Finnell was called away on other business so Cianfrini granted a request by Fred Rarick, the assigned counsel now representing Williams, to adjourn the sentencing.
He is awaiting a response from Finnell on whether Finnell is willing to reduce the felony weapons charge -- criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree -- to a misdemeanor.
That would be a significant change. Cianfrini noted today that since the second alleged felony occurred while the defendant was waiting for sentencing on a prior felony conviction, she would have no choice but to sentence him to consecutive terms on the two convictions.
Williams pled guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance third, following an arrest on drug-dealing-related charges in December.
On Sept. 30., Williams was arrested again after Batavia city patrol officers responded to a report of shots fired on Ellicott Street. Williams was taken into custody after a foot pursuit and a weapon was reportedly found under a bush near the M&T Bank branch off Court Street.
Williams was then charged with criminal possession of a weapon second, a Class C felony, and criminal possession of a weapon fourth, a Class A misdemeanor.
The case was continued to 11 a.m. Dec. 6, and Cianfrini kept his bail at the previous $50,000 cash, $100,000 bond, or $200,000 partially secured bond.
A jury has convicted Robert L. Williams of two counts of animal cruelty for pouring some sort of corrosive agent on two dogs in January 2021.
They also found Williams guilty of two counts of criminal mischief 4th.
The animal cruelty convictions come under New York's Ag and Markets Law so the maximum sentence Williams faces is two years local confinement in the Genesee County Jail. He can't be sent to prison on the conviction. The maximum sentence for criminal mischief convictions is one year in jail.
Assistant District Attorney Robert Zickl, who prosecuted Williams, said nobody saw what Williams poured on the dogs, and Williams has denied the conduct, but the physical evidence supports the prosecution's theory of the case.
One dog sustained burned fur and skin. The other dog's eyes were burned. Both dogs have made a full recovery, Zickl said. The dog with the burned eyes shows no ill effects.
The dogs belonged to the girlfriend of a person Williams was living with at the time of the incident.
Shawn R. Wisniewski, 33, no permanent address, is charged with grand larceny 3rd, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and burglary 3rd. At 7:29 a.m. on Oct. 25, police received a report of a suspicious person in a parking lot on Bank Street. A male was reportedly trying to get into vehicles. A short time later, police received a report of a vehicle being stolen from the parking lot. A vehicle matching the description of the stolen vehicle was spotted traveling westbound on West Main Street in the area of Denny's. The vehicle failed to stop for patrols. After the pursuit was terminated, the vehicle was located in East Pembroke along with a suspect, who was identified as Wisniewski. Through an investigation, officers came to believe that Wisniewski also broke into an office on Washington Avenue prior to the stolen vehicle report. He was arraigned in City Court and ordered held on $25,000 bail, $50,000 bond, or $100,000 partially secured bond.
Ronnie Kevin Johnson, 52, of Federal Drive, Batavia, is charged with rape 1st (forcible compulsion), unlawful imprisonment 2nd, menacing 2nd, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance 4th. Johnson was arrested by the Sheriff's Office on an arrest warrant on Oct. 27. He was charged following an investigation by Deputy Zach Hoy, Deputy Ayrton Blankenberg, Investigator Chad Minuto, and Investigator Ryan Delong. The Sheriff's Office release states the date and time of the alleged incident is 6:28 p.m. Oct. 27 and the location as Park Road. Johnson was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and ordered held without bail.
John Sumlin III, 43, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd and criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Sumlin is accused of striking a woman in the neck during an argument at 1:46 a.m. Oct. 23, at a location on West Main Street, Batavia. Sumlin was arraigned in City Court and released on his own recognizance.
John Sumlin III, 43, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with burglary 1st, criminal contempt 1st, criminal mischief 1st, assault 3rd, and menacing 2nd. Sumlin is accused of unlawfully entering a residence on West Main Street at 5:36 a.m. on Oct. 23. While in the residence, he allegedly held a knife to the neck of a woman and threatened to kill her and her children. He then allegedly broke the television. He was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and ordered held without bail.
Linda L. Betties, 59, of Batavia, is charged with trespass. Betties is accused of trespassing on property at 10:25 a.m. on Oct. 24 that she had been barred from on Cherry Street, Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Brian M. Raphael, 34, of Batavia, is charged with failure to appear. Raphael was arrested on two warrants for alleged failure to appear on an appearance ticket. Raphael was arraigned in City Court and ordered held on $5,000 bail, $10,000 bond, or $25,000 partially secured bond.
James A. Colantonio, 53, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Colantonio was arrested following an argument with a co-worker reported at 2 p.m. on Oct. 23 at a location on West Main Street, Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Kyle J. Schroeder, 25, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 4th. Schroeder is accused of damaging property at a business on Jackson Street, Batavia, at 12:20 a.m. on Oct. 1. Schroeder was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision.
Isaiah L. Poole, 22, of Albion, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Poole was arrested on a warrant, arraigned and ordered held on bail.
Johnnie M. Waston, 39, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 3rd. Waston is accused of damaging the property of another person on North Spruce Street at 8:13 a.m. on July 21. He was arraigned in City Court on Oct. 21 and ordered to reappear on Nov. 10. Waston was also arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a prior charge.
Joseph T. Martino, 30, no permanent address, is charged with burglary 3rd and grand larceny 4th. Martino is accused of entering a business with the intent of committing a crime on East Main Street at 6:58 a.m. on Oct. 9 and then stealing merchandise worth more than $1,000. Martino was arraigned in City Court and jailed on $5,000 bail, $10,000 bond, or $20,000 partially secured bond.
Lance Marquette Mercado, Sr., 32, of Vine Street, Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment 2nd. Mercardo is accused of repeatedly calling another person, threatening physical harm, and causing the victim to fear for his or her safety. The incident was reported at 5:38 p.m. on Oct. 29. Mercado was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and ordered to return at a later date. Mercado is also charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Mercardo was arrested by Deputy Zachary Hoy following a report on Oct. 29 at 6:44 p.m. at a location on Dodgeson Road, Alexander. Mercado was located at another location, roadside, on Dodgeson Road and interviewed. He was allegedly found in possession of knife knuckles.
Rebecca Lee Gugel, 38, of Route 5, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass 2nd. Gugel is accused of knowingly entering a residence with no right to do so on East Bethany Le Roy Road, Bethany, on Oct. 22 at 11:25 a.m. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Nickolas Adam Figlow, 20, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief 4th and harassment 2nd. Figlow is accused of damaging a victim's vehicle and of following the victim to Walmart on Oct. 27 at 10:30 p.m. Figlow was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and ordered to return on Nov. 15.
James M. Dimatteo, 42, of Barre, is charged with DWI. Dimatteo was stopped at 9:58 a.m. on Oct. 28 by State Police in the Town of Elba. Dimatteo was released to a third party.
State Police are looking for a person in connection to the theft of a wallet from a shopping cart at the Batavia Walmart on Oct. 27.
Troopers would like to identify the woman in the photo.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to call (585) 344-6200.
Costumed ghouls, princesses, and superheroes took to the streets by 5 p.m. Monday, after several others enjoyed a work day of costumed fun.
Some places reserved their festivities for the actual holiday — versus many that happened during the weekend — including a trunk or treat at Grace Baptist Church on Vine Street, and a Fall Festival party at City Church’s St. Anthony’s site on Liberty Street.
Of course, dozens of homes also opened their doors to giggling trick-or-treaters that seemed to be out in fewer numbers this year. Some households reported handing out less candy -- up to 50 percent less -- and online posters echoed the sentiment of disappointment that so few kids visited them. And that meant, for better or worse, more leftover Twizzlers, Snickers, fruit chews and the like.
Perhaps all of those other events -- haunted houses, trunk or treats, hay rides, carnivals -- on Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- tuckered everyone out.
Genesee County and City of Batavia staff members felt the fun spirit during the day, dressing up in assorted themes of Old MacDonald had a Farm and 101 Dalmatians, plus a nun, skeleton, hotdog, and even a ladybug graced Ctiy Hall.
Referee Tammi Ferringer (aka assistant county manager) called the shots in the absence of County Manager Matt Landers, who no doubt was sprucing up the decor at his house during the Human Services meeting.
Top photo of trick-or-treaters on Ellicott Avenue in Bataiva, by Howard Owens.
Photos from Genesee County and City of Batavia online sites. Photo of Tammi Ferringer, above, by Joanne Beck.
Ellicott Avenue was on Monday night, what it is every year, the hottest ticket in town for filling baskets with Halloween treats.
City Church hosted a Fall Festival at its St. Anthony's campus on Liberty Street on Monday, with activities, games, a hay ride, a bounce house, face painting, candy and grilled cheese.
There was a cute petting zoo at one house on Allanview in Batavia Monday evening.
However, the creatures looked like they hadn’t eaten in a while — they were nothing but bones.
The display was part of a Landers’ family Halloween extravaganza. From the front archway, towering villain, graveyard, and seasonal blazing orange and purple hues, the county manager’s home screamed all hallow’s eve.
“We’ve been doing it for years, my daughter’s 16 now, and we probably started it 10 years ago when she was six,” Landers said as darkness fell Monday. “I was actually thinking of scaling back, and the kids said no, dad, you’ve gotta do it.”
Placing blame on the kids aside, Landers admitted that he’s “a Halloween nut too.”
“I love all the scary movies, I love the genre in general, I’ve got to admit,” he said.
Although he didn't don a monster mask to coordinate with the outside setup, he and wife Melissa took a peaceful dive back to the Summer of Love with tye-dye, headbands and free-flowing hair for both.
Photos by Howard Owens.
An airplane with a flat tire is stuck on the runway at the Genesee County Airport.
Town of Batavia Fire dispatched.
UPDATE 8:27 p.m.: The Town of Batavia chief is clearing the scene at the airport. "They're all set here," he reports.
Photo by Kristin Smith, North Byron Road, Elba.
Photo by Tom Tharp.
Crosby's convenience stores have apparently become the target of burglars after closing hours recently.
The most recent burglary was at 12:05 a.m. on Saturday at the Crosby's on Clinton Street Road, Batavia. The store closed at 10 p.m. on Friday night.
A source said it doesn't appear that anything of value was taken, but the burglars did make a mess of the store.
The State Police are investigating the Batavia burglary, said Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Joseph Graff.
He confirmed there was also a burglary at the Crosby's in Elba on Oct. 23, which is under investigation by the Sheriff's Office, and in Albion on Oct. 22.
"Preliminary indications all look to be similar MOs," Graff said.
As Alina Kovalenko and her daughter Vlada settled onto a comfy-looking couch bathed in soft blush lighting from a nearby lamp, it was hard to imagine the terror and destruction that surrounded them not long ago.
Alina had been teaching English at a university, and her teenage daughter was finishing high school with a goal to study languages — English, French and Dutch — in college. Their lives were flowing along as Russia placed troops in Belarus, and by February, fighting began in eastern Ukraine.
Amidst the shock of Russia’s infiltration and gradual obliteration within sections of Ukraine territory, Alina still didn’t quite believe that it would reach her beloved hometown of Kharkiv. It was her 17-year-old daughter who kept up-to-date with friends and began to give mom nudges that they should move.
After weeks of disbelief that military maneuvers and bombings were heading their way, the pair eventually — and reluctantly — left their homeland in search of peaceful existence. They went to Poland but realized that, since Poland had assisted Ukraine, it was not a safe country either.
Meanwhile, Art and Carla Wahls were sitting in their Batavia home’s living room in April watching television.
“We saw things on TV about the war. And then one night there was a piece on that President Biden was saying that he was going to allow at least 100,000 Ukrainians come to the United States through the United for Ukraine program,” Carla said during an interview with The Batavian. “So we're watching that, and Art turned to me, and he said, ‘we need to do something. We need to help.’ And we started the search process to find the perfect family.”
Alina’s disbelief was further validated by her parents, who felt that it was going to be ok for them to stay, even though her brother encouraged Alina to keep her car full of “petrol” and have a backpack filled with necessities at the ready. The sounds of bombs grew ever closer, and Ukraine residents’ lives changed into that of a fugitive — sleeping in their clothes, having the backpack nearby, and ready to run at a moment’s notice.
Of course, unlike a criminal fugitive, Alina, Vlada and their family and friends had done nothing wrong. Vlada kept asking her mom if they could move far from the violence, and there came a point when the worried mom conceded.
They had a curfew not to be outside from 4 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day, and shopping lines were very long due to the short amounts of time they had to get somewhere and back before 4. Roads were dangerous, with officials checking for valid passports and Russian soldiers shelling the town.
“It was first a shock to see shelled cars in Kharkiv,” Alina said. “It was surrounded by Russians. I didn’t want to believe it would be as bad as it was.”
They moved to Poland, but Russian troops were getting ever closer to the country, so — with Vlada’s prompting — Alina decided it was time to seek safety farther away.
“Children shouldn’t see this all. Vlada was afraid all the time,” Alina said. “I told her ‘if you wish, you can try.’”
So Vlada researched online, and Carla was also doing her research, and they eventually got connected through Icanhelp.com. After registering, the Wahls received “a plethora of people looking for help,” Carla said, but many of them had the money and means to move. They were just looking for a United States citizen to host them. So she sifted through applicants as Vlada looked at profiles, and they eventually met via Zoom.
“So we were afraid that if the worst comes to the western part of Ukraine, they could easily (cross the border) and come to Poland. My brother, he’s a military soldier, they're in Kharkiv and our family friend, Stas, he's also there and he protects all this, but I also didn't believe that there are some people who can give you housing, who can give you financial support and mental support and any kind of support,” Alina said. “After the first (Zoom) video, I say no. It’s a huge responsibility that people have to take.”
But as they talked, some patterns arose. Alina is close in age to the Wahls' daughter Andrea. Arthur was Alina’s brother’s name and that of Carla’s husband. Both Art Wahl and Alina’s dad were mechanics. These little details slowly forged a trust between them that this relationship was meant to be.
The women’s English was fairly good, and Carla has been giving them further help. Vlada is studying at the university online — beginning at 1 a.m. to coordinate with Ukraine time — and taking dance, playing acoustic guitar and writing songs about the war.
“You can’t understand what she’s saying, but you understand the feeling,” Carla said.
Vlada displayed an obvious spark of enthusiasm for acting, singing, playing piano and guitar and dancing.
“My soul is music,” she said, sharing one possible goal. “Maybe working in the theater.”
It has taken a while for them to get used to noises — such as a loud thunderstorm — and realize they are no longer in danger.
“For us, it’s important to be in a safe place and not have to run away from bombing,” Alina said. “Each of us had a life that we could control. We had a job, money, a home. Vlada was going to have her first concert, but war (stopped that from happening). We planned to buy a dress for her prom … I said ‘tomorrow we will go,’ and we never did.”
Memories of their journey are still vivid, as the women spoke of sleeping in shifts with family members and being cognizant of where they would go if they had to move quickly. Basements were considered safety zones.
As Alina grappled with explaining the terror they felt -- with crumbled buildings, fires, death -- she credited her daughter for doing much of the legwork for their final escape to a U.S. family.
“She was searching for them. She was texting everybody. So she did all the job. And then she just said, ‘Mom, I found the family. We need to make a chat. Okay, okay, I'm ready. Let's chat,” Alina said. “So in Poland, we leave like with people who also gave us housing, food and that's all, and I understood that I just couldn't go anywhere because we couldn't even buy tickets. So that's why we decided to go farther because we were afraid to be in the same situation like we were in Kharkiv.”
Since being in Batavia for nearly two months, they are experiencing a better life, a safer existence. There have been walks through a park, a trip to Niagara Falls, afternoon tea (from Carla’s English heritage), discovering buttery Eggo waffles with syrup “a dream come true,” Vlada said with a grin — and the recognition of Ukraine flags hanging at random homes and office buildings.
“It’s so nice when in a different country and to see the Ukraine flag; it’s in our DNA,” Alina said, explaining the Coat of Arms blouses that she and Vlada quickly changed into for a photo. “This became our national protest. We are Ukraine, we belong to Ukraine. Everybody wears it to show that Kharkiv is Ukraine.”
When Art first suggested that they help a Ukraine family, his reason was simple, he said.
“They’re people like us,” he said. “What if that happened in the U.S.?”
They have each discovered how true that is — despite different cultural backgrounds, Alina and Vlada have been embraced by their hosts and become part of the Wahls brood.
“They’re already in our hearts. Our children (Andrea and Jamie) love you, and our grandchildren love you,” Carla said. “You’re family.”
If anyone is interested in serving as a host family and would like some guidance, email Carla.
Top photo of Alina and her daughter Vlada Kovalenko, who came from Kharkiv, Ukraine to stay with host family Art and Carla Wahls of Batavia, having afternoon tea with Carla and posing in front of the Wahls' U.S. and Ukraine flag, and relaxing in their living room together, above. Photos by Joanne Beck. Photos of the destruction in Ukraine and of Alina's brother, Arthur, and good friend Stas, submitted by Alina Kovalenko.
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