CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the country's children.
Millions of families and their children have been displaced, and many have witnessed violence and trauma.
Charlotte has become a temporary home for some of them.
A group of Ukrainian refugee children recently spent a week at YMCA Camp Harrison with their families. The camp, which is about 90 minutes from Charlotte, provided a safe and supportive environment for the children to explore, learn, and make new friends.
"They made friends, they had fun," Vadim Fidinich, the father of one of the children, said through a translator. "And we are especially grateful for people who invested in this project financially, emotionally, and physically."
Fidinich sent his wife and his 6-year-old daughter Nickole to the U.S. when the war first broke out. He stayed.
Fidinich arrived in the U.S. just nine weeks ago.
"I want to say big thank you to the people with big hearts, who made all this dream come true for our kids," Fidinich said. "One week ago, we let our little kids go to the camp and this day today, we are picking up grown-up and adult citizens."
Fidinich and his family currently live with Michael Dierkes who is their sponsor while in the U.S.
Dierkes helped get the plan in motion for the kids to attend overnight summer camp. He said it started when he become familiar with Charlotte for Ukraine, a local nonprofit run by volunteers and administrated by the Southern Guitar Festival nonprofit organization.
The program started to serve Ukrainian refugees escaping the war and coming to the Charlotte area.
"One day, I got a text message that said, 'Can you help with the YMCA summer camp program for these children?'" Dierkes said.
After making a few phone calls he got in contact with the YMCA of Greater Charlotte.
"I said, 'I got these kids who would like to come to camp. How are we going to do this?'" Dierkes said.
The fundraising arm of the YMCA stepped in.
"He [Rick] reached out to one of his donors who was able to sponsor these children," Dierkes said.
Charlotte for Ukraine, Dierkes, and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte worked together to find interested families.
"Being in a stranger's country, it's very difficult not only for the adults but for children," Svitlana Shumate, also Ukranian, and a Charlotte for Ukraine volunteer, said. "Mostly because this is a kind of trauma. To relax, to feel safe, and to trust again -- and actually, this project gets people to normal life again."
Being in a quiet camp tucked away from the noise was a welcome getaway since leaving their home country.
"We should understand that the oldest children have seen a lot.," Shumate said. "They have met war very, very close. They've seen terrible things. They've heard alarms from the missiles. They were hiding in their shelters on the ground."
For the Ukrainian children, the week at camp was a welcome respite from the war. They were able to enjoy activities like swimming, fishing, arts and crafts, and hiking.
"We were paddleboarding, we were swimming, we were fishing -- I even caught a fish on Friday," Anfisa, one of the Ukrainian refugee children who participated in the camp, said.
The week at camp was a small taste of normalcy for the Ukrainian children. But their hearts are still in Ukraine, and they are thinking about the other children who are still there.
"Everything is going to be okay soon," Anfisa said. "What Russia is doing in Ukraine isn't very good. But Russians who do support Ukraine, thank you very much."
The Ukrainian children and their families rebuilding their lives in the United States are a testament to the power of resilience.
Charlotte for Ukraine and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte are partnering for a Cultural Exchange Family Camp Weekend. It will be held Sept. 22-24. Newly-arrived Ukrainian families and American families will have the opportunity to experience cultural interactions and build relationships while enjoying a YMCA camp. They are looking for more U.S. families to register.
Contact Shamarria Morrison at smorrison@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.