It’s been over two-and-a-half years since Russia invaded Ukraine, but more than 10 since Vladimir Putin annexed the Crimean Peninsula, the hostile action that officially launched the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Americans grow weary and bleary-eyed of long wars, especially battles nearly 6,000 miles away that don’t directly involve United States troops. You can be a caring and loving person in Colorado Springs, and yet still tune out most of the troubles of the world. A psychologist friend chalks this up to what he calls the “Doctrine of Limited Tears” — the fact that God made us with a finite capacity for compassion.
Unless you’re a sociopath or psychopath, you empathize with someone else’s hurt and heartache, but not everybody’s and not all the time. Without some degree of emotional imperviousness, we’d be paralyzed, unable to get out of bed in the morning given all the tragedy in the world. After all, over 150,000 people die each day, too many of them all too soon.
It’s stunning to consider that well over 500,000 people have needlessly died in Ukraine and Russia since February 2022, but it also brings to mind the old observation that while “a single death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic.” I thought of this the other day during lunch with my friend, Ed Ward, and his friends, Yana Malyk and Marc Luckett.
Ed is one of God’s good men, a retired Air Force colonel living here in the Springs with his beloved wife, Sally. He devotes a considerable amount of time to giving back to others, pouring into humanitarian endeavors in China and now Ukraine. Ed is on the board of “Ukraine Power,” a local 501©(3) organization that’s committed to relieving the suffering of Ukrainians living in the city of Luhansk, which is in the eastern part of the country.
Why Luhansk? Russian bombs have taken out 90% of the area’s power. The Colorado Springs nonprofit raises funds to purchase generators, heaters, large power banks, and various sources of lights and lamps. Since the Russian invasion in 2022, Ed has made two trips there, driving a truck to deliver food and supplies to war-torn residents.
Over the last year, The Gazette has featured the plight and journey of Ukrainian refugees, including Yana Malyk, who I joined for lunch last week. Yana and her husband, Dmytro, along with their daughters, Liza and Vlia, were driven from Ukraine by the incessant bombing and threats. Yana, who is now the only paid employee of Ukraine Power, was once a successful entrepreneur with six businesses, and Dmytro was a lawyer. They left in 2022 and lost everything. They now live with Marc and Whitney Luckett here in Colorado Springs. Whitney is the CEO of Ukraine Power, and Marc is its treasurer.
Ukraine Power only came about because the Lucketts, recognizing an urgent need, offered to sponsor the Malyks. They picked them up at DIA late at night. The Malyks didn’t speak English. The Lucketts didn’t speak Ukrainian. But somehow, someway, it worked out.
With the Lucketts’ supply chain and logistics business background, and the Malyks’ entrepreneurial savvy, not to mention both family’s hearts for the hurting, the humanitarian nonprofit was born.
Extraordinary things happen when we avail ourselves in the service of others. We don’t have to know how it’s all going to work out. We don’t even necessarily need all the skills or the funds to begin. But we do need to take action. Before you can step out on a limb to take a chance, you need to first climb the tree.
From the El Pomar Foundation to the hundreds of churches to the hundreds more charities and nonprofits in Colorado Springs, we’re surrounded by opportunities to be helpful. “The greatest among you shall be your servant,” counseled Jesus. As always, He is right.
The older I get, the more impressed I am with the can-doers like Ed, Yana and the Lucketts, the risk-takers, those who try, those who serve and sacrifice. From parents to police to humanitarian who make people their priority, the doers are the heroes in our midst.
Paul J. Batura is a local writer and host of the podcast, “WHAT A LIFE! Lessons from Legends.” He can be reached via email at Paul@PaulBatura.com or on X @PaulBatura.