Christmas presents for Ukrainian orphans made possible by Arnold church and area high school students

Ten-year-old Nastya Shytnikova has a short Christmas list.

She didn’t ask for an iPhone or a doll.

“I’d really like Legos, candies and cookies, and a warm shirt,” Nastya wrote in a note to St. Nicholas. “My biggest dream is for the war to end.”

The Ukrainian girl — orphaned by the Russian invasion of her native city of Mariupol — is among 71 children at Pidgirziv’s Orphanage in Mariupol who, despite the ongoing conflict, will have presents under their Christmas tree.

That’s thanks to a project by St. Vladimir Ukrainian Church in Arnold and Interact Clubs of Rotary District 7305, which includes Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

The Rev. Yaroslav Koval, pastor at St. Vlad’s, spearheaded the project as part of ongoing aid to his native country.

“The kids will celebrate the entirety of Christmas Day with seminarians from the Brotherhood of St. Nicholas,” Koval said. “They know how to approach these orphans and create a special day for them. They try to treat the orphans like a part of their own family.”

The seminary is a specialized group created to minister to children displaced from their families, Koval said. The group’s namesake is the patron saint of children, characterized by kindness and giving.

Members of the seminary collected letters from the children, many of whom asked for shoes and sweets for the holiday. Lego, footballs and candy appeared to be on almost everyone’s lists.

The Interact Club, supported by more than 200 local high school students, stepped in to deliver the magic.

Interact is a program sponsored by Rotary for high school students to learn about service to others, not only in their communities but around the globe.

Mark Barnhart, a Greensburg resident and district Interact chairman, said that because the seminarians regularly visit and minister to the orphans, it was a “no-brainer” to partner with them.

Volunteers created a Caring Tree with tags that listed each child’s age, size and wish list.

The tree was displayed at Greensburg Country Club for high school students who eagerly “adopted” children and their Christmas lists.

Interact students represented schools including Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette Area, Montour, Mount Pleasant Area, North Allegheny, Our Lady of Sacred Heart, South Park and Southmoreland, among others.

“All of these clubs did some sort of fundraising to be able to fulfill these Christmas lists,” Barnhart said.

For example, students from two middle schools in North Allegheny had a “penny war” and raised more than $2,000.

The project was a good lesson in teamwork, Barnhart said.

“Maybe you can’t do something like this on your own, but, when joining with others, the sky is the limit,” he said.

Clothes and toys were collected at Barnhart Funeral Home in Greensburg and at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church on Pittsburgh’s South Side.

Koval and others gathered this month to pack 40 50-pound boxes to be shipped.

Brother Bogdan Koval from the Brotherhood of St. Nicholas in Lviv, Ukraine, said the true gift is compassion shown by the American volunteers. Koval is not related to the Rev. Koval from St. Vlad’s.

“It is not only about presents, but also about love, help and support in such a hard time,” Brother Koval said. “We give our special thanks to the friends in America for their priceless work and to everyone who supports and helps Ukraine.”

The outpouring filled the Rev. Koval with joy, he said, after hearing for so long about the orphans’ despair.

“Many of the kids already expressed gratitude for having a safe, quiet place to sleep at night,” Koval said. “They will appreciate any gifts very much and will appreciate that the seminarians spend time with them, too. We want it to be a happy Christmas.”