Surrey, British Columbia
Since childhood, I have loved getting mail. It always feels like a surprise. And it always makes me smile (except a speeding ticket or the call for jury duty!).
This project that we call Postcards to the Front brings surprises to our mailbox several days each week in the form of dozens of personal heartfelt messages and outpourings of love and support for our Ukrainian friends.
As soon as the month-long strike at Canada Post ended on December 17, our mailbox began to fill again with support for Ukraine’s Defenders. Like this package from James Ardiel Elementary School in Surrey, British Columbia.
In early November, we received an email from Gr. 1 teacher, Iryna Z., who wrote –
“I am Canadian Ukrainian, living in Canada for 20+ years. I am closely following what is happening in Ukraine, especially because of many of my family members and friends who live there. I am a grade 1 teacher. So, when I found out about your organization, I decided to do something with my students. We started making cards for the Ukrainian defenders to send to you. Then I told the principal of my school and she decided that we would do it as a whole school. Many students in our school wrote or made cards and even crocheted flowers. We collected all the cards and are ready to send to you … Just letting you know that a big parcel of heartwarming cards will be on its way to you soon.
Thank you. Best regards. Слава Україні!”
I asked Iryna to hold on to the cards until after the postal strike, and then forgot about them.
Look what was in their package: 263 beautifully crafted messages of support for Ukraine’s Defenders, plus dozens of crocheted flowers.
Iryna cannot recall exactly how she learned about Postcards to the Front. Maybe on the ForumTV program, on which we were interviewed last September. Maybe on a “Kontact” program for Ukrainians living in Canada. But, she told us, it was the approaching holidays that really inspired Iryna to take on the task.
“I thought about Ukrainians on the frontline and everywhere else in Ukraine and decided to write postcards with my students. I talked to the principal of our school, Mrs. Jen Barker, and she said, ‘What a great idea! Why don’t we do it as a whole school.’”
It was not easy for Iryna to talk with her Grade 1 students about the war. “We talked about brave Ukrainian soldiers defending their country from the bad guys. We brainstormed and came up with very simple but important messages, like You are brave! and, I wish you could go home.
My students did a very good job working on their cards. Other teachers and students did a wonderful job, too. Some classes watched videos about the war in Ukraine, some older students used Google translate to write a few words in Ukrainian. Some students even crocheted flowers. Our office head clerk, Debbie, made the great labels with the name of our school, Ukrainian flag, and famous message Glory to Ukraine in Ukrainian: Слава Україні!”
Overall, Iryna told us that “IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE COMMUNITY EFFORT! Additionally, some students from another school, Panorama Park Elementary School in Surrey, BC, decided to join us and sent their cards as well (we put their cards together with ours). It was heartwarming for me personally as I felt that my colleagues and students support me in some way as well”, and that “I hope our cards will bring at least a little bit of joy to Ukrainian defenders.”
Iryna added a wish that, “it would be great if we could see our cards arriving in Ukraine (or unboxing in Ukraine or something like that) if it’s possible.”
Like all of our supporters, Iryna expressed heartfelt personal gratitude that this project exists.
And so, hundreds of beautifully crafted supportive messages and crocheted flowers are on their way to the front lines in Ukraine, with huge thanks to Gr. 1 teacher, Iryna, principal Jen, the James Ardiel school staff, staff and students at Panorama Park Elementary School and, especially, to the many students at James Ardiel Elementary School in Surrey, British Columbia who wrote touching and caring messages to Ukraine’s Defenders!
Thank you all! Дякую!
Need cards? Write to us at postcardstothefront.canada@gmail.com, and we’ll send you postcards to write to Defenders. FREE!
If you have some written cards ready for us to ship to Ukraine, here’s our address:
Postcards to the Front
P. O. Box 184
Millbrook, ON L0A 1G0 Canada
Click here to subscribe.
Postcards to the Front (Canada / Канада) 
Leave a comment