BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Delegates from across the nation, including several from Broome County, are coming together next week to advocate for Ukrainian relief and voice their support for refugees.

Constituents from New York’s 19th District will head to Washington, D.C. from October 22 to October 24 to visit members of Congress for the Ukraine Action Summit. The three-day conference will host over 500 delegates from 37 states as they meet with lawmakers to advocate for humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine.

The Together for Ukraine Foundation is sponsoring 14 delegates from Broome and Tompkins County to attend the summit. They will meet with the offices of the honorable NYS congress members Kirsten Gillibrand, Chuck Schumer, and Marc Molinaro. Members of the delegation include Broome County business owners, military families, medical professionals, immigration professionals, university students, youth, and artists who all work locally to support Ukraine and its refugees.  

Vlada Lisova, a Binghamton University accounting student who immigrated to Vestal two years ago, is among the local delegates attending the conference. In an effort to host a peaceful and safe environment for those on campus, Lisova has been working with her colleague Albina Martynenko to create a Ukrainian Students Organization. Her father is currently serving as a major in the Ukrainian armed forces. 

“I am attending the Ukraine Action Summit because I believe in justice in the United States and the strong connection between America and the rest of the world,” said Lisova.

H.R. 5692, the Ukraine Security Assistance and Oversight Supplemental Appropriations Act recently passed in the House or Representatives and will soon be up for a vote in the Senate.

“Support for Ukraine at this time is critical.  We look forward to thanking our elected officials for their past support and offering our organizations as a local resource for their offices,” said Together for Ukraine Foundation Executive Director Christina Zawerucha.

During the month of September, the Together for Ukraine Foundation hosted an online international conference on restoring Ukrainian Agriculture systems impacted by war. It also arranged local refugee housing, medical care, school translation services, and sent $1000 to Kharkiv Lyceum 46 for the purchase of technological equipment. The foundation will be launching a November Technology Drive for organizations in Ukraine in need of used laptops and will be honoring community-nominated “Champions for Ukraine” in its 2nd Annual Thank You Dinner on December 16.

Together for Ukraine is a nonprofit organization that works to rebuild the lives of refugees and restore freedom, justice, and democracy in Ukraine through direct aid, cultural diplomacy, community research, and nonpartisan advocacy.