MORRISON, Ill. — Two Quad City area groups are lending a helping hand to those affected by the war in Ukraine.
A forum was held in Whiteside County at Odell Public Library in Morrison, Sunday, Nov. 27. Topics covered were the ENGin program, a non-profit that pairs English speakers with Ukrainians for free online communication practice and cross cultural connections. The organization works with students ages 10-35.
Paula Schares is an ambassador for ENGin, and said she enjoys working with families.
"I have gotten so much joy and such a feeling of, 'I'm doing something for someone else,'" Schares said.
Schares meets with students every week and feels they are catching on quick to what they are learning.
"They feel like they get a lot out of our conversations," Schares said. "I feel like it brightens my day."
Organizers say 95-percent of students improved their English in three months. Currently, ENGin is serving 4,714 students. The organization launched in 2020.
IA Nice, another non-profit, supports Ukrainian families seeking humanitarian parole through the Uniting for Ukraine program.
Vice president and co-founder of IA Nice, Paula Purcell, said the groups tries to offer Ukrainian families a safe place away from home.
"Time for them to process these traumas that they've been through," Purcell said.
The Purcell family, of DeWitt, welcomed the Krainik family to their home in July of this year.
"Their family became an extension of our family," Purcell said. "It has been a gift to learn about their culture, and upbringing and sharing traditions, cooking meals together."
Both ENGin and IA Nice are volunteer organizations.
News 8 featured the Krainik family in August. You can find that story by clicking/tapping here.