Edmonton community bands together to welcome Ukrainians, get them on soccer team
Edmonton community bands together to welcome Ukrainians, get them on soccer team
Edmonton community bands together to welcome Ukrainians, get them on soccer team
Vaniya Borodenko and Danya Tkachanko play with soccer balls in the backyard of Michelle Young's home in Edmonton on May 11, 2022.
Thanks to families pitching in help on and off the field, two families are able to simply enjoy a game of soccer for the first time since fleeing war-torn Ukraine earlier this year.
Danya and Vaniya are thrilled to be playing with the Edmonton Warriors Soccer Club, their moms say.
"Two months, when we go from Ukraine, there are no football in his life. But now he's so glad," Olga Borodenko said of her son Vaniya.
And the boys' parents are awed by those who have welcomed them to their home and country, donated soccer equipment, and waived club fees.
Iryna Tkachanko added, "A lot of people help us… We didn't expect a lot of help – from Ukrainians, from Canadians. It's very good."
Iryna Tkachanko, left, Olga Borodenko, middle, and Michelle Young, right, watch their kids play in Young's backyard on May 11, 2022. The Young family took in the two Ukrainian families, who had fled Ukraine two months earlier.
The families fled to Wrocław, Poland, when the conflict in Ukraine escalated, and after a long journey through Paris and Montreal, arrived in Alberta's capital city the first week of May.
"We decided we had extra space. Our kids were happy to give up bedrooms and bunk in together for a little bit, so we just signed up on a website," recalled Michelle Young, who took in the families.
"We contacted the soccer association as soon as we heard the boys played soccer… and they were super great. Just helped us get the kids set up with the team right away."
From there, Warriors coach Luke Dajavs took over, reaching out for old equipment or donations. The club covered the season's fees for both players through its hardship fund, meant to help families who can't afford the expense.
Warriors coach Luke Dajavs, middle, leads a team cheer on May 11, 2022. Dajavs headed the effort soliciting old equipment or donations for Vaniya Borodenko and Danya Tkachanko, whose families fled Ukraine in early 2022. The club also waived the families' fees.
The last remaining obstacle was the language barrier, as neither boy spoke any English. But it turned out they didn't need to when on the pitch.
"As soon as I said, 'Game,' they're like, 'Game? We play?'" Dajavs told CTV News Edmonton.
"That's the thing with football: doesn't matter what language, race, creed, religion, political agenda, doesn't matter. It's football. That's why they call it the beautiful game."
The cumulative effort and generosity bore fruit Wednesday evening when Vaniya and Danya played their first soccer game in Canada, an exhibition match for the Warriors U11 team. Danya even scored a goal.
"It's good to be here. We like Canada," Tkachanko said. "Our life, we leave there. But we think and we hope we can live here like we live there."
"We left a lot in Ukraine," Borodenko added. "But now, we're so grateful – I can't find the words to describe our life here."
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned Thursday, acknowledging that it was 'clearly the will' of his party that he should go. He stepped down immediately as leader of his Conservative Party but plans to remain as prime minister while the leadership contest is held.
Boris Johnson was due to resign as Britain's prime minister on Thursday, bringing an end to a turbulent two and half years in office and triggering a search for a new leader.
Five men are being hailed as heroes by the Ontario Provincial Police after saving a man from a burning vehicle on a Toronto-area highway earlier this week.
Several vaccine manufacturers are racing to develop formulas that take into account the more infectious Omicron variant now driving cases, while policymakers are laying the groundwork for another large-scale vaccine blitz.
A well-known Ukrainian paramedic who was held prisoner by Russian and separatist forces for three months after being captured in the southeastern city of Mariupol has accused her guards of psychological and physical torture during her time in captivity.
Video has emerged showing a worker dangling in the air above a Toronto construction site after accidently getting entangled in a tagline attached to a crane.
The federal government has no intention of dropping the controversial ArriveCan app because it gives the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) key health information about travellers who test positive for COVID-19 through testing at airports and land borders, senior government sources tell CTV News.
A staggering 71 million more people around the world are experiencing poverty as a result of soaring food and energy prices that climbed in the weeks following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations Development Program said in a report Thursday.
Patrick Brown is alleging political corruption played a role in his disqualification from the Conservative Party of Canada's leadership race, a move that came following allegations that his campaign violated election financing rules.
The rides are going up, concession stands are waiting, stuffed animals are displayed at games tables and the Calgary Stampede is raring to go Friday in its first return to full capacity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Calgary drivers might be asking why the price of gasoline is more expensive in their energy rich province where oil is refined and extracted than in Ontario, but one retail expert claims to have the answer.
Wide Receiver Tevin Jones got his first regular season Canadian Football League (CFL) start in week four and will look to continue the momentum against Ottawa.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned Thursday, acknowledging that it was 'clearly the will' of his party that he should go. He stepped down immediately as leader of his Conservative Party but plans to remain as prime minister while the leadership contest is held.
The ex-boyfriend of Cassidy Bernard has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter and a consecutive three years for child abandonment in connection with the young mother's death.
Five men are being hailed as heroes by the Ontario Provincial Police after saving a man from a burning vehicle on a Toronto-area highway earlier this week.
Residents living in Toronto’s west end say they have been left utterly exhausted after an alleged nightclub opened up at the base of their condominium.
The leader of Quebec's Liberal Party paused her vacation briefly on Wednesday to react to the news that two young emergency room doctors have quit their jobs in their hometown of Montreal to work in Toronto.
A prominent Montreal drag queen who recently faced pressure from critics over library readings to young children says her storytime events scheduled for the fall were abruptly called off for unknown reasons.
Whether you’re looking for a change of pace, a breath of fresh air, or a glimpse into nature, northern Ontario has an outdoor oasis waiting to be discovered.
The chair of the Station Mall Merchants Association says news of the mall's sale to a southern Ontario holding company brings to a close years of uncertainty regarding the future of the property.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned Thursday, acknowledging that it was 'clearly the will' of his party that he should go. He stepped down immediately as leader of his Conservative Party but plans to remain as prime minister while the leadership contest is held.
Someone in British Columbia could be sitting on a lottery ticket worth a whopping $15 million – but there's only a few weeks left to claim the jackpot.
For the second consecutive day, emergency resolutions related to a conflict between the Assembly of First Nations National Chief and the organization's executive council threw the agenda into chaos.
The driver of a logging truck was airlifted to hospital in Victoria after he was pinned inside the vehicle following a rollover crash on Wednesday morning.
The number of Vancouver Island marmots in the wild increased this week, with 10 of the critically endangered rodents released onto a Mount Washington ski run.
Vaniya Borodenko and Danya Tkachanko play with soccer balls in the backyard of Michelle Young's home in Edmonton on May 11, 2022.
Iryna Tkachanko, left, Olga Borodenko, middle, and Michelle Young, right, watch their kids play in Young's backyard on May 11, 2022. The Young family took in the two Ukrainian families, who had fled Ukraine two months earlier. 
Warriors coach Luke Dajavs, middle, leads a team cheer on May 11, 2022. Dajavs headed the effort soliciting old equipment or donations for Vaniya Borodenko and Danya Tkachanko, whose families fled Ukraine in early 2022. The club also waived the families' fees. 
