Jane Mander Retirement Village residents Michaela Codlin (left) and Clare Cullen with some of the Yuri bears they are making to send to children in war-torn Ukraine. Photo /Supplied.
Jane Mander Retirement Village residents Michaela Codlin (left) and Clare Cullen with some of the Yuri bears they are making to send to children in war-torn Ukraine. Photo /Supplied.
Residents of a Whangārei retirement village have been knitting up a storm, making teddy bears to send to children displaced in war-torn Ukraine.
Residents at Jane Mander Retirement Village have made dozens of handmade bears to send to displaced children in Ukraine, and they want the public to help in the quest to make 20,000 of the hand-knitted Yuri bears.
They are among residents at 45 Ryman Healthcare villages who are taking part in a transtasman bear-making mission, joined by team members in the villages and the company's offices in Christchurch, Auckland and Melbourne.
The idea came about from Ryman's Victorian sales and community relations manager Debra Richardson, who, in Melbourne, fostered a Ukrainian boy called Yuri following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the 1980s.
The project emerged from her discussions with Yuri (who is now based back in Ukraine fighting the invading Russian army) about how people in Australia and New Zealand could provide support.
The Jane Mander group has knitted 121 bears so far, and more are on the way.
Richardson said the project was a tangible way Ryman residents, team members and the wider community could make a small difference to the lives of the youngest members of the war-torn country.
"Being so far away, it can be difficult to know how we can help," she said.
"Thousands of Ryman village residents are avid knitters, and this project empowers them to use a skill that they are experts at to send a symbol of love from afar."
"[Yuri] has made the decision to stay and fight for his country, and his family have been evacuated to safety," she said.
"The project emerged from my discussions with Yuri about how we could provide support from Australia and New Zealand. When I first shared the idea with Yuri, he said, 'Ukraine is stronger with your help, empathy, and love. A million thanks to the millions of people who care.'"
Some of the knitted Yuri teddy bears, made by residents of Whangārei's Jane Mander Retirement Village. Photo / Supplied.
People can show their support and get patterns to make a Yuri bear at www.rymanhealthcare.co.nz/yuri-bears-for-ukraine.
''Let the children of Ukraine know they're in our hearts and minds by putting some time and love into knitting a Yuri bear,'' she said.
Following the devastating events in the Ukraine, thousands of children have been evacuated to other countries, or have found themselves displaced or stranded at the Ukrainian-Polish border.
Many children have had to evacuate without their parents, with little or no time to pack their belongings. From so far away, it's difficult to know how to help, but even the smallest gestures can make a huge difference.
''The Yuri bear initiative is our way of sending a symbol of love from afar to the Ukrainian children – we'd love your help to bring this to life. We've set ourselves a target to create 20,000 Yuri bears. Therefore, even if you don't knit, you'll likely know someone who does. So, please help to donate at least one bear from you, a family member, or a friend. This way, we can bring smiles to the faces of as many Ukrainian children as we can.''
