XENIA, Ohio (WDTN) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine met with three local agencies in Xenia Friday to discuss how to help Ukrainian refugees.
When Lynne Carroll, an addiction therapist at DeCoach Rehabilitation Center, started seeing images of the War in Ukraine, she knew she needed to help.
“It kept me up many nights, I couldn’t sleep and I just knew I had to do something and not just sit by and watch, so God kept me up and asked me to do something,” Carroll said.
Carroll organized a donation drive with the help of her workplace, EMERGE Recovery and Trade Initiative and Matthew 25 Ministries.
The organizations are collecting clothes, food, toiletries and baby items for Ukrainian refugees.
Gov. Mike DeWine, said “These groups working together, it represents just people in the Miami Valley coming together, trying to make a difference.”
Gov. Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine even donated a few items.
“Baby formula, diapers, that sort of thing, some clothes, but also some peanut butter, that’s also a good thing too,” Fran DeWine said. “You have to take things that are worth transporting, so I wanted to bring something that’s substantial.”
“I just hope that the items we’ve collected from the county and other folks when it goes to Ukraine, they’ll know that there’s a lot of love here for them in Ohio,” Carroll said.
DeWine said Ohio is already planning with the expectation Ukranian refugees will be placed in the state.
Dewine said he will be meeting with Afghan refugees that were placed in Ohio to learn how to best welcome Ukrainian refugees.
“Whether these folks will be able to go home or not, I don’t think anybody knows at this point. So what we try to do now, Americans now are just trying to help them, if they can’t go home, then we will welcome them here,” DeWine said.
Donations will be accepted at EMERGE at 2960 West Enon Road in Xenia through Friday, April 15.
The full announcement can be available in the video player below.
