Victor and Irada Lohinov with Lolita and her new backpack.

Victor and Irada Lohinov with Lolita and her new backpack.

Agata Popęda here, with good news. Since the Weekly published an article about Dmitry and Marina Kisselev, Seaside residents who are sponsoring nine Ukrainians fleeing the war, I have been receiving emails about it from Weekly readers almost daily. 

Some readers want to get in touch, offering everything from TV sets to free English classes. We’ve been passing those emails along to the Kisselevs. Other people went directly to GoFundMe, where Kisselev’s friend, Kathleen Hendricks, started a fundraising campaign for the group. So far, they’ve raised $3,400 of a $28,000 goal.

The group was able to come because in April, the Biden administration announced Uniting for Ukraine, an expedited program to welcome 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion to the U.S. The online platform started to function in July and is operated by Welcome U.S., an American nonprofit founded to help immigrant Afghan families after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.

All but one of the group—Alina, from Kyiv, who currently at the airport in Los Angeles—have already arrived, and most of them are taking English classes at Monterey Peninsula Community College. The problem is still the question of what school 12-year-old Lolita, the daughter of Victor and Irada Lohinov, will be able to attend. Kisselev applied on her behalf to a local school, but never heard back. 

“She will be going to middle school,” Kisselev says. “I do have a backpack for her from a local Jewish organization.” The backpack is covered with tiny little white hearts on a rainbow background. Once Lolita’s school situation is sorted out, her parents will start their classes too.

Oksana and Serhii were the first to arrive. They took a bus from Los Angeles after landing at LAX. The couple is from the city of Poltava, Ukraine. Oksana has studied law and loves languages. She is a yoga and fitness enthusiast. Serhii has worked in factories as a mechanic of instrumentation at large production plants. The Lochinovs arrived next, at SFO, as well as Artur, a single man.

In addition to free classes, transportation and even some food assistance, MPC and the Monterey Peninsula College Foundation also offered to cover the first two months of housing in Marina for the group—paid upfront by the Kisselevs. They will be reimbursed for that. There might be even more assistance on the way, Kisselev says.

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“I know that they are given little tasks and they walk around the campus interacting with people,” Kisselev says of the language classes. An immigrant himself, Kisselev understands that language is the most important tool they will have to master to succeed in this new environment. What the crew could use now is one more bed—for Alina—and bicycles.

Other items they are are looking for include: plates, cups, outdoor doormats, bedroom table lamps, bed sheets (2 full and 1 twin), pillows and pillow cases, extra furniture (bed table, small study desks), food, clothes hangers, small baskets/toilet trash cans, pots and pans, floor rugs, a floor broom, a vacuum cleaner, laptop computers and notepads.

“Bikes would be great. Also, I was thinking they could use Scrabble,” Kisselev says. “Or other board games so they can work on their English.”

More on the adventures of the nine brave newcomers to the community is coming soon. Have a great weekend!

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