With 'joy in their eyes,' Ukrainian refugee children get a surprise visit from Santa

Emma Epperly, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·2 min read

Dec. 23—Santa sneaked through the front doors of the Thrive Center Thursday afternoon and settled next to a colorful Christmas tree.

Giggles and shouts could be heard from downstairs. Then, a moment of silence before a flurry of little feet rushed up the stairs, faces lit up in awe, and tiny fingers pointed at Santa Claus.

The 50-some Ukrainian refugee children living at the Thrive Center, a hotel on Spokane's South Hill converted into a safe haven for families fleeing the war, were thrilled at the surprise.

Giddy, the children waved as Anna Bondarenko, Thrive assistant manager, quieted the horde of beaming kids.

In Ukrainian tradition, the children asked whether Santa had gifts for them before a handful of children recited a bible verse to St. Nick.

Santa took a seat and his elves began pulling out gifts.

Kseniia Tkashenko, 15, said she was lucky to be Santa's helper this year.

Tkashenko fled Odesa with her sister earlier this year while her parents remain in Ukraine. They, like approximately 2,500 other Ukrainians, arrived in Spokane not long after. They got connected with Thrive International, a nonprofit that supports refugees in the area.

She stood between Santa and Bondarenko handing overflowing stockings to awaiting children.

Olena Nikora beamed with pride as she handed her toddler to Santa for a photo. Moments later, she picked up her newborn baby, one of the first born in the United States to a Thrive resident, and handed her to Santa.

She snapped photos as the other mothers gathered around oohed and aahed.

The dozens of gifts handed out to the children were donated by the Spokane community, said Mark Finney, executive director of Thrive International.

"It's so sweet to see the joy in their eyes," Finney said while watching elementary-school-aged boys rip open their packages.

Finney looked at the group of moms eagerly waiting to take their children's photo and teared up. Many of these women fled Ukraine alone as their husbands stayed behind to fight in the war. They had no way of knowing what their new life would be like as they left everything they knew, Finney said.

"For me, this is why we do this," Finney said.

Despite all the pain of the last year, moments like this, Finney hopes, remind the refugees there's still joy to be had.

"It's a reason to believe the best years are still ahead," he said.