Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Forum Podcasts
The Speaker's Forum is held each Sunday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Forum topics often address and spur dialogue about a current local community, statewide, national or international issue. Some forums feature a local author and the topic of the author's new book, or a representative of a local non-governmental organization (NGO) describing the organization’s work, programs, and accomplishments.
Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Forum Podcasts
Mobilizing Alaskans to Assist Ukrainians - Art Davidson & Olga Shpak, Co-founders of Assist Ukraine
ART DAVIDSON grew up in Colorado and lived his adult life in Alaska, where he helped create the state's first state park and has been engaged in major conservation and indigenous rights battles. From his climbing days, Art wrote "Minus 148: The First Winter Ascent of Mt. McKinley," considered a classic of mountaineering literature. He also authored "Endangered Peoples" about the struggles of indigenous peoples worldwide. He met former NPR correspondent Anne Garrels during the Iraq war and worked with Shi and Sunnis to relieve orphaned children in that conflict. In 2022, Art joined Anne Garrels, Heinz Coordes, his lifelong friend from Colorado, and a couple of others to form the organization Assist Ukraine to deliver non-military aid to Ukrainian people defending themselves from the Russian invasion and so greatly affected by this ongoing war. To find out more about their work, check assist-ukraine.org.
OLGA SHPAK is a marine biologist who grew up in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Until last year Olga was pursuing her scientific passions, doing prestigious, cutting-edge whale research with the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. But when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, she found the war had changed her priorities. Olga left her position and returned to her home country, where she has worked tirelessly since, partnering with Assist Ukraine to source, purchase, and distribute what civilians and defenders need to survive.
Some of Kateryna's pics (starts at about 10:19) - https://www.dropbox.com/s/auiiibkmst522co/KaterynaPics.pdf?dl=0
Video recording of Forum - https://www.dropbox.com/s/rh1zuqzldwklfnq/Forum.mp4?dl=0 (it's big)
Reports from Kateryna Pryshchepa - https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/11/29/a-fortress-in-the-east-notes-from-kharkiv-in-september-2022/ & https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/11/15/a-tale-from-under-the-shelling-living-through-war-in-a-ukrainian-community-at-the-russian-border/
Other links https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/former-ups-driver-carries-out-civilian-rescues-in-ukraine-157642309979 & https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/one-thing/episodes/bd765c27-1a75-4528-ad21-afb300fb0126 & https://youtu.be/a2RjRNXGhs8 (Bakhmut Brad)
Website - https://assist-ukraine.org/index.html
Snail mail - PO Box 1740 Carbondale, CO 81623
Art Davidson's contact info - artdavidson43@gmail.com & 907-952-3355