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Ukrainians
receive
help
through
Global
Ties
Detroit,
local
business
DETROIT
-
Ukrainian
citizens
who
connected
with
area
residents
and
businesses
two
years
ago
through
an
international
exchange
program
are now
receiving
a bit of
help
from
metro
Detroit.
Just
prior to
the
COVID-19
pandemic,
a
Ukrainian
delegation
visited
the
region
as part
of
program
put on
by
Global
Ties
Detroit.
The
nonprofit
builds
civic
diplomacy
by
allowing
U.S. and
foreign
citizens
to visit
their
respective
countries,
swap
best
practice
ideas on
everything
from
diversity
to
science,
and work
with
local
businesses.
The
Green
Garage,
a
sustainability-focused
workspace
for
small
businesses
in
Detroit,
was
among
the
stops
for the
six
individuals
from
Ukraine
during
the
March
2020
visit.
Visitors
like
Anastasia
Zhuravel,
who
founded
a
charitable
shop in
Kyiv,
learned
how
Green
Garage
co-founders
Peggy
and Tom
Brennan
develop
and
operate
businesses
on a
“triple
bottom
line”
basis,
focusing
on their
economic,
social
and
environmental
impact.
Fast
forward
to the
horrors
now
befalling
Ukraine.
The
Green
Garage
leadership
team
wanted
to help
their
new
friends.
“When
the
invasion
(of
Ukraine)
happened,
we
started
thinking
about
the
people
we’d met
from
there,
and we
wanted
to
express
our
support
and
solidarity,”
explained
Matthew
Piper,
who
leads
operations
and
communications
for
Green
Garage.
“So, we
reached
out to
Global
Ties,
and they
were
able to
connect
us with
Anastasia
directly.”
With
the help
of Green
Garage
tenants
and
allies,
the
organization
raised
$2,000.
The
money
was sent
to
Zhuravel,
who
partnered
with a
Kyiv-based
restaurant
to feed
defense
forces
on the
front
lines.
“One
of the
things I
love
about
Global
Ties is
having
the
opportunity
to see
how
people
all over
the
world
can be
similar
in their
thinking,”
noted
Piper.
“We
really
understood
what
Anastasia
was
doing in
Kyiv in
the same
way she
understood
what
we’re
doing in
Detroit.
It has
meant so
much to
our
community
to be
able to
contribute
directly
to
relief
efforts
in
Ukraine
thanks
to our
friendship.”
The
experience
underscores
the
importance
of
building
international
ties,
said
Marian
Reich,
executive
director
of
Global
Ties
Detroit.
“Finding
our
commonality
through
these
connections
really
does
have a
much
broader
impact.
That’s
why
global
diplomacy
is so
important,”
Reich
said.
“Not
only
does it
make for
greater
understanding
and
better
world
relations,
but it
could
also
create
long-term
collaboration
and
support.”
Global
Ties
Detroit
will
celebrate
its 50th
anniversary
this
year.
For more
information,
go to
https://www.globaltiesdetroit.org/.
To learn
more
about
Green
Garage,
go to
https://greengaragedetroit.com/.
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