Dedicating a Place of Refuge: The Grand Opening of Thrive Center
Written by Violetta Tsyukalo
This past Saturday, several hundred Spokane residents gathered to witness Thrive Center’s grand opening! The local fire department and law enforcement, alongside Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, arrived to demonstrate their support. Booths selling Ukrainian merch to fundraise humanitarian aid efforts abroad were set up, and a bouncy castle for kids was lined alongside the hotel.
The official opening ceremony featured vocal and saxophone performances as well as a choir performance from local Slavic musicians. Boris Borisov and Mark Finney explained the expedited process of the grant that Ukrainian refugees received.
Mark Finney and Boris Borisov share the story of obtaining the hotel and grant.
Sean Kings from Fortify Holdings presented a generous donation to the Ukrainian Closet, a free clothing and furniture story for refugees. Lisa Brown, director of Washington State Department of Commerce and Spokane County Commissioners Al French, Mary Kuney, and Josh Kerns welcomed the refugees to Spokane “You are in our hearts and prayers.”
The event finished with local pastors from the region gathering on stage to pray over the new refugees, and for an end to the war abroad.
Maks and Iryna’s Story
On the day of the start of the war in Ukraine, Maks and Iryna Shcherbynin awoke to the sound of missiles exploding. Acting quickly, they decided they had to evacuate their city of Kharkiv with their two young children as soon as possible.
They left behind the barbershop they owned, where Maks worked and taught students. Iryna, a professional violinist, couldn’t even take her instrument with her. They made their way to Spokane and became residents of Thrive Center.
Maks Shcherbynin shares his story
Maks shared, “that which was supposed to be very hard, became easy” - due to the help they received - and “we were supposed to be disoriented, it was supposed to be very difficult, but every step of the way, from figuring out where we were going to live or obtain food -we received help.”
Iryna Shcherbynin poses with their two children, Mark and Melissa.
Maks and Iryna expressed a sincere thank you to the team at Thrive and everyone who assisted them since their arrival. The Shcherbynin family plans to open a barbershop in Spokane in the nearby future.