The Story of Ukrainians in North York (UINY)

When Care Becomes Community

The Story of Ukrainians in North York (UINY)

A personal reflection on Ukrainians in North York (UINY), its founder Helen Shumilova, and how a community rooted in care, culture, and empathy continues to support Ukrainian families as we move beyond four years since the war began.

Dear readers,

Some stories don’t begin with plans, funding, or structure.

They begin with a heavy heart — and a simple question: What can I do?

This is one of those stories.

In February 2026, the war in Ukraine marked four years since it began — four years of uncertainty, resilience, separation, and hope. For many Ukrainian families now living in Canada, the emotions remain difficult to put into words: concern for loved ones back home, memories of sudden departures and painful goodbyes, and the ongoing journey of rebuilding life in a new country while staying connected to the one they were forced to leave behind.

Ukrainians in North York (UINY) emerged during that moment — not first as an organization, but as an act of care.

How It Began: From Concern to Connection

UINY began in the spring of 2022, founded by Helen Shumilova, a Ukrainian-Canadian living in North York. Like many Ukrainians abroad, Helen was deeply affected by what was unfolding in Ukraine. Her own family was directly impacted — her brother and sister-in-law, her niece and nephew, and other relatives were suddenly separated, scattered, and living through uncertainty, with many still remaining in Ukraine.

The weight of that reality stayed with her.

Instead of allowing that concern to remain silent, Helen chose to act in the only way she knew how — by reaching out to others.

At first, there was no plan for an organization or formal gatherings. What emerged instead was a weekly prayer call — a space for people to come together, share worries, and support one another emotionally. Interestingly, many who joined those early calls were Persian neighbours, people who remembered their own experiences of war and displacement and felt a deep empathy for what Ukrainians were going through.

Around the same time, Helen met a Ukrainian child in North York. A teacher shared with her that the family had recently arrived from Ukraine and had just settled in the area. That moment made everything feel more real — and more urgent.

One of the people who joined those early calls was Pastor Sean from Faith Church, who offered prayers for Ukraine and, eventually, offered church space to bring Ukrainian newcomers together in person.

Together with Lily Cheng (who at that time was a director at Neighbourlink North York and is now the City Councillor for Willowdale), Helen helped shape the first in-person gatherings. Lily and Helen called them WELCOME TEA — simple monthly meetings meant to welcome Ukrainian families, offer warmth, and help people feel less alone.

A small but deeply committed team came together to make those gatherings possible:

Helen, Lily, Pastor Sean, and Farid — a Persian immigrant who had lived through war himself. Farid took the very first photographs of the community and, to this day, continues to attend gatherings and support the community in meaningful ways.

One of the first UINY Welcome Teas of 2022

A Community That Grew Organically

What began with just a few families grew steadily through word of mouth, shared meals, trust, and presence. Over nearly four years, UINY expanded from a handful of people into a community of more than 1,000 members.

This growth wasn’t driven by promotion.

It was driven by need — and by people showing up for one another.

For one year, Spring Garden Church served as a vital partner, generously providing space and support as the community began to take shape. Over time, Ukrainians in North York (UINY) grew into an independent organization, distinct from Neighbourlink North York (NLNY). While NLNY continued hosting gatherings for newcomers from around the world, UINY developed into a self-led community with its own leadership — largely composed of newcomers eager to help others navigate the same journey they had experienced themselves.

The community established its own partnerships, Board of Directors, and in-person events, later renamed UINY Socials, marking an important step in its independence and growth.

Ukrainians in North York – Welcome Tea, Canada Day celebration at Spring Garden Church

Ukrainians in North York – Welcome Tea, Holiday Potluck. Co-hosts Helen Shumilova and Tetiana Tymoshenko with Willowdale MP Ali Ehsassi and Willowdale Councillor Lily Cheng

Ukrainians in North York (UINY) First Board of Directors

Watch the community video here:

https://youtu.be/vzh5WCRZbJA?si=H_L3ODe99Ee6ipXe

Several milestones followed:

• The first Ukrainian language class in partnership with TDSB — which has now grown to three classes (Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in different schools across North York)
• The first Ukrainian dance class in North York, launched in September 2023 in partnership with Desna Ukrainian Dance Company & School, a respected organization that has operated in Etobicoke for over 50 years

Desna Ukrainian Dance School & Company receives a scroll from Willowdale City Councillor Lily Cheng at its 50th anniversary show in North York

Desna Ukrainian School practice in North York

Desna Company dancers backstage, ready to perform Hopak

One of the most meaningful milestones for the community came in July 2024 with the launch of the first-ever UINY Summer Camp, in partnership with TDSB. The camp offered morning Ukrainian language classes and afternoon programming that included dance, arts, music, and outdoor activities — creating a space where children could learn, play, and feel rooted in both culture and community.

You can learn more about the UINY Summer Camp here:

▶️ https://youtu.be/j_dMXVqQ6rE

(Ukrainians in North York celebrate Grand Opening of Summer Camp for Children)

UINY Summer Camp 2024 opening ceremony — official ribbon cutting

In 2024, Ukrainians in North York also introduced a new logo designed by talented newcomer Svitlana Androshchuk, who is also a UINY Board Member and Treasurer, along with the launch of a YouTube channel that allows the community’s voice and culture to reach even further.

Ukrainians in North York - YouTube

In 2025, UINY launched a brand-new website thoughtfully designed by Liza Dogtieva, UINY’s volunteer Youth Director — another reminder that this community continues to be shaped by the very people it serves.

To learn more about UINY and its ongoing work:

https://www.ukrainiansinnorthyork.ca

UINY Social – Canada Day BBQ

What I Witnessed Personally

I first encountered Ukrainians in North York through community performances at local festivals. Helen and her team brought Ukrainian music and dance to public spaces — performances that were beautiful, expressive, and deeply rooted in tradition.

But what stayed with me even more was listening to Helen speak afterward.

Her words carried a deep sense of responsibility — not just to preserve culture, but to keep it alive and meaningful for the next generation. I remember thinking quietly, What am I doing for my own community and its traditions? That moment of reflection stayed with me.

Later, when Helen invited me to a UINY Social — Holiday Potluck, I experienced the community in a more intimate way. Reach Church, where UINY hosts its socials, truly felt like a welcoming home.

The evening felt soulful.

Some of the food reminded me of my own traditional dishes — familiar, comforting, yet uniquely Ukrainian. The carol singing didn’t feel like a performance; it felt like memory, resilience, and love woven together.

I left inspired — even playfully thinking I might one day learn Ukrainian.

          UINY Social – Holiday Potluck

UINY Today: Living Culture, Shared Responsibility

Today, the Ukrainians in North York community continues to bring Ukrainian families together — including those who have lived in Canada for many years and those who arrived after 2022.

For some, this is the first time they have had access to a Ukrainian community where their children can learn the language, participate in cultural dance, and grow up connected to their roots.

UINY’s work today includes:

• UINY Socials, held every two months, celebrating occasions such as Easter, Canada Day, Halloween, Christmas, and more — with crafts, group activities, performances, games, and shared food
• After-school and Saturday Ukrainian language classes offered in partnership with TDSB
• Ukrainian dance classes for children and adults in partnership with Desna
• Monthly Q&A Zoom sessions (first Wednesday of each month, 10:00–11:00 a.m.) with settlement workers from CICS — now also a space for new members to introduce themselves, ask questions, and share resources
• Seasonal Friday gatherings such as Meet & Greets, picnics, skate nights, and master classes, creating informal opportunities for connection

Ukrainians in North York Summer Picnic 2023

Ukrainians in North York Summer Picnic 2025

Standing at This Moment in Time

Ukrainians in North York welcome Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Willowdale Councillor Lily Cheng to a UINY Social.

As we move beyond four years since the war began, UINY stands not as a finished project, but as an ongoing response — to displacement, uncertainty, and the human need for belonging.

While the community supports newcomers, it is not only for newcomers. Some members have lived in Canada for years and, for the first time, now have access to Ukrainian language classes, cultural programs, and a sense of shared identity that did not previously exist locally.

At the same time, many families continue to face unanswered questions.

Some have been in Canada for more than three years with no clear pathway to permanent residency. Many work, pay taxes, volunteer, and raise children who feel Canadian — yet continue to live with uncertainty about where home truly is. Some no longer even have homes to return to in Ukraine.

Many are asking for clarity, stability, and compassion — hoping that the country they now call home will continue to walk with them.

What moves me most about UINY is that, through all of this, it remains grounded in its original purpose:

care.

Care that became connection.

Connection that became community.

Community that continues to hold space — not just for arrival, but for belonging.

Some communities are built with blueprints.

Others are built with courage, patience, and an open heart.

I want to end this reflection not with facts or conclusions, but with what stayed with me in my heart after listening, learning, and simply being present.

Ukrainians in North York Holiday Potluck with Willowdale MP Ali Ehsassi, Willowdale Councillor Lily Cheng, and Pastor Ben Schoeniger of Reach Church

A Closing Reflection

I am not Ukrainian,
yet something in me trembled
as if the story had knocked on my own door.

Because pain does not belong
to one language,
one flag,
one land.

It belongs to the human heart.

I heard your stories
and felt the weight of waiting —
waiting for news,
waiting for peace,
waiting for a version of life
that once felt ordinary.

I saw how memory lives quietly
in food,
in songs,
in the way hands hold onto tradition
so it does not disappear.

You don’t need shared ancestry
to feel this ache.

You only need a heart
soft enough to listen.

When a child learns a language
so it won’t be forgotten,
when a mother carries hope
while standing on unfamiliar ground,
when a community gathers
simply to feel less alone —

something sacred is happening.

This is not about sympathy.

It is about standing near.

Close enough to feel.
Close enough to care.

Because compassion is not learned
from textbooks or borders.

It rises naturally
when we allow ourselves
to be human.

And in that humanity,
in that shared trembling and strength,
community is born —
not from sameness,
but from love that refuses
to look away.

— Ruby Dalvina