The war in Ukraine is personal for Maria Doan, Coalition Building Director with Stand with Ukraine MN. Doan's cousin lives in Ukraine and volunteers by bringing medical services to the frontlines.
He even helps transport bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
"I get a feeling that that's something that he had to do as well," explained Doan. "In order to feel empowered, he started volunteering and to be honest, every time we talk, he says, yes, it's definitely hard. But you know, what's the alternative? That's something that keeps me going and I can definitely see that I'm making a difference."
Doan and other community members plan to come together Saturday afternoon with live music at the Ukrainian American Community Center in northeast. The crowd will come together starting at 4:00 p.m. with a prayer and a service honoring Ukraine's fight against Russian forces.
The program will move to the Stone Arch Bridge where Ukraine's resistance ballad will be sung.
"They are going to have Ukrainian veterans at the bridge too," says Doan. 'There are people from the Ukrainian military who are coming here to get the prosthetics by Protest Foundation. Downtown Minneapolis is going to be a little blue and yellow and the same goes for I-35 Bridge."
Doan says support for Ukraine remains strong in Minnesota despite conflicts arising elsewhere and U.S. aid still waiting for congressional approval.
"On the human level, I can still feel the support of my neighbors of my friends here locally," she says. "And also some of the more recent polls showed that the majority of Americans are actually supporting aid to Ukraine."
Despite feelings of hopelessness early on, Doan's found hope through volunteering.
"Yes, certainly, I'm definitely worried about him but at the same time I understand why he is doing that," says Doan. "Once the full scale invasion broke out, you know, I felt probably a similar sentiment that majority of Americans felt on 9/11. And for the first few days I was sad, I felt hopeless. I honestly felt paralyzed."
