UPCOMING EVENTS
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Our MissioN
The goal of the Ashland/Sviatohirsk Sister City Project is to promote, foster and maintain a mutually beneficial and rewarding collegial relationship with a city in Ukraine on a long term basis. This kind of relationship traditionally includes reciprocal activities in the areas of education, the arts, and business and may include student and teacher exchange programs, scholarship funds, cultural events, language training programs via zoom, and potential business partnerships and promotions. Ashland has maintained such a relationship with Guanajuato, Mexico for over 50 years.
However, it is the sad reality that Ukrainian cities are under siege by an aggressive, genocidal neighbor and need help in ways they cannot immediately reciprocate. Our intention, therefore, is to offer support to a sister city that’s shown itself to be courageous and resilient in the face of unimaginable suffering, with confidence that when the war is over, our partner city will regain its strength and capacity to be a full and generous partner in an ongoing and mutually supportive relationship.
Our motto is: we cannot hope to save the whole country of Ukraine, but we can, with good will and some collective hard work, help one small town at a time.
'Sviatohirsk' | A Short Documentary by the
Ashland-Sviatohirsk Aid Project
The development of
our project
Ashland Sviatohirsk Sister City Project (ASAP) is a 501c3 non-profit organization created June 2023 to promote and support a sister city relationship between Ashland, OR and Sviatohirsk, Ukraine as a means to support Ukraine in its battle to preserve its freedom. Its mission statement is “We cannot hope to help all of Ukraine. Its problems are too vast but we can realistically help one small town.”
To date, ASAP has provided Sviatohirsk with equipment to restore its water supply and civic infrastructure, including a 5000lt. water truck, a dump truck and six chain saws. With our sister organization, Ukraine Aid International (UAI) we have also assisted in developing a water purification system and a wood pellet machine to provide municipal heating. As the war draws closer to the town, we are now sending medical supplies. We are also fundraising to provide a truck or van which has protective armor against drones to deliver supplies and evacuate citizens as needed. The ASAP board is committed to helping Sviatohirsk survive a potential second occupation by the Russian army and to reestablish itself as a vibrant, free and prosperous community after the war is over.
Our current board has eight members: Louise M. Paré, Ph.D (President), Benjamin Stott (Vice President), Erin McClure-Price (Secretary), Paul Sheldon, Betsy Bishop, Rich Whitley, Nikita Bazarsky and Michael Petrovich.
In June, 2025, Tonya Graham, Mayor of Ashland and Ben Stott, Vice President of the Ashland Sviatohirsk Aid Project (ASAP) traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine to attend the third annual International Summit of Cities and Regions hosted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mayor Graham was able to meet the Mayor of Sviatohirsk, Volodymr Ribalkin, during this time and establish a warm personal relationship.
ASAP in the news
Click the links to read the articles!
TIMELINE
and
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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June 2023 - Ashland City Council adopted a proposal from ASAP (Ashland – Sviatohirsk – Aid – Project) to adopt Sviatohirsk as an Ashland Sister City
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June 2023 - ASAP is granted 501(c)3 status enabling it to operate as a non-profit organization
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August 2023 - ASAP puts on a concert at AHS featuring Ukrainian performers, testimonials from some of our Ukrainian refugees living in the Rogue Valley, pictures and a talk from Benjamin Stott an ASAP member who was in Sviatohirsk Ukraine at the time and he talked about the importance of supporting Ukraine. Other dignitaries from Ashland including our Mayor Tonya Graham. Oregon legislators Pam Marsh and Jeff Golden also spoke to the importance of giving support. The concert was sold out with over 400 in attendance and the group raised over $12,000.
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December 2023 - ASAP had another fundraising success holding a concert and auction at the Ashland Historical Armory which raised over $11,000. Once again the fundraiser featured members of our local Ukrainian community. As a product of our fundraising efforts, ASAP purchased a dump truck as requested by Mayor Rybalkin which is now in use in Sviatohirsk
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Summer 2024 - our Vice President and founder of the ASAP organization Benjamin Stott, traveled to Ukraine and visited with Mayor Rybalkin and members of the Sviatohirsk community. He was able to interview a number of residents and brought back video of his trip which he will share with the community at our upcoming events.
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October 2024 - In conjunction with Amina Mundi Productions and Uniting for Ukraine, Rogue Valley, ASAP sponsored the Ukrainian Fall Cultural Fair at the Rogue Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. This event celebrated Ukrainian culture, through their foods, arts, crafts and with music provided by Ukrainian Grammy Award winning artist Nadia Spachenko and local pianist Iryna Kudielina. ASAP raised over $1,800 at that event.
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January 2025 - ASAP purchased three chainsaws, spare chains, and oil to help provide fuel for the wood pellet stove used to help heat the municipal buildings in Sviatohirsk.
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March 2025 - A benefit concert which included a new film created by a local filmmaker titled “Sviatohirsk, Ukraine” was held at Ashland High School’s Mountain Avenue Theatre on March 30 which raised over $16,000. As a product of our fundraising efforts, ASAP purchased a mobile water truck as requested by Mayor Ribalkin to serve the needs of the citizens of Sviatohirsk and the surrounding districts.
FIVE ways you can help
1. Donate money
Money you donate to ASAP is used to improve the lives of the citizens of our sister-city, Sviatohirsk. Our partner, Ukraine Aid International also supports five other similar projects and needs our support as well. We could not manage without their help.
3. Join protests and write to politicians to “stay the course” and not give in to Putin's nuclear blackmail.
4. Hire Ukrainians
4. Volunteer your professional skills, IT, medical, de-mining, business/financial on-line or in country