Minneapolis woman's bond with Ukrainian student leads her to sponsor his family
MINNEAPOLIS – A Ukrainian refugee family is on their way to Minneapolis thanks to a woman here who's formed a special bond with the family's son.
Mykola Sapronov has been temporarily living with Margie Commerford since he graduated from Yale University this spring and moved to Minneapolis. He's now attending the University of Minnesota for his graduate studies.
Sapronov says he felt like he was living two lives in his last semester: one as a student, the other as someone constantly following developments in the war in his home country of Ukraine.
"It's very difficult because I felt like I had no control," Sapronov said. "You're feeling really powerless, and you can't really do much."
Commerford saw on Facebook that Sapronov needed a place to stay.
"I just jumped on it," Commerford said. "It felt like a gift and before I knew it, we were connecting, and I was sort of offering him everything I had."
Commerford, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, felt an immediate affinity for Sapronov.
"He's such a sweetheart," Commerford said. "I love him now."
Their connection led to something greater. Commerford's now sponsoring Sapronov's family to come to America. His mother, father and 2-year-old brother are in Latvia after escaping Ukraine.
"I'm excited to know they're going to be in safety," Sapronov said. "But also I feel in a way responsible for making sure this transition goes as smooth as possible."
The Sapronovs will move into a two-bedroom apartment that's part of university housing. The family is set to arrive in about three weeks, and there's a lot to do before then.
"You need every fork, spoon, sheet, you need everything," Commerford said.
A social media post asking for donations to help furnish the apartment got an overwhelming response.
"When you make a personal connection, everything changes," Commerford said. "You start to really care, it's not just some cause out there. You start to care and that brings out something very beautiful in us."
One of the family's immediate needs is a car, which Commerford says they're looking to buy as soon as possible. Sapronov says he hopes when they get here, his family is able to find themselves in Minnesota just as he did.
Commerford is sponsoring the Sapronovs through the federal government's Uniting for Ukraine program. Click here for more information on helping bring Ukrainian refugees to the U.S.
