Council Voices Support for Donating Directly to Ukrainian Refugees

Acting on a motion by Ward 3 Councillor Anthony Cogliandro, the City Council voted to request that Mayor Brian Arrigo set up a fundraiser through Revere’s website to donate and show support for displaced Ukrainian refugees due to the current crisis.

“It was brought to my attention that there is a link on the city’s website to a foundation that we’ve partnered with, but personally I’d like to see just something from Revere set up on the site,” said Cogliandro. “I’d like us to be able to control where we send the money.”

Councillor-at-Large George Rotondo said he has donated to Ukraine through a Bed and Bath service that allows families to receive the funds directly for housing.

Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna voiced her support for Cogliandro’s motion, saying residents had reached out to her through Facebook with the intention of donating funds to Ukraine.

Councillor-at-Large Steven Morabito said, “People all over the world are showing support for Ukrainians. It’s very important that we initialize a fund that people can contribute to. It’s the fundamentals of democracy that they are fighting for, and that’s what America is. America is about democracy, and here in the City of Revere, we need to do what we can to help the Ukrainians.”

Endicott Avenue resident Aleksandra Desmond stated she favored direct funding to the Ukrainian refugees’ cause in Poland and other countries.

Desmond said she is an immigrant from the Soviet Union who came to the United States in 1994. “My grandmother is actually from Mariupol in Ukraine and my grandfather is from Donetsk in Ukraine. During World War, my grandmother had to flee because we’re Jewish and we ended up moving to Moscow. Unfortunately, it wasn’t any better there. So, we had come here as refugees on political asylum and unfortunately it wasn’t very easy as a refugee.

“If we could maybe create some sort of additional support from all types of organizations within, it would really be more beneficial than a UNICEF-type of funding, because it really is difficult to say where people’s money is going,” added Desmond.

Councillor-at-Large Marc Silvestri, a highly decorated United States Army veteran, expressed his support for the motion. “I can only imagine what it would be like trying to be a resident of a neighborhood and having it bombed and tanks roll through it,” said Silvestri. “So, anything that we can do here as a Council or I can do to help you facilitate, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”