Cincinnati's Ukrainian Festival was a success last year. More than $45,000 was raised during the cultural celebration to buy medical equipment for hospitals in Kharkiv, the Queen City's sister city.
That success came at a time when support from the American people for Ukraine was generally high, and the war received plenty of coverage in media. Organizers are optimistic about the celebration possibly reigniting more local support for the war-torn country.
Oksana Sergeenkova is from Cincinnati's Ukrainian National Women's League. She started the festival. She says as the war has dragged on, she noticed people's interest in the conflict has dipped significantly. That's understandable, she says, since it's happening on the other side of the world.
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"People are losing interest," Sergeenkova said. "It's not very close to their hearts. For us, it's important to continue doing what we started to do."
She wants the Ukrainian Festival to have another strong showing so they can raise thousands of dollars to buy more life-saving medical equipment for hospitals, this time for the Kherson region that's still rattled from a massive dam breach in June.
Sergeenkova claims donations for causes in Ukraine have noticeably dropped, which she attributes to donor fatigue. That's why this year's festival will focus on fun, as well as Ukraine's unique culture to remind people why they got behind the country in the first place.
The festival will include activities for kids, live performances, and plenty of authentic Ukrainian food. Festival-goers will have a chance to try cuisine from different regions around the country to get a better sense of Ukraine's cultural diversity.
Additionally, people will be able to view Ukrainian artifacts, some of which date back to the 11th century.
While raising money to support Ukraine remains the main goal, Sergeenkova wants the festival to have staying power so it stays an annual tradition like Cincinnati's other cultural festivals.
"We have a beautiful German festival. We have a beautiful Greek festival. We have the amazing Cincinnati Salsa on the Square for all of Latin America, but we have not much from my country and I want to share with Americans how beautiful it is," Sergeenkova said.
The Cincinnati Ukrainian Festival starts at noon Saturday at the Fleming Road United Church of Christ.
