
SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY IN TIMES OF COVID-19
This past Easter, a group of friends organized a fundraiser event in Boston to support the AVSI-USA campaign “Get in the Game” and raised almost $600 selling Ukrainian Pysanky Eggs
May 10, 2020
This past Easter, a group of friends organized a fundraiser event in Boston to support the AVSI-USA campaign “Get in the Game” and raised almost $600 selling Ukrainian Pysanky Eggs
Dear friends,
The Easter fundraiser for AVSI-USA organized by our group of diligent ladies in Boston was quite a gift and surprise for people in our community and us.
In February, we gathered to discuss which item of significance we should create to embrace the true meaning of Easter. After much consideration, we ultimately agreed on the Ukrainian Pysanky Egg. The designs etched on these traditional Easter eggs are very meaningful and representative. The egg itself is also a symbol: with its never-ending surface, it represents eternal life. The delicate process required to make these eggs is meant to be reflective and contemplative.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home order presented us with a challenge: how would we share our creations remotely? Should we even continue at all? At first, these circumstances acted as a burden and possible dead-end, but we later felt a need to continue to provide hope and prayer to our community and Crecemos through our work. The urgent need generated greater creativity.
The eggs we were making symbolized Easter and the Resurrection, and they also brought a more profound sense of hope to everyone in these trying times. From one isolated household to the next, we found ways to communicate and figure out how our work of art would reach other people; a whole new reality was created. We made a video including each one of us working on the eggs to present our work as well as set up a simple system for people to donate, choose their eggs, and how to deliver them.
It was fascinating to see that distance couldn’t keep us apart. With women from all over New England, we felt united, working towards a common goal: to create a sign of solidarity and hope. This fundraiser was for us a simple and beautiful experience, and we learned that even difficult moments of trouble might lead us to opportunities of joy and friendship, something out of the ordinary in these difficult circumstances.