LYCOMING COUNTY, Pa. — A little bit of support can go a long way. That's what the folks at Valley View Nursing Center near Montoursville believe. The nursing home hopes to make an impact in Eastern Europe.
"We are all human beings, and we are here for a purpose, and that is to help each other," said Karl Henthorne, a Valley View resident.
Staff, board members, and visitors raised over $1,000 for a nursing home in Ukraine or one in Poland that has taken in war refugees.
"I feel like the residents have a connection, and maybe we now have a connection with a nursing home in either Ukraine or Poland," said Michele Brague, Valley View's administrator.
In addition to raising over $1,000 for a nursing home in either Poland or Ukraine, residents at Valley View are also sending over letters of support.
"I went around to each of the residents and talked to each of them and heard what they wanted to say and then put it all together," said Bonnie Kane, a recreational aid at Valley View.
Each letter is addressed to a Ukrainian nursing home resident. Valley View residents shared with Newswatch 16 the content of their letters.
"I told them I was praying for them. That God was looking over them and that they will find peace eventually," said Nancy Koppel, a Valley View resident.
"We are all in the same boat. They are friends of ours, and we are friends of theirs," added Henthorne.
The money and letters are being handled by the Federation of Jewish Charities. That organization has promised all funds will be delivered to aid an Eastern European nursing home housing Ukrainians.
See more videos on our area’s connection to the Crisis in Ukraine.