Chamblee steps up to help Ukrainian sister city
Unlike other cities in the metro area, Chamblee was without a sister city, a partner town from another country. That changed in September last year when the city council voted to ally itself with Kovel, Ukraine.
“We were looking to partner with someone, and a former exchange student I’d hosted was volunteering in Ukraine and suggested it,” Mayor Brian Mock said. “We reached out and made a connection, and the city was thrilled. We were their first partnership with a city America. It was the right time, the right place.”
After the vote, Mock visited Kovel and stayed for a week to meet with local officials and solidify the agreement that supports the town economically, culturally and academically.
“I came back with so many ideas,” Mock said. “There hasn’t been one day since I’ve been back that I haven’t spoken to someone from Ukraine. It’s almost become like a third job for me.”
The idea that leads the list for Mock is a partnership with EuroFuture, a nongovernmental organization working to establish an English library in Kovel.
“I saw this as something the city could support immediately,” he said. “The building is there; they’re getting the shelving in place for an English library with books from kindergarten to 100 years old, if that’s what comes through the door.”
Chamblee recently launched a book collection for Kovel with the end goal of sending 10,000 volumes. But they’ll go in 1,000-book batches that make the project manageable.
“We have a short-term goal of 1,000 books that we’d like to ship out immediately, and as soon as we can get the first set shipped, we’ll start collecting the next 1,000,” said Mock. “But the library can hold 10,000, so we’re not going to stop until we reach that number.”
Donations are accepted at Chamblee City Hall, 3518 Broad St., or the Chamblee branch of the DeKalb County Public Library where the books are being sorted into genres and reading levels.
“The misconception has been that we’re looking for school-age books, but we’re really looking for anything,” said Mock. “They’re happy to have fine literature, number books or whatever they can get.”
Donations to help with shipping costs are being accepted by the Georgia branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America; visit ukrainianatlanta.org/donation for details.
Information about the book drive is online at chambleega.com/750/Sister-City---Kovel-Ukraine.
Who’s doing good? Each week, we write about a deserving individual, charity events such as fun-runs, volunteer projects and other community gatherings that benefit a good cause. To suggest an event or person for us to cover, contact us at ajc.doinggood@gmail.com.
