Reflections from the Polish-Ukrainian Border with Bernadine Joselyn

Held Wednesday, May 18th at 6:30 p.m. CT

We were to hear from Bernadine Joselyn who just spent three weeks at the Polish-Ukrainian border welcoming and processing evacuees fleeing Russia’s war with Ukraine.  Bernadine, who is director of Public Policy and Engagement at Blandin Foundation, lived and worked in Russia 20 years ago with the U.S. Foreign Service and other international development organizations, and now lives in Grand Rapids, MN with her Ukrainian husband.

Bernadine heard about the opportunity to help and quickly found herself in the evacuee center at Korcwoza, about 20 kilometers from the actual border; it was a huge wholesale warehouse space, repurposed for the evacuees. Volunteers from all over the world had come to help. Some were organized with groups such as Red Cross of Doctors without Borders; some came without affiliation.

With Ukrainian men between the ages of 16 and 60 forbidden from leaving the country, the evacuees were overwhelmingly women and children. Some had left with nothing but the clothes on their back. Bernadine’s mission was to make them safe, meet their immediate needs (food, clothing, SIM cards) and to help them find a place  to stay.

Bernadine shared about the process, the people and the politics as well as how we can help. You can learn more about her trip from her recent article in the Women’s Press.

Cohosted by 100 Rural Women and Women’s March MN.

Bernadine Joselyn

Bernadine Joselyn, based in Grand Rapids, is the Director of Public Policy & Engagement at the Blandin Foundation. Their focus lies in strengthening rural communities. She loves this work because of the opportunity to help rural people imagine their desired future and then work together to make it so. She feels privileged to do mission-driven work and to see how people have hope and feel efficacious and motivated to be involved. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Joselyn worked and lived abroad. As much as she appreciated that opportunity, she found her way back to rural Minnesota. She feels pulled to rural because it helps her connect to community and place in a way that she can really appreciate after having lived in a lot of big cities.

Read her spotlight profile!