ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. – Dave and Greta Rubello adopted their daughter Sasha Rubello from an orphanage in Ukraine when she was just eight years old.
For the Rubellos, seeing what’s happening in Ukraine is a stark reminder their daughter, now 23, would have been a child trapped in war.
The family wanted to help those children already in orphanages, as they feel they have a solid connection to Sasha Rubello’s birthplace.
“To see this happening through the areas we were in, it’s heartbreaking,” Dave Rubello said.
Sasha Rubello sees herself as a Ukrainian and as an American.
“If I was there right now, I’d probably be a refugee,” said Sasha Rubello. “Most people don’t know the half of it, how strong and how incredible those people are.”
This Saturday (March 5), a dinner fundraiser is scheduled at Lakeland Manor at 5:30 p.m.; tickets are $20, with all the proceeds going to a nonprofit to help Children Advocacy Ukraine get children out of the country.
Tickets will be available for purchase at the door, or you can call Lakeland Manor at 586-773-2211.