High school student launches letter writing campaign to lift spirits of Ukrainian troops
By Sheldon Ingram
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NEW CASTLE, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — Neshannock Senior High School senior, Aresenii, is connecting his schoolmates to the brutal, war-torn reality in his homeland, and the soldiers fighting for their country’s independence.
Arsenii fled the eastern region of Ukraine two years ago, with his mother and sister upon his father’s orders, while he stayed behind to fight in the army.
Their journey to escape Ukraine took them to Slovakia, Germany, Canada, and finally New Castle, where Arsenii is a senior.
His heart aches for his father as he fights in combat against the Russian invasion.
“I’m proud of him,” he said. “He’s the best dad I could ever wish for, but I really miss him. I fear that my dad is still there. That’s what I fear. I’m scared that he’s still there.”
Arsenii wrote letters to his father and then asked schoolmates to also write letters to other soldiers on the front line to lift their spirits.
The response was overwhelming.
“I wasn’t expecting more than maybe a couple, 10 letters, but we received over 300 letters,” Arsenii said. “I’m really happy and thankful for all the students who wrote the letters.”
Arsenii was assisted by school administrators to organize the letter-writing campaign, and they are expected to be delivered to Ukrainian soldiers within two weeks, after they were mailed on Tuesday.
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