MIDDLETOWN — After Nazar Prudyvus celebrated his wedding day in Ukraine on Jan. 8, he returned to the United States to finish his wife’s visa application so she could join him at his Connecticut home, but before he could file the paperwork, Russia invaded the country.
Prudyvus was born and raised in Ternopil, Ukraine. After finishing college in 2013, he moved to Connecticut, and started his own home improvement and remodeling business in Cheshire called New Fresh Homes.
He returned to Ukraine for a friend’s wedding in November 2019, where he fell in love with one of the bridesmaids, Anna. Just over two years later, the two were married overseas.
Unfortunately, Anna is now trapped in Ukraine, and Prudyvus’ efforts to bring her to the states have been put on hold. “Now I am waiting because everyone left the embassy over there,” he said.
When he first heard the news, he wanted to put his gun permit to use and fight, Prudyvus said. “When everything first happened, I really wanted to go over there.”
His wife, however, convinced him not to, saying it would be better to stay safe until she can escape. He agreed, but still felt the need to assist in some way.
“I’m doing everything I can here to send help,” Prudyvus said.
He happened to cross paths with a member of the Middletown Police Department, who put him in touch with Community Relations Officer Jay Bodell.
Bodell and the rest of the department have been collecting supplies at the Main Street station, ranging from first aid kits and food to toiletries and stuffed animals.
“We already sent one truckload,” Bodell said.
On Wednesday, students at Beman Middle School helped Prudyvus and Bodell load another trailer full of supplies that the students collected the week prior.
“The fact the students stepped up is incredible,” Bodell said.
The students, led by members of the recently revived chapter of the National Junior Honor Society, collected more than 1,300 items in less than a week.
Beman Middle School Principal Raymond T. Byron Jr. said he was blown away.
“I thought, ‘How are we going to do this in a week?’ but the response has been tremendous,” he explained.
Eighth-grader Ariel Mason, president of the honor society, explained why the group decided to help out.
“NJHS has a value system based on helping others. It’s usually just in the community, but we wanted to have a broader reach,” Mason said.
She hopes their efforts can inspire the next generation of Beman students to volunteer. “It shows even the smallest efforts can really make an impact,” Mason said.
Students helped load the collected supplies into Prudyvus’ trailer Wednesday morning, before he and Bodell, along with canine officer Bear, brought it to the Ukranian National Home in Hartford.
“I thought it would be good to put a face to your efforts,” Bodell told students when introducing Prudyvus.
Prudyvus then gave students a bit more insight into the situation in Ukraine, and offered his thanks on behalf of everyone still there.
“They appreciate your work,” Prudyvus said.
A similar effort is underway at the South Fire District, where six local businesses and organizations are co-sponsoring a Ukrainian firefighters equipment drive that will support multiple fire services. The collection is set for Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the 445 Randolph Road station.