Westporter Marshall Mayer is executive director of Ukraine Aid International. The non-profit organization delivers humanitarian aid directly to war-torn locations in the eastern part of the nation.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its 5th year, Westport’s sister city of Lyman continues to suffer, just miles from the Russian front. The connection between our towns was facilitated in the early days of the war by UAI’s founders, Mayer and his brother Brian. Marshall sends this report, from Kyiv.
Four years. That is the headline everywhere this week. Four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
But Ukraine has not been at war for 4 years. The world has noticed it for 4 years, but Ukraine has been at war for 12.
On February 20, 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and began its assault on Donetsk and Luhansk. Long before the cameras arrived in Kyiv in 2022, Ukrainians were already fighting and dying for their sovereignty. The invasion did not begin when the world paid attention. It began when Russia decided Ukraine did not have the right to exist as a free nation.
For me, this war became personal in July 2014. A friend was aboard Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 when it was shot down over Donetsk by a Russian-provided missile. Two hundred ninety-eight people were killed. He was one of them. That was not geopolitics. It was personal.
Marshall Mayer in Lyman, Ukraine — Westport’s sister city.
In 2022, as the world finally woke up, we founded Ukraine Aid International. Our mission was straightforward: focus resources on the communities most devastated by war, particularly those near the front line. In the 4 years since we have worked in towns that rarely make headlines, but endure shelling, blackouts, floods, and rebuilding in constant cycles.
We have lost friends. Volunteer friends. Soldier friends. Civilian friends. Far more than anyone should lose at my age.
And yet what stays with me most is not only loss, but resilience.
In Ukraine, life insists on continuing. A couple on a first date in an underground bar. Office workers eating lunch by the river in summer. A husband waiting at a train station with flowers. Even on the edge of war, people choose love, culture, family and future.
Hope amid devastation, in Lyman, Ukraine.
There is endless talk about negotiations and concessions. But what concession is owed to an army bent on destruction? In years of fighting, Russia has measured gains in feet, not miles. “Three days to Kyiv” failed. Ukraine’s integration with Europe continues. Every day Ukraine survives is a victory.
When this ends, however it ends, Ukraine will emerge stronger than anyone expects. Russia will emerge weakened. Because Russia fights for land. Ukraine fights for love. Love of its children, its language, its history, its dignity.
For Ukraine, there is no plan B.
That energy is why we are still here. We support Ukraine because the moral line is clear. This is a fight between destruction and self-determination. Between domination and dignity.
On Thursday, March 5 at 7:00pm, we invite you to stand with Ukraine in a different way. Join us at the Westport Country Playhouse for “Keys for Resilience,” a benefit concert supporting Connecticut’s sister cities in Ukraine, featuring Ukrainian pianist Ruslan Ramazanov and Ukrainian-American soprano and bandurist Teryn Kuzma.
Ruslan rebuilt his life in the United States after the full-scale invasion, and now performs and teaches in Boston. Teryn, a Connecticut native, brings both her radiant soprano voice and the 55-string Ukrainian bandura to the stage. Together they will perform works by Chopin, Prokofiev, Brahms, Debussy, Gershwin, and Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk.
Dashboard and body camera footage has been released of the Merritt Parkway accident in Westport last July, involving WWE co-founder Vince McMahon.
Driving northbound near Exit 20 (formerly Exit 41) at a speed of 110 to 115 miles an hour, the 79-year-old Greenwich resident slammed his Bentley Continental GT into the back of a BMW. He caromed off a guardrail, then continued driving before a Connecticut state trooper pulled him over.
The WWE owner told the officer he was in a hurry to get to his granddaughter’s birthday.
He received a misdemeanor summons for reckless driving and following too closely, and was released at the scene on a $500 bond. In October, he was granted accelerated rehabilitation for one year, on the condition he make a charitable contribution.
Click here or below to see the accident, and the aftermath with the state trooper. (Hat tip: Sal Liccione)
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds into its 4th year, a special event will raise funds for besieged towns.
One of those is Lyman — Westport’s sister city. It was the first of several established by Ukraine Aid International, the not-for-profit founded by Westport brothers Brian and Marshall Mayer. UAI provides humanitarian aid to Ukrainian communities near the Russian border.
Next Thursday (March 5, 7 p.m.,), “Keys of Resilience” brings Ukrainian pianist Ruslan Ramazanoy to the Westport Country Playhouse. He rebuilt his life in the US following the 2022 invasion, and is now a faculty member witht the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
He’ll offer interpretations of masters like Brahms, Chopin, Liszt and Gershwin, and introduce the audience to contemporary Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk.
In addition, Connecticut-born Ukrainian-American soprano Teryn Kuzma — a 4th-generation bandurist — will play the 55-stringed harp-zither.
Congratulations to the Staples High School boys basketball team.
Last night they routed a strong Ridgefield squad 67-49, to complete the regular season 20-0.
That remarkable run includes 15 FCIAC (league) wins), and victories over non-league Wilbur Cross-New Haven, Ramapo, Archbishop Molloy, Taconic and Scarsdale Highs. The latter 4 are out-of-state teams.
The closest contest was 53-51, over Fairfield Ludlowe. Two weeks ago, the Wreckers handled then-undefeated Trumbull by 18 points. Every other win too was by double digits.
Coach Dave Goldshore and his senior-laden ballers begin the FCIAC tournament this Saturday (February 28), with a 1:45 p.m. tipoff at Staples.
Coach Tommy Sparks’ girls team — who suffered only 2 losses in league play this year — are the first part of that FCIAC quarterfinal doubleheader. Their game starts at noon.
Jennaty Med Spa — a boutique medical aesthetics and wellness spa — has just opened on the 2nd floor at 991 Post Road East (across from Starbucks).
It was cofounded by 2 nurses. They wanted to create “a private, concierge style wellness space, where patients feel genuinely cared for.”
They focus on IV hydration and wellness therapy, advanced injectables (Botox, dermal fillers), regenerative treatments and personalized aesthetic consultations.
The atmosphere is “intimate, elevated, and designed to feel more like a private wellness lounge than a traditional med spa.” Jennaty believes in “natural results, ethical practice, and long-term relationships with our clients.”
PS: The name comes from the nicknames of the 2 founders: Jennifer Velazquez and Natalia Cardona.
Jennaty Med Spa founders: Jen and Naty.
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Club203 — Westport’s social group for adults with disabilities — celebrates “the green” (aka St. Patrick’s Day) at a very appropriate place: Green’s Farms Church.
The March 9 event (6:30 to 8 p.m.) includes Irish-themed bites by Lyfe Cafê, live Irish favorites from Peter Kozak, and sweet green treats by Avery Horne.
Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests, between February 18 and 24.
An 18-year-old Meriden man was charged with larceny, theft of a payment card, charging less than $500 on a stolen/revoked payment card, and identity theft, following theft of a wallet from a car that was in an unlocked garage, with the garage door open. He was released on a $50,000 bond.
A 71-year-old Westport man was charged with operating under the influence and evading responsibility, following a motor vehicle accident in the Riko’s Pizza parking lot. He was released on a $1,500 bond.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Texting while driving: 7 citations
Failure to renew registration: 5
Traveling unreasonably fast: 3
Failure to obey stop sign: 3
Speeding in a school zone, 2nd offense: 1
Failure to remove snow/ice from roof:
Tinted glass violation: 1
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 1
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 1
Failure to obey traffic control signals 1.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: It’s not just courteous to remove snow and ice from your vehicle’s roof. It’s the law!
And finally … the item about Vince McMahon (above) brought to mind:
(If you appreciate “06880”‘s coverage of law enforcement matters — from our weekly Police Reports, to an item like the one on Vince McMahon — please click here to support our work. 10-4.)
For nearly 4 years, Ukraine has battled invading Russian forces.
For almost as long, Ukraine Aid International has been helping supply food, communications and medical equipment, portable heaters, clothing, toys and more, to Ukrainians in hard-hit areas.
The non-profit was co-founded by 2009 Staples High School graduate Marshall Mayer. He and his brother Brian — the other co-founder — were instrumental too in helping Westport develop its sister city relationship with Lyman, in the embattled Donetsk oblast.
This week, Marshall was in Kyiv. He reports:
It was 10º in New York this weekend. I bet most New Yorkers stayed home if they could. They huddled by their radiators, watched a good movie, and maybe read a book. Many made coffee with their Keurig, or a mug of hot chocolate.
Cold days like this are terrible if you have to go outside, but they can be a joy to sit through in the comfort of your home.
I am writing to you from Kyiv, Ukraine. Today it is a chilling -7º, with wind chill pushing that even lower.
Marshall Mayer (far left), in frigid Kyiv.
But most residents of Kyiv do not have a warm home to go back to. There’s no working radiator, no soft light to illuminate that novel, and no coffee maker. In the worst winter in more than a decade, Russia has seen to it that Kyiv, and many other cities across Ukraine, have not had any respite from the cold.
Every power station in Ukraine has been hit by Russian missiles or drones — at least 5 times each.
With power stations hit, streetlights are off.
The landscape is ever shifting in Kyiv, but high-level statistics tell the humanity of the situation. In just one district of the city, out of 1,500 residential apartment buildings, only 28 have heat.
98% of the district is as cold inside the walls as outside. Most residents across the city are without power more often than they have it. Rolling blackouts have given way to rolling “power-ons.”
Lack of electricity is now the rule, not the exception. The situation is far more dire than a headline can convey.
I’m stopping for a lunch meeting today at a wonderful café in the Arsenalna area of the capital, a neighborhood named after the Russian Empire-era Arsenal Factory that used to be here.
Europe’s deepest subway station is 350 below our feet. It takes 6 minutes of escalators just to reach the platform. The escalators aren’t working today, but neither is the metro, so at least nobody has to hike the 600 steps up or down — except if they need to use the station as a bomb shelter.
A long way to walk, when the subway escalator is out.
The door to the café is adorned with cute, laminated icons welcoming you: free Wi-Fi, hot coffee, pet-friendly, and delicious food.
Inside, the reality is starkly different. The room, while beautifully furnished, is cold. The lights are off; the kitchen is nonfunctional.
The “lunch” part of our meeting will not materialize. Two pre-brewed towers of warm coffee are all they can serve, prepared earlier in the day during a period of power.
In true Kyiv fashion, the choice is between an Ethiopian and a Rwandan blend. Even at war, Ukrainian hospitality prevails.
We have been out all morning, delivering aid to an orphanage in Bucha, so as we leave the café several of us need the bathroom. No luck; the water in the neighborhood is shut off, which means the toilets cannot flush.
We try 5 different places. Nobody has a working toilet. Two of our group find a tree behind a corner; the rest of us hold on until our next stop.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I don’t live full-time in Kyiv; I get to come and go. My hotel is one of the fortunate ones with a working generator. It has reliable power and some electric heat (the radiator is ice cold).
But several members of UAI’s team do live here. They, like many of Kyiv’s residents, have spent the last several weeks alternating between friends’ and family’s homes, crashing on couches or sleeping on floors, following the warmth wherever it’s available.
Marshall Mayer, in Lyman.
This morning we learned that the brother of a UAI volunteer was killed this week on the front lines. It’s not our first devastating loss. But we hope, as always, it will be the last.
This is daily life here. Ukrainians suffer, mourn, and keep fighting.
Despite all this, Kyiv soldiers on. Kyivans know it can be worse. They could be living near the front lines of this terrible war. One regional city leader gave this analogy: Kyiv’s situation in comparison to Donetsk is like comparing Las Vegas and Afghanistan.
At least in Kyiv, city services (mostly) continue, for now. At least in Kyiv, food is not scarce, for now. Fuel for generators is plentiful, for now.
In Donetsk — Lyman’s oblast — and in all the frontline regions in which we operate, none of these are a given.
Ukraine’s capital city is dark.
And though the intention of the Russian attacks is clearly to terrorize, torture and demoralize Kyiv’s residents, spirits remain high.
If the intent is to push the capital to give up, the reality is the opposite. Citizens have dug their heels in. Few things can bond people more strongly than suffering under an oppressive regime’s terror tactics.
Everyone is more determined than ever.
In times like these, UAI looks everywhere for ways to help. We are currently in discussions with several municipalities in Germany to provide matching public funds to support electrical generation and heating facilities.
Our first goal is to raise $5,000, which will be matched 10:1 to support the purchase of nearly 1 megawatt of generator capacity, with delivery possible within days. This would restore emergency power and heat to nearly 3,000 Ukrainians, helping them survive the cold expected to last well into the spring.
When successful, we plan to replicate this pilot project to support more purchases of the same for Kyiv and other cities.
As the weather warms, infrastructure attacks become less effective, and Ukraine slowly repairs its grid, we will move these generators to wherever they’re most needed.
(Here’s another way to help. On March 5, the Westport Country Playhouse hosts “Keys for Resilience.” The evening of classical music — a fundraiser for Connecticut’s sister cities in Ukraine — featuresRuslan Ramazanov, an extraordinary Ukrainian pianist and refugee now based in the US, and Ukrainian-American soprano and bandurist Teryn Kuzma. Click here for tickets, and more information.)
1st Selectman Kevin Christie says: “Safety is our top priority. We are asking residents to stay home if they are able, avoid unnecessary travel, and keep roads clear so our public safety and public works teams can do their jobs. Please avoid parking on streets if possible, and take a moment to check in on any neighbors who may need assistance.”
Public safety operations, including Police, Fire, and Public Works, will continue under established storm and emergency response protocols.
Residents should sign up for emergency alerts by texting 06880 to 888777, to receive Westport notifications via Nixle.
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Also closed: the Westport Library.
All programs planned for today will be rescheduled.
The Westport Weston Family YMCA plans a noon opening today.
The view from the YMCA is beautiful on days like today. But you won’t be able to see it until noon. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Speaking of snow: There must be some back stories to these photos, both taken by Harris Falk:
But whatever they are, he didn’t say.
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As Westport’s sister city of Lyman remains under siege, and Russia’s war against Ukraine drags on into a 4th year, Ukraine Aid International continues to help.
The non-profit — created by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer, and credited with delivering tons of food, vehicles, supplies, communications equipment, clothing and more, to the most war-torn regions of the nation, while developing partnerships between towns in Ukraine and the US — is hosting a March 5 fundraiser at the Westport Country Playhouse.
The entertainment at “Keys for Resilience” is spot-on: 2 superb Ukrainian artists whose work speaks to resilience, identity and hope.
Pianist, composer and educator Ruslan Ramazanov was forced to rebuild his life and career in the US, following Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Since arriving here, his music has taken on an added layer of meaning, reflecting his personal journey of adaptation and rediscovery through art. He works at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
He’s joined by Ukrainian-American soprano Teryn Kuzma. A versatile performer passionate about both contemporary works and rarely heard Eastern European opera and art song, she plays
In addition to her acclaimed vocal career, she is an accomplished performer on the bandura, Ukraine’s 55-string harp-zither instrument.
“Keys for Resilience” weaves classical and traditional music with stories from Connecticut’s sister cities in Ukraine.
All proceeds will support sister cities in Ukraine — including Westport’s own, Lyman — and the sister-state relationship between Connecticut and Donetsk. Click here for tickets, and more information.
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Staples High School’s musicians, actors and athletes get plenty of props.
Today, we applaud the equally accomplished “We the People” team.
For 12 years, students in Suzanne Kammerman’s Advanced Placement Politics & Government class have participated in the state event. Often, they qualify there for national competition.
On Saturday, they did again.
The all-junior team placed 2nd in the state competition, at Hartford’s historic Old State House. That earns them a trip to the national event, this spring in Washington.
“We the People” has both a classroom and extracurricular component. Students prepare and present oral arguments on specific sections of the Constitution in simulated congressional hearings. Then comes an intense questi9n-and-answer session, with a panel of judges.
It is not for the faint of heart. The students grapple with difficult constitutional questions. The judges demand clear, compelling answers.
Several seniors — veterans of last year’s best-ever 8th place national finish — helped coach the squad: Lila Boroujerdi, Olivia Cohn, Gunnar Eklund, Jay Hari, Miles Kahn, Souleye Kebe and Jake Shufro.
Congrats to all. Now go rock DC!
PS: It was a full day for the competitors. Many raced back to Westport from Hartford, to get ready for the County Assembly formal dance that night.
Staples’ “We the People” team in Hartford on Saturday. They were in the same room where the Connecticut House of Representatives convened in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Sweet Remains — Westporter Greg Naughton’s band, perennial Levitt Pavilion favorites (and international stars, with over 65 million Spotify streams) — wowed a large Westport Country Playhouse crowd Saturday night.
There was a hometown feel too, as Greg’s wife Kelli O’Hara, daughter Charlotte and father Jim Naughton joined the folk-pop, 3-part harmony group onstage.
The Sweet Remains’ Rich Price. (Photo/Jerry Kuyper)
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“06880” is where Westport meets the world.
And Westport meets the World Cup.
Rebecca Lowe will have a memorable year. The former Westport resident will be one of Fox Sports’ primary hosts for the soccer spectacle that comes to the US, Canada and Mexico this spring.
She’ll be on loan from NBC Sports, where next month she’ll host daytime coverage of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Oh, yeah: She’ll also cover the Kentucky Derby.
When Lowe began hosting NBC Sports’ Premier League soccer coverage — from its studios in Stamford — she and her husband, former English player and coach Paul Buckle, lived on Main Street.
At NBC she works with Robbie Mustoe, who also lives in Westport. A former NBC colleague, Kyle Martino, lives here too.
World Cup story #2: The other day, Joe Pierce — a long-time area resident, former Staples High School assistant soccer coach, and producer of a film about legendary English star Sir Stanley Matthews — was at Dandelion, the new Delamar Westport restaurant. He writes:
“My friend Hicham, the corporate restaurant director for the Delamar group, was eager to show me around. It’s a stunning space: refined, intentional, full of life.
“But as can happen when 2 football obsessives meet, the talk of interior design lasted exactly 30 seconds.
“We settled onto bar stools, and the conversation shifted to our shared obsession: The Beautiful Game.
“Hicham is a devoted Arsenal supporter. But when he speaks of his beloved Morocco, you feel a different kind of energy.
“He’s a witness to a national metamorphosis. Morocco didn’t become the darlings of the last World Cup by luck; it was a masterclass in strategic infrastructure. They’ve funneled millions into the Mohammed VI Academy, scouting the global diaspora and building a “Golden Generation” that won the U-20 World Cup in October.
“As a Scottish expat living in Connecticut, I couldn’t help but see the parallels to the grit and discipline of the 1970s squads I grew up with. But on June 19, when our nations meet at in Foxboro, Massachusetts, Hicham and I will be on opposite sides of the park.
“He’ll be in the red and green of a rising power. I’ll be in the blue of a Tartan Army. seeking redemption for 1998.
“That is what football is all about. It turns a casual drink in Westport into a geopolitical debate. It takes the “home soil” we walk on every day, and connects it to the “away soul” we never truly left behind.
“If you find yourself at the Dandelion on a Saturday night, stop by and have a chat with Hicham about football. Feel the passion like I did.”
Joe Pierce
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With all the whiteness today, a bit of color really stands out.
Jamie Walsh captured this scene, for today’s very appropriate “Westport … Naturally” feature.
And finally … on this date in 1863, Massachusetts Governor John Albion Andrews received permission from Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to raise a militia of men of African descent.
Recruitment for the 54th Massachusetts Infantry was helped by Frederick Douglass, whose 2 sons were among the first to enlist.
The writer of this song about the unit is unknown. Richie Havens delivered a stirring version.
(Tired of shoveling? Take a break! Let your fingers do the work: Just click here, and support “06880” — your equally hard-working hyper-local blog — with a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
A reminder: The upcoming Martin Luther King holiday includes 2 important local events.
The speaker for the 20th annual celebration is Jelani Cobb. The renowned journalist, scholar, and dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism will be in conversation this on Saturday (January 17, 1 p.m., Westport Library) with novelist, playwright, filmmaker — and Westport resident — Trey Ellis.
Cobb is a Peabody Award winner, Pulitzer Prize finalist, MSNow political analyst, and New Yorker staff writer. He has written books on Barack Obama and the hip hop aesthetic, in addition to editing other volumes and producing numerous documentaries.
The annual MLK celebration is a partnership between the Library, TEAM Westport, Westport Country Playhouse, Westport Museum for History & Culture, and the Westport/Weston Clergy Association. The event is free; click here to register.
Jelani Cobb
On Monday (January 19), the Westport Country Playhouse hosts a free screening of the Emmy-winning 2019 documentary “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality.”
The film focuses on Stevenson’s life and career — particularly his indictment of the US criminal justice system for its role in codifying modern systemic racism — and tracks the intertwined histories of slavery, lynching, segregation and mass incarceration.
The film also documents the monumental opening of the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice, dedicated to the more than 4,400 lynching victims.
The screening is followed by a discussion with Ellis — one of the film’s executive producers — and TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey Jr., along with questions from the audience. Click here for more information.
The New York Times ran a photo of Lyman, Ukraine yesterday.
There were 2 connections to Westport — and an ominous caption.
The image — illustrating a story about Russian President Putin’s silence in the wake of President Trump’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro — showed a Ukrainian artillery brigade near Lyman. The town, in the Donetsk region has been a sister city of Westport since shortly after the Russian invasion.
The caption in the online version said simply, “A Ukrainian soldier from the 63rd Mechanized Brigade firing toward a Russian target in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday.”
The print version was much more ominous. It added: “Capturing Lyman is currently a top Russian priority.”
The other connection: The shot was taken by Tyler Hicks. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times photographer is a 1988 Staples High School graduate.
(Photo/Tyler Hicks for the New York Times)
Hicks had another Ukraine photo yesterday too — on page 1.
There is actually a third Westport connection. Ukraine Aid International — the boots-on-the-ground non-profit, founded by Westporters Marshall and Brian Mayer — continues to collect funds for our sister city.
To donate monthly or one time, just click here. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.) (Hat tip: Bob Mitchell)
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Christmas — even all 12 days of it — are in the rearview mirror.
Also in the rearview mirror (if you’re parking a certain way at the Imperial Avenue lot): dozens of Christmas trees.
Hundreds are stacked neatly in the back.
Toni Simonetti — who sends this photo, with Max waiting patiently in front — wonders if this is where they’re stored, after being picked up by local Scouts.
However they got there, she says: “They smell glorious!”
Looking for an advanced astro-photography workflow tutorial?
The Westport Astronomical Society’s free lecture series has exactly that.
On February 10 (7 p.m.), veteran WAS astro-photographer Michael Southam offers tips on taking images from the planning stage, through data acquisition, subframe selection, stacking and processing. Attendees should bring a laptop. Click here to register.Click here to become a WAS member.
BONUS FEATURE: Back in the day, in his Westport studio, filmmaker/animator Jeff Scher made this video for the “Ace of Cups.” The all-female 1960s San Francisco band got reunited after 50 years. Bob Weir was one of several musicians who joined in.
The video is mostly abstract, but includes a portrait of Weir near the beginning.
(Another week, another Monday with a Roundup that roams from our sister city to outer space. And another reminder: “06880” relies on support from readers like you. Please click here to help. Thanks!)
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly 4 years ago, our friends in Marigny suggested we both aid another town there.
With help from Ukraine Aid International — the boots-on-the-ground non-profit founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer — we now have a third sister city: Lyman.
Westporters have provided over $300,000 in contributions, which has paid for trash trucks, wood pellet stoves, building supplies, gifts, and much more. We’ve also sent electronic and other much-needed equipment to Lyman, which is very close to the front lines in the Donetsk region.
Meanwhile, for the third Christmas in a row, Marigny residents have sent presents to Lyman’s youngsters.
This year, UAI delivered 288 gifts to the town’s boys and girls. Many are spread across the country, evacuated to safety.
Nikita Shcherinskiy — UAI’s director of logistics) — reports, “their genuine smiles and heartwarming moments are always so touching. A big thank you to everyone who participated in this initiative, and in distributing gifts to children who need them so much today.”
The need for monetary donations to Lyman continues to be great. Just click here; click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo).
Lyman children with gifts from Marigny-le-Louzon. (Photo courtesy of Ukraine Aid International)
A new year brings new programs to Wakeman Town Farm.
It begins with “Drop-In Little Farmers” sessions (January 7 and 9), where an adult and youngster hang out with alpacas, sheep, ducks and more.
An adaptive music/movement program — “Joyful Jitterbugs” — is designed for kids ages 3-7, with a caregiver.
Elementary schoolers can enjoy a January 19 MLK Day Camp; a Winter Farm Program with authentic farming experiences; a one-day after-school Chinese cooking class, and 2 weekly Kids’ Culinary Class series.
For adults, WTF offers a Winter Seed Sowing class, Whole Foods Healthy Cooking class, Thai Curry class, a romantic Valentine’s dinner with wine pairings, and a Choosing the Best Garden Tools class, before the garden season begins.
Little kids love going outdoors, at Wakeman Town Farm.
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Where Westport Meets the World, random real estate category:
Joseph Deshane lived in central Connecticut for 15 years. He moved away in 1989.
He has no real connection to Westport. But he recently bought a home in Illinois. Possessions were included.
When he moved in, he found a metal cabinet in the cellar. Inside was a commemorative plate:
(Photo/Joseph Deshane)
His curiosity piqued, Joseph read the inscription on the bank. He learned it was part of 2 large murals, painted by local artist Robert Lambdin for the Westport Bank & Trust Company.
For decades they hung inside. When Patagonia took over — after WB&T had been absorbed by a series of larger banks — they retained the twin works.
The clothing store is now gone too. But the new tenants — Compass Real Estate — will keep the murals, when they move in soon. They’re large, historic, interesting, valuable — and a great way for potential home buyers to learn about Westport’s arts heritage.
Nearly a thousand miles away, Joseph learned details of the plate he found in his new cellar.
Much of the information came from “06880.” Which is why he sent us this very cool photo, and the equally intriguing back story.
And finally … today is the birthday of a ton of important musicians: Bo Diddley, Skeeter Davis, Del Shannon, John Hartford, Paul Stookey, Felix Pappalardi, two Monkees (Michael Nesmith and Davy Jones), Patti Smith and Jeff Lynne.
It’s hard to pick just one to showcase. But in the spirit of optimism — at the end of a tough year, and the dawn of a new one — I’ll go with this:
As Ukraine’s war against Russia nears its 4th year, Gray McGuinness sends harrowing news about Westport’s sister city, Lyman.
The town in the Donetsk region has been covered by drones. The unmanned aerial vehicles use a thin, physical fiber optic cable instead of radio waves for control and data, making them immune to electronic jamming and interference. (Click here for a video.)
Gray writes, “Lyman is now under constant attack by air and land, and has been partially occupied by the Russian army.”
Westporters can help. Ukraine Aid International — founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer — is a boots-on-the-ground non-profit that ensures donations go directly Lyman.
Click here to contribute. Then click the “I want to support” box; select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.
Fiber-optic cables blanket Ukraine.
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Singing and strolling through Saugatuck on Saturday, 8 Staples Orphenians serenaded diners at 14 restaurants with holiday songs.
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce-sponsored “Caroling Crawl” brought smiles — and applause — from patrons at The Boathouse, The Bridge, Kawa Ni, The Whelk, Tutti’s, The Black Duck, Tarantino, Blu Olive, Romanacci, Riko’s Pizza, Zucca Gastrobar, Rizzuto’s, Viva Zapata, and Little Pub @ Dunville’s.
Staples Orphenians: a menu special on Saturday night.
The First Amendment and the importance of a free, independent press are topics for the first “Nancy on Norwalk” talk (January 20, 7 p.m., Norwalk Conservatory of the Arts).
Attendees will hear from 2 people deeply involved in the subject: Westporter Alisyn Camerota, a 2-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and author formerly with CNN and Fox News, and Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, who oversees elections and civic processes across Connecticut.
Click here to RSVP. Registrants will have a chance to receive a signed copy of Camerota’s most recent book, “Combat Love.”
Aliysn Camerota
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We’ve posted plenty of photos of entitled parkers in large vehicles.
And plenty of drivers who park as closetothebuilding as possible.
Today, we feature one guy — it has to be a male — who combined both, at Whole Foods.
And finally … in honor of Wheels2U’s upcoming holiday gift — and with a tip of Santa’s hat to onetime Westporters Edgar Winter and Dan Hartman:
(You may enjoy a free ride. And you may think “06880” is free. But we rely on the support of readers like you. Please click here to send a few bucks our way. Thank you — and happy holidays!
Because of the government shutdown, SNAP benefits (food stamps) will be halted or delayed to many local residents, starting today.
In response to this, Westport Rotary Club and Sunrise Rotary Club have organized an emergency food drive for today (Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), at Stop & Shop.
Rotary volunteers, with help from the Westport Police Department, will be there to collect food for Homes with Hope’s Gillespie Center Food Pantry.
The most needed items are rice, pasta, pasta sauce, canned goods 9tuna, soup, vegetables, beans, fruit), cereal, oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly.
And don’t forget: Homes with Hope’s Community Kitchen is open daily for lunch (12 noon) and dinner (5 p.m.). It’s at the Gillespie Center on Jesup Road (behind Barnes & Noble).
A September food drive stocked Homes with Hopes’ food pantry. With SNAP benefits ended, more donations are needed. The pantry is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 1:30-4:30 p.m., and Thursday from 1:30 to 6 p.m.
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For a while, Westport has had 2 different registries for residents in crisis.
One was used by the Department of Human Services to check on seniors living alone with medical needs during storms and other emergencies. The second was managed by the Police Department, to help first responders understand the needs of people with disabilities during 911 calls.
Now they’ve merged. Human Services, and the Police and Fire Departments, have launched “Westport Ready.”
Westport now offers one streamlined service for seniors and people with disabilities during emergencies.
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Meanwhile, on a lighter — by which we mean, Halloween — note: There was one less house this year to trick or treat at, in the Compo Beach neighborhood.
This is the final chance for tickets to tomorrow’s 3rd annual “Historic Homes of 06880” tour.
On Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m., we’re partnering with our friends at KMS Team at Compass to offer an inside look at 4 historic houses.
They’re at 221 Greens Farms Road, 249 Greens Farms Road, 155 Long Lots Road, and 209 Wilton Road. Click here for details of each.
Tickets are $60 each, $100 for 2. Click here to purchase. Proceeds help fund “06880”‘s work — which, as always, chronicles Westport’s past, present and future.
249 Greens Farms Road — one of 4 historic homes on tomorrow’s “06880” tour.
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Tomorrow (Sunday, November 2, 5 p.m.), Chabad of Westport launches its Film Series.
They’ll show “Blind Spot”: the first documentary exposing campus antisemitism before and after October 7, 2023. After the screening, executive producer Leonard Gold will take part in a conversation about the film. Click here to register.
Westport was the first community to form a sister city partnership with one in the Ukraine, shortly after the Russian invasion. In less than 4 years, our town has provided over $300,000 worth of food, clothing, wood pellet stoves, communications equipment, trash trucks and more, to our war-torn friends.
Ukrainian Aid International — the boots-on-the-ground non-profit founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer, which has delivered over $2.5 million in aid to the region — is hosting 2 events soon. Both highlight the sister cities program — and the new “Sister State” relationship between Connecticut and Donetsk, the front-line oblast.
UAI’s team and local leaders will over personal stories, and describe first-hand experiences of their partnerships.
The first is November 9, at 2 p.m. (Ferguson Library, Stamford). The second is November 10, at 4 p.m. (Fairfield Public Library; register here).
The next Westport Country Playhouse Script in Hand play reading — “The Machine” — is Monday (November 3, 7 p.m.)
It’s a “smart, fast-moving thriller about a poet, an AI, and the tricky questions that arise when technology starts writing our art for us.” Click here for tickets, and more information.
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Club 203’s next event is “Giving Thanks Together.”
Westport’s social group for adults with disabilities gathers at the Senior Center on November 12 (6:30 to 8 p.m.) for turkey sandwiches and apple pie, laughter, bingo, and a celebration of friendship and connections.
MoCA\CT will be there as usual, with an art activity that’s a creative way to reflect on what everyone is thankful for this year.
As for “06880”: We’re thankful that Club203 offers a space for all Westporters to find those friends, and make those connections, that are so important in life.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the world reacted with horror.
Westport reacted with donations: money, vital goods, help for children, and much more.
Spurred by brothers Brian Mayer and Marshall — Westport natives who founded Ukraine Aid International, a boots-on-the-ground non-profit that delivered needed supplies quickly and efficiently, in the most affected parts of the country — we became the first town in Connecticut to form a sister city relationship with Ukraine.
We were joined by Marigny-le-Lozon, our French sister city for 80 years, since the end of World War II.
In less than a month at Christmastime 2022, Westport raised over $250,000. Our friends in Lyman received (literally) tons of desperately needed goods.
Ukraine Aid International delivered communication equipment, police and trash vehicles, bulletproof vests for utility workers, and portable heaters. Funds from “06880” readers also paid for repairs to hundreds of apartments, plus meals, children’s gifts and more.
Holiday meals in Lyman, 2022.
A second effort brought in over $60,000, for 2 wood pellet machines. Each provided heat all winter long, to 1,000 Lyman residents.
Last year’s holiday drive helped send children from the town to a therapeutic camp in the Carpathian Mountains. Scattered around the country after evacuations, they reunited with friends and teachers.
For 10 days in winter and summer they hiked, played sports, did crafts and art therapy, enjoyed music, watchd movies, and had game nights.
They also took classes, and studied. Through Starlink, they talked to their parents online.
More than three years in, the war in Ukraine has faded from the headlines. But conditions in our sister city are more dire than ever.
Last week, UAI officials spoke with Lyman mayor Oleksander Zhuravliov. His update was both sobering and inspiring.
The town — in the Donetsk region — remains on the front line.
Drones, artillery and glide bombs strike daily. Civilians — elderly families, cars on the road, even mobile shops — are constantly targeted. Six fire trucks and a water carrier have been destroyed.
One scene of recent damage in Lyman …
Yet against all odds, 6,000 residents remain.
Children have been evacuated. Emergency crews and ordinary citizens hold the line.
It’s difficult. Just days ago, during the distribution of pensions in a nearby village, Russian shelling killed 24 elderly residents, and wounded 19 more.
… and another.
To keep Lyman’s community together, a new sister city partnership with Kremenchuk is underway.
The city has set aside 3 large buildings. They’ll be repurposed as housing for displaced families and the elderly; a rehabilitation hub for veterans, and a medical and social center for children
The project ensures that Lyman’s people remain connected and cared for, until they can return home.
Westport’s donated trash trucks helped restore life after de-occupation, and have been pulled away further from the front lines.
The UAI pellet production line that keeps residents warm in winter may need to be moved again, so it continues to provide heat for the people of Lyman and Donetsk Oblast.
Grateful for a portable stove.
UAI is in constant contact with Lyman leadership, offering aid and support after every devastating attack.
Lyman feels emptier with its children spread across safer regions of Ukraine. But even in exile, they continue their studies online. They proudly report they have already earned 13 national medals.
For the past 3 Christmases, UAI has brought presents to the children of Lyman, in partnership with Westport and Marigny.
This year the tradition will continue, with gifts distributed across Ukraine.
Posted onAugust 8, 2025|Comments Off on Connecticut/Donetsk “Sister State” Alliance Signed. Westport/Lyman Led The Way.
Governor Ned Lamont and Governor Vadym Filashkin, his counterpart in Ukraine’s Donestk oblast, signed a historic “sister state” agreement yesterday.
No other US state has a relationship with an oblast in a war-ravaged section of that country.
And it all started in Westport.
Brian and Marshall Mayer — brothers who grew up here — created Ukraine Aid International, shortly after the 2022 Russian invasion.
The non-profit quickly earned a reputation for its ability to deliver much-needed supplies — food, medical and communications equipment, pellet-burning stoves, water filtration devices and more — directly where it is needed.
Marshall Mayer (left), and Donetsk Governor Vadim Filashkin.
Soon — with the backing of 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker — Westport and Lyman, Ukraine became sister cities.
The Donetsk town is close to Russian front. Generous Westporters raised $250,000 for Lyman during the 2022 holiday season. The funds provided shelter, warmth and water.
Another $50,000 was raised the following spring. Tooker and then-Police Chief Foti Koskinas visited their counterparts in Lyman, raising spirits there and driving home the urgent need for help here.
A recent fundraising effort helped send Lyman youngsters to a therapy camp in the Carpathian Mountains.
An apartment building in Lyman.
Westport’s other sister city, Marigny-le-Lozon, added important aid too. The French village has shared a relationship with our town since World War II.
After the Westport-Lyman relationship, Ukraine Aid International helped 6 other Connecticut towns and cities establish sister city friendships.
Lamont’s proclamation binds our state with their oblast.
Senator Richard Blumenthal, Representatives Rosa DeLauro and John Larson, State Senator Ceci Maher, 1st Selectman Tooker, UAI president Katya Wauchope and UAI executive director Marshall Mayer were all on the call with Lamont yesterday.
Governor Lamont (top row, right), Senator Blumenthal (bottom row, left), and others on yesterday’s Zoom call.
“Westport led the charge,” Marshall Mayer told “06880” yesterday. “Then other cities and towns came together.” Together, over $2.5 million — all in private donations — has been raised in Connecticut for Donetsk since the invasion began.
UAI notes, “What began as a local movement of compassion has grown into an enduring public partnership rooted in solidarity, resilience, and shared democratic values.”
The “sister state” agreement will promote cooperation at the state and local levels — including both public and private groups — in areas like healthcare, education, culture and sports.
With the partnership in place, Ukraine Aid International has turned to 2 immediate needs.
They’re raising $40,000 for a large water filtration system for Kramatorsk, Stamford’s sister city. It will help the entire region — including a hospital that serves Lyman.
They hope to secure a vital MRI machine too. Any “06880” reader with access to one — perhaps through connections in the healthcare industry — can email marshall@ukraineaidinternational.org.
Meanwhile UAI is also seeking a “sister state coordinator,” to help with fundraising, collections and more. If interested in the paid position, email Marshall Mayer at the address above.
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