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Yoopers for Ukraine return home after visiting Washington DC and meeting with Representative Jack Bergman.
Last week Yoopers for Ukraine joined many supporters from around the United States in D.C. for the American Coalition for Ukraine Spring Summit. While at the summit Yoopers for Ukraine Co-founder Nadija Packuaksas was named the Michigan State leader of the Michigan Delegation. The summit included 500 delegates from 47 states.
Packauksas met with several representatives but met with local representative Jack Bergman first. Bergman confirmed his continued support for Ukraine, and a commitment to visit during one of the group’s events in the Upper Peninsula.
A bi-partisan 95 billion dollar aid package for Ukraine and Israel was passed in the U.S. House over the weekend. Bergman did vote against the Ukraine package.
Find the Yoopers for Ukraine full trip recap and some photos provided by the group below.
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Tomorrow is the Senate vote. As always, I am available for an interview at any time.
Exciting things are coming for Yoopers for Ukraine with many activities in May and the summer parades,
Last week, Yoopers for Ukraine had the honor of representing the UP at the American Coalition for Ukraine Spring Summit. I, Nadija Packuaksas, co-founder of Yoopers for Ukraine, was named Michigan State Leader and led a Michigan Delegation consisting of Yoopers for Ukraine members as well as members from lower Michigan who have worked for Ukraine.
At this summit, there were 500 delegates representing 47 states. My team and I met with several Congressmen and women and both Senate offices as well as many other leaders of our country. Congressman Bergman was one of their first stops. Pictures below.
While in DC we personally met with 10 legislators from Michigan. Congressman Bergman was the first who confirmed his appointment. We met with him Monday April 15 on our first Advocacy day.
During our meeting, he shared personal stories about his life as a marine and warmly greeted my US Veteran father and WWII survivor as well as another former marine whom I had on my team.
We shared letters from leaders in the Houghton community as well as letters from current American former marines fighting on the frontlines in Ukraine.
We brought pictures hand drawn from children in the Keweenaw as well as from Ukraine.
We shared the absolute NEED and necessity of quick aid to Ukraine. He agreed on all accounts. He also assured us that a bill would be forthcoming. He was correct!
Rep. Bergman committed his continued support for Ukraine and agreed Putin needed to be stopped.
We had a long talk about National Security and making sure our US men and women don’t end up in the fight in Ukraine.
As a service member himself and the most high senior ranking retired military member of the House, he said he understood that exponentially the cost of war will increase when we, the US, have to fight putin and that if Ukraine fell, he knew we would enter the fight. He agreed the best way to serve our veterans is to not create new disabled veterans.
We ended our visit with a commitment from Rep Bergman to come to the UP and attend one of our events for Yoopers for Ukraine. He genuinely thanked Kaitlyn Loosemore and others for their gifts. He thanked us for our commitment to Freedom and for coming in.
He placed our photo from last year right on his desk of importance.
He made everyone feel like he cared about his constituents, the USA and the world at large.
We look forward to his support for Ukraine and his continued support to the needs of the UP.
He said keep the calls coming! He said he received many calls in favor and about Ukraine weekly.
Democracy in action matters!
His staff was kind and courteous. I was very glad to get to spend time with Houston, Kenneth and Nick his hardworking staffers!
He posed for a picture with us with a flag from the frontline in Ukraine with American and Ukrainian signatures on the flag. Sadly, his staff cut most of the signatures out of the picture but you can tell which flag it is and Kaitlyn’s beautiful painting was front and center! Kaitlyn’s brothers also drew wonderful Ukrainian flags.
He is always kind to us and we look forward to longer talks and visits in the future.
He thanked me for wanting direct and honest answers. He assured me aid would happen. He was right.
He did vote “no” on this bill Saturday despite having said he supports Ukraine 100%. The community was disappointed in his vote but I am grateful for our continued relationship.
There will be more meetings to come! Yoopers for Ukraine values our relationship with all our legislators.
We had many other successful meetings and as you know, the aid did pass.
As well as delegates, we had Goldstar1 mothers. There were three mothers there who lost their sons. Each of their sons was a former US veteran who took up the call to fight for freedom in Ukraine and lost their lives. Their testimonies were very powerful and they had one on one time with Johnson who spoke about his son going into the Naval Academy.
We also had religious leaders from Ukraine to discuss the targeted persecution and execution of Evangelical leaders and church members. We had one Ukrainian who lost his 3-month-old son and his beloved wife to a bombing in Odessa this March. He shared his story with the Coalition during a 3-hour interfaith prayer service on Sunday and had a persona;l meeting with Johnson where they prayed together for our Nation and Ukraine.
We also had the privilege of meeting many Ukrainian defenders risking their lives everyday for all our freedom.
As an active American citizen, it is always humbling and amazing to be able to be on the steps of our Capitol and to walk the halls of our Senate and the House. I am always aware of what a privilege it is to live in a true democracy where anyone can visit their lawmakers and be greeted with respect.
It, of course, is a great joy that the bill for aid passed the floor! I am sure in part to the hard work and personal stories of all the advocates on the hill this last week and the last 6 months!
Here are a few pictures and the official press release from the AUS.
