Cline Recognizes Group’s Efforts
Lexington’s grassroots effort to support Ukrainian families displaced by war is entering its most complex phase yet, combining legal navigation, visa applications, and mounting financial needs with the same community spirit that first brought the families here three years ago.
Helping Ukrainian Families — known until recently as Hosting Ukrainian Families (HUF) — continues to assist four families who arrived in Rockbridge County in 2022 after fleeing Russia’s invasion. Some have since moved to Harrisonburg, or Ephrata, Pa., to join relatives or larger Ukrainian communities, but they remain deeply tied to the local volunteers who first welcomed them.
For Jerry Nay, the veteran who founded the effort, the mission has evolved beyond housing and daily support. “While ‘Hosting’ was the original intention,” he said during a recent conversation, “I consider our most important mission to be assuring them they can feel comfort and well-being.” Nay puts a lot of effort into solidifying support from both regular citizens and those with influence. Last week, the group received an unexpected boost: a personalized letter from U.S. Rep. Ben Cline recognizing HUF’s work and the progress the families have made.
“Your leadership and compassion have made a meaningful difference for those fleeing unimaginable hardship,” Cline wrote. “The dedication shown by you and the volunteers of HUF … has strengthened the spirit of service that defines our region. Your work stands as a powerful reminder of how individual initiative and community partnership can change lives for the better.”
Nay said support from elected officials is more than symbolic; letters like this can accompany asylum filings or immigration petitions, helping establish credibility and community connection.
The legal pathway ahead is long, expensive, and fraught with variables. With the help of immigration attorney Meg Moss, HUF is pursuing asylum claims and, in some cases, looking at employment-based visas.
Nay hired Moss in the wake of a terrifying “mistake” that came down on the Ukrainian family members — earlier this year, in an escalation of anti-immigration fears, the federal government sent letters to the families notifying them that they would have to leave the country within seven days. That order was then rescinded, but not before damaging fears had set in.
Despite the legal hurdles, the families have continued to thrive. Through training and steady employment, they’ve achieved a level of self-sufficiency Nay calls “remarkable,” with some even contributing financially to the group’s legal fund.
HUF recently raised $4,000 to support these efforts, but Nay said the long-term legal process will require far more. Asylum can be difficult to achieve, and several factors — including two mothers who briefly returned to Ukraine after first arriving in the U.S. — have complicated parts of the process.
Behind Nay stands a team of 142 volunteers who provide transportation, translation help, legal research, fundraising, and everyday support.
The group’s leadership includes: Kristina Lozinskaya; Vernon “Chip” Honsinger and Mary Honsinger; Matt Fogo; Washington and Lee University professors Alexandra Brown and Rich Bidlack; Father Tuck Bowerfind; Lt. Col. Philip Clayton and Ava Tucker; Joanne Robblee; Martha Devening; Mark Nelson; Colquitt “Coco” Meacham; Anna Crockett; Alex Radsky; Chuck Skoog; and Ann Nay, Jerry’s wife.
Nay also credited News-Gazette publisher Matt Paxton, whose call to him — after receiving one from Philip Clayton — first set the entire effort in motion in 2021.
“These people freely give their time, effort, and money,” Nay said. “One volunteer even used his frequent flyer miles to bring the families here from overseas.”
A mother of one of the Ukrainian families supported by HUF sent a written account describing what the last three years have meant for her children — and what returning to Ukraine would mean now. With her permission, her message is printed below in full: “I would like to start by sincerely thanking the people who supported us when we first arrived. Those early days were very difficult for us, and your kindness helped our family feel that we were not alone.
“We think about our homeland every day. We miss our family and loved ones deeply, and there isn’t a day when we don’t worry about their safety. Even from far away, our hearts remain with the people we had to leave behind.
“As the war continues, daily life in Ukraine is still full of danger. Because of this, it is not safe for us to return, especially for the well-being of our children.
“Our children have already started to settle and integrate here. They finally feel safe. They have friends, routines, and the stability that every child needs. For the first time in a long time, they talk less about danger, and it seems like they are slowly forgetting the fear they once lived with.
“If we are unable to remain here legally, we would have no choice but to return and that thought brings us great worry for our children. We cannot imagine the emotional stress they would face going back to a place where danger is part of daily life.
“I would also like to share a small glimpse of what many families in Ukraine face today. People live with constant anxiety, never knowing where the next explosion may happen. Every day, schools, homes, and entire neighborhoods are destroyed. Communities mourn the loss of relatives and loved ones.
“One tragic event that has stayed with me happened after we had already arrived in the United States. The kindergarten my younger son once attended was destroyed, and both children and parents lost their lives, while others were injured. When I learned what happened, I realized that if we had not left Ukraine when we did, we could have been there.
“That thought has never left me. This is why going back would put us in real danger, and why we must continue our legal immigration process here.”
Nay said stories like these illustrate why the work continues: “The goal is to stay in America. To be safe, to build a future and to have peace.”
A HUF volunteer, in an email to The News-Gazette, mentioned that recent headlines suggesting a potential Ukraine peace plan do not reflect conditions on the ground. “Some might think the war is over. This is far-fetched and entirely too hopeful. Our Ukrainians still can’t really return because of physical and psychological devastation of the infrastructure and society back home. It would be traumatizing for them to go back in the near future.”
As the legal process unfolds, HUF plans to continue providing personal, social, and financial support. Some families remain local and employed; others stay connected from Harrisonburg and Pennsylvania. The sense of family that formed in 2022, Nay said, has never gone away.
Looking over photos during the meeting, Nay pointed out the skills and personalities of each person — teachers, workers, full-time parents, bright-eyed children. The images were full of motion and energy. “America has been wonderful for them,” he said.
Beyond the legal fight, Nay emphasized that the families have already become active contributors to the communities where they now live. Members of the group are working in construction, driving commercial trucks that carry essential goods, caring for elderly residents, supporting students applying to U.S. universities, and even assisting with research at Washington, D.C., think tanks — work that, as noted by the HUF volunteer, “strengthens our national security and adds value to America.”
And with the help of Rockbridge County residents — from the volunteer network to congressional acknowledgment — Nay hopes that their contributions to our country can last. Any resident that would like to help is invited to mail a check payable to “Matt Fogo, Treasurer,” to 125 Buckland Dr., Lexington, VA, 24450, or to contact Nay at [email protected].
