The Whiteside Forum will host guest speakers Paula Schares and Paula Purcell who will speak to the topic “Ukraine: How You Can Help” on Sunday November 27, 2022 starting at 2:00pm in the Community Room of the Odell Public Library, 307 S. Madison St. Morrison, IL.

All Whiteside Forum events are free and open to the public. If you are interested in the Ukraine and its culture or how Ukrainians are coping in and outside their war torn country and what the U.S. is doing to help, this is your opportunity to hear some personal stories and to ask questions.

Paula Schares, Morrison, IL
Paula will be sharing her experiences with a program called ENGin. ENGin is a nonprofit organization that pairs English speakers with Ukrainians for free online communication practice and cross cultural connections. Volunteers are ages 14+ and work with students ages 10-35.

Paula Purcell, DeWitt IA.
Paula Purcell, Vice President of IA NICE and Uniting for Ukraine Sponsor will speak about her journey through sponsorship and opportunities to directly support local Ukrainian refugees through advocacy, community outreach and volunteering. IA NICE (Iowa Newcomer Integration & Exchange) is a non-profit agency supporting Ukrainian families seeking humanitarian parole through the Uniting for Ukraine program with resettlement and integration into our local communities. IA NICE also provides community members and sponsors guidance and necessary resources to help and support newcomer families as they begin to rebuild their lives.

Contacts: Marc Adami at marcadami53@gmail.com or 815-718-5347 or Paula Schares at tpschares@gmail.com.

The Whiteside Forum, established in 1985, is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit community group which sponsors presentations and discussions of issues of importance and interest to the public. Issues chosen for conferences have an international dimension as well as local interest and importance. The organization is supported entirely by individual, special and business contributions and all events are free and open to the public.