Georgian College

7 GEORGIANVIEW SPRING 2022 RESILIENCE Georgian alumnus delivers humanitarian aid in Eastern Europe Award-winning nature, macro and landscape photographer Don Komarechka (class of 2009) is using his camera for a greater purpose these days: to help bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding in Eastern Europe. His Ukraine-inspired photographs have been shared around the world. The Georgian alumnus, who wears his Ukrainian heritage with pride, relocated to Bulgaria in 2021 to pursue a slower-paced lifestyle but found himself in a very different world than expected. "Since the war in Ukraine began and the refugees started arriving in the nearby port city of Varna, Bulgaria, my wife and I have been running carloads of refugee aid to the semi-organized refugee centers here, averaging three to five deliveries a week" says Don. We're not quite slowing down yet, but in one of the most meaningful ways possible. I don't speak much Bulgarian, but when we arrive I always try to say 'Здравейте от Канада' [Hello from Canada]." | Top: Exploring the world that we cannot see with our own eyes, Don uses macro photography to capture a crystal (left) and a sunflower (right). Bottom: Don prepares a delivery of groceries, toiletries, clothing, toys and art supplies for a refugee centre in Bulgaria. "I was very excited. I worked hard for those marks," she says, remembering the culture of compassion and caring at the college, a mindset she's sustained throughout her career. "You always felt listened to. They helped out students who were struggling," she recalls. Since graduating, Robin has worked as a nurse at an acute care hospital, navigating SARS early in her career and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. "It was really tough for us in health care. But I really felt for people who were not equipped to deal with this, who had no prior education on infection control, who had no idea what to do," she says. "At the grocery store, I could see the stress in their faces, the bags under their eyes, their cracked and bleeding hands." To cope with the challenges of working in health care, along with the added stress during the pandemic, Robin prioritizes self-care. "I build miniatures. I built a dollhouse over many years. You have to have something that you can lose yourself in when you get home. You have to be able to separate yourself from that other world on your days off because it can be all consuming. You just have to find that balance."

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