Events planned to welcome Ukrainian family

The McMinnville Refugee Coalition will host two events to welcome the Ukrainian family that arrived in McMinnville Tuesday. Donations will be accepted at both events.

The mother, father, two children, uncle and grandmother escaped from the war-torn region. They took refuge in Germany prior to coming to McMinnville under the wing of the coalition of five local churches.

The first event will be a community lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, in the McMinnville First Baptist Church, 125 S.E. Cowls St.

Dawn Nowacki, a political science professor at Linfield University, will talk about the geography, history, culture, religious perspective and economy of Ukraine. She also will discuss the current political scene and the status of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The second will be a concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, in the First Baptist Church. The Nancy McCann Band, Baptist Babes, Ukelele Ukestra, Good News Gospel Choir and other musicians will perform.

A fundraising dinner is planned for October.

For more information, send email to mcminnvillerefugeecoalition@gmail.com.