BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Former state Sen. Raymond Lesniak united with female entrepreneurs at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster to shed light on the plight facing Ukrainian orphans in Poland and to form a Ukrainian orphan advocacy group.
“The orphans of Ukraine, many who are now living as refugees in Poland, need America’s compassion to make a true difference,” Lesniak said. “Families here in New Jersey and across America are ready to adopt them, but bureaucratic regulations in Ukraine stand in the way. We must come together and work to ease the adoption processes so these children can be welcomed into loving American homes.”
Lesniak said that Ukraine has stopped processing adoption applications and that, even if adoptions were to resume, they would require a prospective adoption family to go to Ukraine. Since Ukraine is on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Do not travel” list, the adoption process has crawled to a halt. If Ukraine restarts the adoption process, doesn’t require applicants to come to Ukraine and allows virtual judicial hearings, hundreds of Ukrainian orphans in orphanages in Poland will have an opportunity to have a new family in America.
According to UNICEF, the war in Ukraine has created a direct threat to the lives and well-being of Ukraine’s 7.5 million children. Orphans, who have been evacuated from Ukrainian orphanages, temporary homes and rehabilitation centers, are among the many children who have fled to Poland since the start of the war in February.
“I am so proud of the Polish people, how they have opened up their homes, their schools and their jobs to refugees of Ukraine,” said Lesniak. “It’s very heartwarming.”
Born into a working-class Polish immigrant family in Elizabeth, Lesniak fought for social justice in the Garden State during his 40 years serving as a state legislator. Among the causes he championed are the landmark Industrial Site Recovery Act, the abolition of the death penalty, and the establishment of marriage equality and animal protection laws, including one prohibiting the sale of ivory.
Karolina Dehnhard, a lawyer focusing on matrimonial law and international business transactions law, and the managing director of the international transactions group at Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook & Cooper PC, recently united with Lesniak to help orphaned Ukrainian children living in Poland. Dehnhard was born in Poland. Long before the war in Ukraine started, as an international family law attorney, Dehnhard said she often faced difficult questions from her clients about why adopting children from Poland, Ukraine and other parts of Eastern Europe was so difficult.
“This is one issue that both political parties can work together to resolve,” Dehnhard said.
Dehnhard brought this issue to Lesniak because of his reputation for getting things done. With an extensive knowledge of the inner workings and challenges of the Ukrainian orphan issue in Poland, Dehnhard is working with Lesniak to collaborate with Polish, Ukrainian and American officials in an attempt to restart the adoption process.
A former Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast, Liliya Downs, joined the orphan advocacy group. She has been trying to adopt a child from Ukraine for many years, but burdensome requirements have stood in the way. “I have enough love in my heart to share,” Downs said.
Five years ago, Downs and her husband, James, lost their own child, Aleksandra, to sudden infant death syndrome. Since then, Downs, who immigrated to the United States from Ukraine a decade ago, has always hoped to adopt a child from her homeland. “Kids need families; we need kids. The process should be much easier,” Downs said.
Realtor and inventor Zana Zeynep Ekemen, who immigrated to the United States in 1992 from Turkey, also attended the Bedminster event. “These orphans need our help. I’m delighted to help give them an opportunity to have a loving family here in America,” Ekemen said.
Heather Choi, originally from Korea, hosted the luncheon. Choi is the founder of the Show Me Your Heart Foundation, which has already raised significant funds for the Ukrainian people since the war with Russia broke out. “We can make a difference in these children’s lives,” Choi said. “There is no better cause than helping children have a new life with a loving family.”
“I thank Heather, Zana, Liliya and all the luncheon participants who will join with Karolina and me to work with legal and political officials in the United States, Poland and Ukraine to address the existing adoption laws and advocate for key changes necessary to streamline the process and turn the tide for the children of Ukraine,” Lesniak said.
Photos Courtesy of the Association for International Medical Cooperation