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A Ukrainian family who came to Hawaii in mid-February for a three-week beach vacation but were stranded by the Russian invasion, has been aided by the local canoe paddling community. The family doesn't know if their house near a military base in Kyiv is still standing and their cosmetics company with stores in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, has had to close. The local canoe community found Vasyl and Marina Prishchak and their three daughters a place to stay and raised money online to help get them settled. “Sadly, we can’t help all the Ukrainians, but we can help this family,” wrote Charlotte Johnson, who helped set up the online fundraiser. "None of us can even imagine going on a vacation only to find the life left no longer exists.” Vasyl, who is an avid ocean paddler, said it’s difficult being in the safety of a tropical paradise while other men his age are back home fighting and not allowed to leave the country.
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