Originally, KleinLife had 20
Ukrainian campers aged 5-12, then
30, now 45, and KleinLife is receiving
50 calls a week from parents interested
in sending their children there. Faykin
didn’t put out any advertising; interest
was all through word of mouth.

Th e campers’ families have access
to KleinLife’s food pantry. KleinLife
is partnering with hospitals and med-
ical centers in Philadelphia to assist
refugees with dental and medical care.

Faykin enlisted the help of the older
siblings of the campers and teenage
KleinLife members; KleinLife con-
verted the main room of its staff offi ce
to accommodate the campers.

Aft er one month of camp, the impact
of the experience is clear to Faykin.

“[Th ere were] eyes full of crying.

Th ey looked like scared children,”
Faykin said. “And now, they smile.”
In addition to the typical camp fare
of swimming, sports and arts and
craft s, the campers take part in art
therapy, led by program manager and
licensed counselor Mariya Keselman-
Mekler. “We’ve been working on diff erent
ways for them to express themselves, to
come together, to utilize coping skills,
build coping skills, process things
creatively and express themselves cre-
atively,” Keselman-Mekler said.

For one project, the campers each
created a puzzle piece, which were con-
nected to puzzle pieces made by older
KleinLife members, many of whom
were Soviet refugees, to create a collage.

Th e artwork the campers create
refl ects the trauma they’ve experienced:
the loss of their pets, fathers and life as
they knew it. But Keselman-Mekler
has noted the resilience of the chil-
dren, shown in their ability to relate to
one another and bring color into their
artwork. “Th ey do have that hope that the
future is going to be better and brighter,
that the war is going to be ending, that
they’re going to be reunited with their
families,” she said. “Th ey’re so open
to trying new things and having these
experiences because their life basically
was disrupted.”
“Th at’s one of the amazing things
about working with kids is the resil-
ience that they have shown,” she added.

“I believe that that resilience is a huge
part of the Ukrainian culture.” JE
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