We Stand With Ukraine

It is impossible to watch the news coming out of Ukraine right now without feeling so many emotions: sadness… anger… hopelessness… fear. For those in our community who are of Ukrainian heritage, many with loved ones living amid the chaos and violence, have hearts that are feeling so heavy.

Park Memorial is proud of the Ukrainian heritage that is central to our story via our founders Tod and Lucy Smolyk, as their family ancestry hails from Ukraine. Like the refugees who are fleeing Ukraine right now, Tod’s father came to Canada to start a new life with almost nothing but his prized violin. The one outstanding difference being that he did not have to leave under the threat of war. He had the freedom of choice.

While we inclusively serve families of all faiths and cultures, the Ukrainian community in northern Alberta represents a large sector of the bereaved families who trust our team to be the last hands to care for their loved ones. As a business, it is difficult to find the right words to share to encourage our community considering what is happening in Ukraine. However, if the pandemic has taught us anything, it has certainly reminded us that in as much as we are a team of dedicated funeral professionals, we are human first and foremost.

The Park Memorial staff family stands with the people of Ukraine. Our hearts are heavy, and our fears are real, too. We share your grief and your hope for peace. In a comparable way to there being no words that can heal grieving hearts, we know that there are no words that we can share to heal the world.

What we CAN do is pour every ounce of empathy, compassion, and hope into every interaction with the families we serve, with each other, with our community, and with our families and friends. Right now, the people of the world are demonstrating how to stand together with bravery and humanity in the face of this nightmare. We are hopeful and inspired.

We stand in love and light with the people of Ukraine. Our prayers are with you.