Rylee Dunn
rdunn@coloradocommunitymedia.com
The City of Arvada lit the Olde Town Arvada Water Tower blue and yellow in solidarity with Ukraine amid the country's ongoing conflict with Russia. The water tower was lit in Ukrainian colors on the evenings of Feb. 26 and 27.
The above photograph was taken by freelance writer Cindi Moon Reed, after Reed and her boyfriend — who is from the Ukraine — spent the afternoon of Feb. 26 at the Arvada Winterfest.
"It really touched our hearts to see such a show of support. These small good works make more of a difference than anybody imagines," Reed said in a Twitter message. "I also sent the photo to his aunt who has been hiding in a bomb shelter in Lviv. i”I (sic) want to help spread the word that on the other side of the world, a small town is supporting them. "
Arvada City Councilmember Lauren Simpson hatched the idea for illuminating the tower in Ukrainian colors on the evening of Feb. 25. In her professional career, Simpson works for the Consulate General of Canada in Denver and has an educational background in Eastern European Politics.
Simpson said she was partly inspired by Arvada Winterfest, a multicultural celebration that took place on Feb. 26. She emailed the other city councilmembers and Arvada City Manager Mark Deven, all of whom supported the idea.
"I thought that lighting the water tower blue and yellow for Ukraine would be appropriate. We have a lot of Eastern European immigrants in this community and people with ties to Ukraine and Russia, and truth is, a lot of those people are in pain right now," Simpson said. "They may have family or friends being directly impacted by a senseless war that no one asked for besides Vladimir Putin.
"Putin will never see the water tower lit up, but members of our community will see that; they’re going to see that the community stands with them," Simpson continued. "In our tiny little corner of the world, we stand up for what’s right."
