By  Dan and Kim Dockstader

Have you ever met someone and thought, “I am in the presence of greatness!” Recently we had the opportunity of meeting the Ellwanger family who call both Star Valley and Israel home. Russell is the CEO of Tower Semiconductor, and Margret is the founder and CEO of ForPeace, a nonprofit organization that provides integrated war relief for Ukraine as well as other humanitarian projects throughout the world. After spending a few hours with them and their daughter Britta, who is the Ukraine Relief Project Director with ForPeace, we came away in awe of what they are doing and what they are trying to do to make our world a better place. We asked them how we could help, and they mentioned they were bringing a delegation from Ukraine to Utah and Idaho in February, and wondered if our community  might be interested in having an informative discussion with these Ukrainian community leaders.

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We felt like Star Valley would enjoy and appreciate this.

We have a unique opportunity on Saturday evening to meet this delegation from Ukraine. These are residents who are making adjustments to war in their homeland.  Considering  their circumstances, they are making remarkable achievements.

As noted in a summary of the visit in the February 11, 2026 edition of the Star Valley Independent, “Ukraine’s fight for survival relies on people fighting on two fronts — the literal frontline and the community front keeping Ukrainian society, and by extension the nation, functioning.”

Please take the time Saturday to attend a one-hour presentation and meet the people directly involved in preserving their country in a time of war. The event is called “Love of Home, Ukraine’s Unsung Community Defenders.”

We purposely scheduled the presentation early, at 5 p.m. and limited it to one hour, allowing you time to enjoy a Valentine evening.