Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Residents mark a moment of silence in support of Ukrainians in downtown Houghton Monday on the 600th day since Russia’s invasion Monday.

HOUGHTON — On the 600th day since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Copper Country residents celebrated the Ukrainians’ resilience and mourned their losses with a pair of events Monday.

With Ukrainian flags and banners with drawings by Ukrainian children behind them, people observed a moment of silence on the downtown Houghton pier at noon to commemorate the 600th day for the 600 Days of Resilience Event.

That was scheduled to be followed by the 600 Days of Loss and Hope candlelight vigil on the Portage Lake Lift Bridge at 7:30 p.m.

Nadija Packauskas, co-founder of Yoopers for Ukraine, said people are continuing to work tirelessly to help Ukraine.

“I felt it was very, very important for us to stand to show the Ukrainians that we remember we acknowledge every single day, we acknowledge the fact that they’re still standing,” she said. “And I chose to make it 600 days of resilience rather than 600 days of suffering, because it really is resilience. Because many of us thought that Ukraine would have fallen by now, but with the support — and the continued support, God willing — of countries around the world, Ukraine has been standing up against Russia.”

The noontime group observed 10 minutes of silence. At the end, they took home a paper angel with a name of a Ukrainian’s child killed during the invasion with the time and place of their death.

“I thought this would be a moment that we could take a child’s name home, pray for that family, and put them on your wall, on your refrigerator just to remember, they are not forgotten,” Packauskas said.

General support for the Ukrainian has only strengthened in the community, Packauskas said. But awareness of the day-to-day progress of the war has slipped, she said.

“I have supporters in here in America that are big supporters of Ukraine, who said ‘Oh my god, is that 600 days?’ Or from some of the younger students, ‘That war’s still going on? I thought that finished.’ It is kind of gobsmacking to hear that people have really thought, ‘Oh, Ukraine’s still happening?’ But yes, it is happening.”

Yoopers for Ukraine is working with Ukraine Trust Chain to raise funds for supplies in advance of winter after a year marked by flooding and heavy shelling. $1 can fund five candles, she said.

Donations can also fund warm sleeping bags, boots and gloves for soldiers, Packauskas said.

Packauskas thanked U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman and U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow for their continued support of aid to Ukraine.

At the end of the noon ceremony, those present walked to the edge of the pier, where they dropped rose petals into the Portage Canal to honor the Ukrainians lost.

Keweenaw resident Laura Smythe said the events helped remind people of Ukraine and the importance of what’s going on there.

“It’s easy to forget what’s going on when it’s not right in front of you,” she said. “We’re fortunate that bombs aren’t falling on our houses or our children’s beds, and we need to be cognizant of how much strife there is in the world — in all kinds of places, but in this case, in Ukraine, and we can’t shield ourselves from that entirely. We have to show support in whatever way we can. This is a pretty meager way to show support, but it’s what I could do today.”

Packauskas said the support for Ukraine is important. Funds raised locally go back to Ukraine; so do the photos of Houghton’s marches and events, she said.

She invited people to come to the weekly marches across the Portage Lake Lift Bridge, which have continued at 5 p.m. Wednesday since the invasion began.

“That means a lot to not only the Ukrainians in Ukraine, but the Ukrainians here in the community, who see that support and feel uplifted,” she said. “My heart always goes out to especially our students at Tech who have been away from their families, and have been standing as ambassadors to their country … When they see others supporting them, I kind of feel like it’s just a little kiss from God.”