From Amsterdam to Ukraine with love: the journey of a warm full-length fur

4 November, 2022 Mrs. Dalloway thought how grateful she was that her community came together to support the cold weather gear drive for Ukraine. She felt the comforting energy emanating from the coats as she sorted and packed them for the Baltimore @BloomsforUkraine drop off location. Each piece filled with memories and its own story of how it got to the Ukraine donation pile. Here is one.

At the start of the drive, an email arrived in Mrs. Dalloway's inbox from a woman called Ruth who was healing from a broken shoulder and wanted to donate some coats but needed help. "Could someone please come get them from me?" Ruth inquired. "With pleasure," answered Mrs. Dalloway and in so doing, created the opportunity for the wonderful story about the coat to be retold. Ruth's sister Heather, a violinist, was relocating to Amsterdam to earn her master's degree in violin. Before she left, Ruth, Heather and their mum vacationed in Florida where Heather's mum believed that she needed a warm coat to take to Amsterdam given its cold climate. And it was in Palm Beach that they found and bought a second-hand full length chocolate beaver fur.

Heather arrived in Amsterdam, armed with her fur and excited to begin her studies. The weather did in fact turn cold, however, she decided against wearing the fur. The other musicians in Heather's program did not wear fur coats, not due to animal welfare rights, but because of the expense. Consequently, the fur remained in Heather's closet. She brought it back in her suitcase on her visits to see her sister in Washington, DC, and planned to wear it there on cold days. Sometimes she did.

Although Heather performed as a violinist in the local orchestra in Amsterdam, she decided to enroll in law school. She took classes in the evening in order to maintain her musical commitments. Eventually, Heather earned her law degree and became a law professor in Amsterdam. Recently she coordinated a conference about the Ukraine war. And so it seemed right that the home for this second-hand full-length fur should be in Ukraine, keeping someone warm during the imminent bitter cold winter.