Vadim Zalyashko, an immigrant from Ukraine, wants to give back to the community who has welcomed him with open arms since he was a child.
Zalyashko, who is a denturist, owns Evergreen Denture Center, which started in Vancouver in 2013. He recently opened a second location in Battle Ground in October of last year.
His business uses the Halo program, which allows those in the community to nominate people they know for a “complete denture makeover,” using a monthly promotion where one person can get full denture work free of charge.
“One of the ways I feel it’s important is because back in 1990 when my family and I came to the United States from Ukraine, somebody gave me a chance here in the United States,” Zalyashko said. “I was able to get an education, somebody trusted me and looked at me and said, ‘there’s potential in you. I want to give you a shot.’ So I went through schooling and went through the licensing, and I feel like this is a way I can appreciate this country and this community for giving me a chance to serve them.”
Zalyashko said his parents and six siblings moved from the city of Boguslav in Ukraine when he was 5 years old. The family fled “religious persecutions” that were perpetrated by the Soviet Union, which dissolved in 1991.
“My parents did the unthinkable. They took seven kids and a couple bags of luggage and moved to a country they didn’t know about,” Zalyashko said. “They didn’t know their culture, they didn’t know the language. For me, that’s something I’m not sure I’d ever be able to do. That takes a lot of courage to move to a country like that with seven kids.”
The family arrived in Vancouver and found a member of a local church that let them stay in their home until his father secured a job at a factory making windows. From there, the family moved into a three-bedroom apartment. His mom stayed at home at first, but later secured a janitorial position until she passed away nine years ago.
“(It) wasn’t easy, but just the perseverance and the will that they had to provide for the family and do the best they can was a blessing,” he said.
Zalyashko reflected on the current war in Ukraine and said he is praying for peace in his home country. He said there are young men and women on both sides of the conflict who are dying and don’t want to be fighting.
Although he said his Ukrainian roots make him want to take a side, he also feels bad for the Russian military who have taken on casualties.
“It must be hard for the families. We want all humans to just live in peace, regardless of where you’re located. I’m just praying for peace over there at this point,” Zalyashko said. “As a family, my parents taught us to look for any possible way to have peace with your neighbor. Whether it’s with your family, your neighbor, or with your community, there’s always a way to negotiate and just talk things through.”
Zalyashko still has relatives in Ukraine who he said are hiding in basements and cooking their food outside.
He opened Evergreen Denture Center as a means to provide a needed service to the elderly and other people who are in need of dentures after he saw people’s options were limited.
“Evergreen Denture Center stands behind serving the population that’s missing teeth,” said Zalyashko. “Essentially, it’s folks that, one way or the other, ended up with some or all missing teeth in their mouth. We come in, we take impressions, we set up the teeth right in the lab in the office, and we tailor all the prosthetics and dental work to the patient. In other words, we try to really focus on what they need to get their smile back.”
Zalyashko’s brother, Vyacheslav, is also a denturist. Vyacheslav currently runs Evergreen’s Battle Ground location, while Zalyashko mainly runs the Vancouver branch.
Vyacheslav said the team is semi-mobile and goes to care facilities or hospitals if patients cannot physically come to their office.
The Battle Ground Evergreen office is located at 101 NW 12th Ave., Suite 125, Battle Ground. It is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
