4/6/22 – Blog #6

Day 42 of this war…. ill start with the fundraiser and end with what I know from people on the ground.  

As of this moment, we have raised $45,230. We have sent $21,500 to families in Ukraine. 255 items from the Amazon list (hard to estimate but my guess is it’s about ~$10,000 worth of items) have been purchased and received in Ukraine. 

My cousin Steven began Bike for Ukraine fundraiser on PayPal, I will work with Steve as to what we do with the money. Last week I got a request for more tourniquets so we decided to purchase another $2000 worth of tourniquets.

My fundraiser is going to close in 1 day. I am sad, excited, speechless and so many other words I can think of right now because English is my 3rd language and my brain is fried, but I have made a decision to focus on bigger things, to help Ukraine and the people long term. You all have given me an opportunity to make a huge difference for the people of Ukraine and I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. 

I will be working with Wisconsin Ukrainian to assist them in every way possible, check them out, and consider making a recurring donation. They have sent over well over 115,000 LBS of humanitarian, medical, and items for the Ukrainian defenders being delivered to Ukraine and disbursed and purchased over $50,000 worth of generators, tourniquets, quick clot, first aid kits, multi-tools, food, binoculars, boots, body armor, an offroad vehicle for evacuations, van for the transportation of items and helping refugees in Ukraine. 

I am currently focusing on getting donations from the local hospitals. All of the hospital-grade medical donations will be sorted by UMANA Wisconsin group in Germantown, WI . They are a Voluntary non-profit association of Ukrainian medical professionals & students. Please consider making a donation to umana.org. Please indicate “Illinois Chapter – Ukraine Relief” under comments. They are looking for doctors and nurses to assist with sorting medical-grade supplies, if you are in the field and are interested please check out this website http://milwaukeerotary.com/bigdreamslocally/ukraine-support/?fbclid=IwAR1e1cKErbCc-071sgf3lvyvsFOfvE9dfnF3TmfA2l120IW1CV4LVsQRMQQ 

IF YOU WORK IN A HOSPITAL AND HAVE ACCESS TO PEOPLE THAT MAKE THE DECISION ABOUT DONATIONS PLEASE LET ME KNOW. There is a google doc on the UMANA Wisconsin group with things that are needed. Please let me know, I can arrange pickup if need be.   

Shipping updates and issues: The original packages went out a few weeks ago and they got there. I have pictures coming from the military battalion. I have some pictures but can’t share them due to security reasons of where they were taken and who was in them. Tonight the guys were excited, like kids, playing with all of the new equipment and flashlights. Again want to thank all of you for purchasing things on our Amazon list and thank ASP, Inc for donating high-quality flashlights. Pictures coming soon.  

Family Update: Everyone from our family is still alive, but many Ukrainians in the villages around us are not. Our childhood neighbor friend, who was shot in front of his wife and a 4-year-old child was found in the village after the Russian army left. His parents who live next door to my grama had a proper burial a few days ago.

The majority of our relatives are in the same places as last week. Some Ukrainians are starting to return to the Kyiv area, but not sure what to think about that when the guys I talk to tell me that the Ukrainian military is on high alert. I call my grama and other friends and family members daily. They seem to all be doing better. Not sure if they are just used to war and sirens or if things are actually getting better.

This week has been hard for the world to see the images from Bucha, but the reality of it is that has been happening since the war has started. I’ve been hearing these stories from people on the ground from day one. My worry is that this is just the beginning of what is going to be uncovered. Today I found through some not-so-popular media sources that the Russians brought portable crematoriums to dispose of all of the dead before they leave the town. To me, they are just like the Natzis, or maybe worse. I understand why military personnel die, but I cannot understand the deaths of thousands of women and children. I really hope this ends soon, I want to visit my family and friends and help them rebuild. 

At this point in the day, my brain is fried. I cannot thank all of you enough, I really cant. Please spread awareness, like the groups I mentioned, share posts, and do what you can for the people of Ukraine.  

Sl

Slava Ukraini / Слава Україні

#ukrainemke #standwithukriane