Over 20 years ago, we adopted our daughter, Grace Valentina, from an orphanage in Ukraine where she was taken when her birth mother could not care for her. This past year, we located her birth mother (Lilya), siblings, and extended family. After many joyful tears, we have exchanged countless pictures, messages and phone calls with the help of a translator and Google translate.

 

A month ago, Ukraine was invaded by Russia, and their world crumbled around them. With our assistance, many family members were able to escape to Poland. One brother and the other men of the family stayed behind, but the women and children in the family were able to flee. Lilya, 5 of her younger children, Grace's sister (Angela) and her two children, and a couple of aunts and their children are now refugees.

 

The Polish government and humanitarian agencies received them and gave them temporary shelter, food, and toiletries. The women now must begin to look for work, find housing, provide food, medicine, diapers, and other basic needs.

 

We have assisted them thus far, but finding work is slow and difficult, and there are many living expenses and many children to feed and clothe. In addition, Angela is pregnant with a baby due in June and requires prenatal care. They are proud and hard-working people, and because of our connection to them through Grace, we would like to be able to continue to assist them while they get settled over the next few months.

 

We have had many friends and family members ask how they can help. We hope with this GoFundMe that we will be able to raise funds to help them during this challenging transition time.