Help Ukrainian Family Rebuild in America

My father died recently and left me the family home in Michigan. I decided to host a family of Ukrainian refugees while I update the property with small projects over the next two years.

I'm asking for your help to give this family a solid start as America's newest legal immigrants.

These are hard-working people whose home and livelihood were destroyed in a reckless invasion by one of the worst dictators since Stalin. They've been living out of suitcases for the last year with very little money to their names.

I'm covering the minimum living expenses--housing, food, car, internet, etc... Right now, they need money for the plane tickets to get here and some cash for a few important things beyond the bare necessities (like post-trauma therapy and new clothes for school and work).

Here's the full story:

For now, Ukrainians are permitted to live in the USA under the Unite For Ukraine program that grants them "parole" for two years, with an option to apply for asylum and a green card after one year. This program allows the parolees to work legally from day 1. However, this path to citizenship requires an American like me to sponsor them, providing certain guarantees for their success; they aren't allowed to immigrate on their own.

In June, I connected with several displaced Ukrainians through an online forum and identified a family that lost everything when the Russians bombed their city of Lviv in 2022. Lviv is near the Polish border, where my own ancestors used to live before they themselves left to escape Russian persecution.

Yesterday, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service approved my 100+ page application to host the family, so we're moving ahead at full speed in hopes of bringing them here before the start of school on September 6th.

The dad is 50, and he owned a health spa before the war. The mom is 43, and an artist who paints and designs custom clothing. The older daughter is 23 with a degree in logistics from a university in Poland. The younger daughter is 10, and she likes horses, dolls, and bicycling. For now, their names are not published to avoid stigmatizing them as refugees and to protect them from Russian retaliation.

These are real people! I talk to the mom every day to coordinate our efforts, and I will put the family in touch with everyone who donates so they can thank you in their own way.

This family has been split between living displaced in Ukraine (with 4 hours of electricity per day) and living in temporary government housing in Norway, where they have very little money and they are not allowed to work or immigrate.

I have committed to providing my 3 bedroom house free for 1 year, as well as assistance with food and job searches. I also added them to my Apple Music family plan, checking critical boxes for unlimited streaming access to Tom Petty, Taylor Swift, and all your favorite musical artists... because it's America, right?

This family is not looking for a handout. In fact, the dad was so ashamed of asking a stranger for help that he was willing to stay behind if it helped the chances for his wife and daughters to find a safe home. Thankfully, his wife mentioned his existence and asked me if he could come, too, after I showed her the house and explained that there was plenty of space.

Despite everything that has happened, this family is staying together!

The adults want to work, and they have been in touch with me every day about finding jobs and preparing for a productive future here. We are even exploring the possibility of hiring a team of seamstresses in Ukraine to export custom handmade clothing.

Here's what your contribution can do for them now:

1) Airfare from Norway to Detroit. It will cost about $3,000 with the extra baggage, since they're hand-carrying everything they own!

2) Clothing, school supplies, tutors, and work supplies

3) A sewing machine

4) Painting supplies (brushes, canvas, paints, easel, etc.)

5) Family trauma therapy

Let's join together and shine a light ahead for this family's American Dream!

Christopher J. Brownfield

Captain, Chief Engineer, USCG licensed

Iraq War Veteran

Master of Arts, International Relations, Johns Hopkins SAIS

Master of Science, Sustainability Management, Columbia University

Bachelor of Science, U.S. Naval Academy

P.S. The money is technically going through me because GoFundMe needs a social security number for accounting, but rest assured that every cent will immediately go to this immigrant family. I'm happy to provide all records for independent accounting.