Help Ukrainian Kids Celebrate Christmas
Donation protected
Bring Christmas to Ukraine!
Everyone, the fighting hasn't ended and neither have our efforts. Together, we're going to help ALL of our Ukrainian children who are currently taking refuge in Dnipro get be best Christmas holiday we can possibly bring them!
Since the invasion started, we've been resolute in our determination to take care of the children who've been forced to flee from the fighting in Ukraine and they have not had it easy. As I write this, explosions are being heard in the city, and three cruise missiles are reportedly heading their way. I don't think a single day has gone by without a strike on their infrastructure, and as a result they're living without electricity for 10 to 12 hours every day (and it is COLD!!). This is our 8th run on the city, our third Christmas delivery, and we've run a dozen more cross border excursions. We are doing this!
You can see the results of our August "Back to school" run here:
Or watch a video we made from it here:
In that run, 63 children and two children's hospitals got a break to get them started on the right foot this winter season. Now it's on us to follow through (Our children are counting on us).
So here goes. To give us the best chance of success, we’re starting this fundraiser early so be sure to tell all your friends! Sharing is absolutely free, and is the best way to get as many eyes on this as possible (and we’ll need all the help we can get!).
Ok, so why Dnipro?
Dnipro's central location, with regards to the crescent of fighting that surrounds it, makes it a prime location for families to seek refuge. It also makes it a prime target for Russian terror strikes. Many have hit already, some while we were still in the area! To put this into perspective, the below apartment building is walking distance from where our children's hospital supplies are normally delivered:
And as I've mentioned, russian terror strikes have not stopped their absolute bombardment of the city (the bus and train station, for instance, have been hit no less than 4 times by now).
How does it all work?
We plan on having this fundraiser open for donations from now until Sunday, the 8th of December. At the closure of the donations, we will use 100% of the collected funds to purchase the following items:
1) Anything. And I mean ANYTHING these children ask for. We're reaching out to them individually and whatever they ask for we're putting in the truck
2) Chocolates, Christmas candy, and stuffed animals for our children.
In the event that we are fortunate enough to collect funds in excess of what is needed to satisfy the two points above, then we will use the extra money to donate any extra cash to a local children's orphanage for those with special needs in the area (exact location to be named after our safe return). They currently house about 70 people from the ages of 4 to 40 and any help we could send would be an absolute godsend. Nothing collected here will go to anything else. Things like fuel, food, vehicle maintenance, admin expenses... They are our contribution to this drive, and one that we are proud we can make. 100% of what you donate goes to the children of the Dnipro or the Orphanage that you're donating it to.
From there, we load everything we were able to purchase in the back of our Toyota and drive it straight to the door of the people who receive it.
During the collection and after the delivery we will make MANY updates to this GoFundMe so please be sure you check in periodically so you can see the amazing work you are doing. If you'd like to follow along on other social media platforms then you can do so here:
And now we even have a website at Https://DniproExpress.com It's a bit rough yet, but we're learning.
If you would like to read all of our previous trip reports, then you can do so here: https://dniproexpress.com/trip-reports
And I know we have a lot of repeat donors on here and I want you to take a second to reflect back on some of the great success we’ve started these efforts:
A few things to note before we go:
1) The dollar amount listed as the "goal" for this campaign is completely arbitrary. We're driving to Dnipro with anything and everything we collect. There is no way we're promising a delivery to those children and then disappointing.
2) You can click any link we provide without fear of spam, or subscription notifications.
3) We do not take pictures of the people receiving aid, as we believe they deserve their dignity and their privacy. All pictures of children that you see (or will see) were sent to us by their respective mothers and were shared with their permission.
4) The orphanage in Dnipro will not be named. I'm sorry. But if you follow us, you'll know we've delivered there before. Western supply lines are targets for the Russian military, and we do not want to put the children at any more risk than they already are.
5) We do not take pictures of anything involving the Ukrainian military and do our best to keep things like departure times and route info intentionally vague. This is for their safety.
So raise a glass, because here we go. Here's to the uncrushable spirit of the Ukrainian people. Here's to getting help to some children who deserve so much more.
Here's to helping the people of Ukraine find the peace they deserve.
And always, to any Ukrainians or to anyone reading this from inside Ukraine: The world is still with you. Stay strong. Help is coming.
#DniproExpress
#DniproStrong
#SlavaUkraini
#Ukraine
Organizer
William Grow
Organizer
Tacoma, WA