Help Ukrainian Family Get a Car to get to Safety

Help Aleks, a long-time employee of Matt and Patrick's who is based in Ukraine, get his family to safety by helping him get a car and cover travel costs. Aleks has not just been a stand-out employee of our company over the years, but he has become our friend—we worked with him all day long in the US time zone before the war. He, his wife, her son and their animals are currently with relatives in western Ukraine, moving in and out of their local bomb shelter daily (more crude than it sounds; actually a garage) while he also continues to contribute to our work efforts in significant part, to keep his mind off the war and provide normalcy. We will be on zoom with him when he gets an airstrike alert and needs to take shelter. 2, 3, 4, 8+ hours later, he will emerge with, "Sorry, there were multiple airstrike alerts, and we were in hiding. Im working on XYZ now."

 

We also continue to support him with his regular salary (including multiple month advances) but the additional expense involved in relocation and travel are significant for our small company. Funds raised will go directly and only to the expenses involved in getting him the transportation and relocation costs associated with making a move safely. Anything you can contribute is greatly appreciated.

 

You should also know that Aleks is really uncomfortable accepting money and support, he really appreciates it, but we have to pull it from him to know how we can help him from here. If it was up to him, he would work when he could, take care of his family, and never share that he doesn't have a car or the money to get one, to move to safety. Like so many Ukrainians, he is an extraordinary human being and deserves a little help from a community that can help share the burden.

HOUSE KEEPING PLEASE NOTE:
1. The money is intended in large part to pay for or reduce the cost of buying a car. Options are limited. Some part of the money could also go to gas or necessities for safe travel during the war.
2. GoFundMe can not send money to Ukraine, so the money will be transferred to Matt's business bank account then wired to Aleks directly. Money movement from GoFundMe to my account to Aleks could take some time, and thus Patrick and Matt may pay Aleks in advance based on the funded amount.
3. GoFundMe has asked that we make our relationship to Aleks clear, and so we are posting it here again: Aleks is a long-time employee of Matt and Patrick's, and also our friend.