Ukraine Refugee Assistance

I figured this group would appreciate this. One of the porsche cup cars from the grid in Miami 

Oh man just catching up on this thread, great work Bill as always. You're doing more for the good of humanity in the past 2 months then many do in a lifetime.

Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:

Guys, Dnipro is taking fire.

 

Please keep Vikki in your thoughts.

Vikki, I hope you're somewhere safe right now.

It's been a while and I am still holding my breath. Any word on Dnipro in general? Do you have any way to communicate directly with her?

Stampie said:

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Any word from Vikki?

She's good.   She reports it was "scary" but she is safe  (I got an e-mail from her late last week).  I was relieved, to say the least.

She does have my phone number, so if an emergency comes up she has the ability to call directly.  Problem is, I'm 22-hours drive away.

DarkMonohue said:

Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:

It was expected, and I'm seeing it locally, but I was bummed to hear about the sharp decline in support for the shelter. 

I wonder if that isn't typical of relief efforts.  My knee-jerk reaction is to immediately round up whatever I can spare, which basically means whatever I have been sitting on or saving up for something else, and throw it all at the problem.  That approach doesn't leave anything in reserve for continued support, and that has to be disappointing for those on the recieving end.  Lesson learned. 

You're probably right about PayPal fees being a straight percentage.  Maybe a dry run is in order to verify.

I posted a few things for sale in that forum to get some more cash rolling your way.  Some of them are probably not of interest to this crowd and will likely end up sold elsewhere.  If I can find anything else more of interest to the GRM demographic, I'll add those items to that post.

 

Yeah, I'm the same way.  The problem is, we all have other bills, obligations, life events, emergencies, etc. 

Last month, being on day shift prevented me from making any Budapest runs.  This month, I'm getting back on that horse.  First stop will be Pastor Kovacs's church.  I figure he's gotta be low on supplies by now.  I grabbed what I thought was a good mix of kids clothes, adult clothes, toys, medicine, and food and started loading the truck today:

Once loaded, I got to work on deferred maintenance.  I got those cylinder heads re-torqued (did not adjust the valves), tightened a few bolts while looking for the source of my oil leak (which is weird, because the dip stick is full, but I got drops going back to my transmission crossmember.  I'm beginning to think it might be the oil pump o-ring), and got the Mazda out of storage (wash, and battery charge).  I figure I can drive the Mazda and work more on the Toyota between runs.  I was going to put off truck maintenance again but was glad I didnt.  Those head bolts didn't seem to have a SHRED of anything resembling their specified torque...  I swear I got over half a turn on each of them.

As soon as that was done, I got a call from someone on base.  They had a load of stuff to deliver, and could I pick it up?  I sure could!  As it sits now, Mrs. Hungary's Saab wagon AND my Mazda are loaded to the roof with stuff, and we have another person stopping by in about an hour to deliver more. 

Yesterday, I received 4 boxes of medical supplies for our upcoming run and I'm currently working on getting those inventoried and re-packed (I'm quite the Tetris expert by now).  We've decided that Mrs. Hungary will have to make the run solo, as I wont be able to attend.  We are looking for a second vehicle though, as we think we have enough right now to fill her car, and we haven't even held the dinner fund raiser yet.  We've got a few crazy people in the area, and I'm sure one of them wouldnt mind driving into theatre.

ooh!  and as promised, here's our Monday update:

All our "GRM efforts" are 100% funded!  We've got our fruit delivery to the local shelter, stuffie delivery service and soccer ball delivery service is up and running, and Kisgorbo's goal has been met!

I think from here until the end of the month, I'm going to use donated funds to build back up our chocolate delivery service (Easter kind of killed the inventory, but every kid we saw got chocolate! ), and I'll place an early order at the local medical supply office to put together a GRM medicine box.  Photos to follow once I have it in hand.

You guys are awesome, and thank you for continuing to do all you're doing.

johndej said:

Oh man just catching up on this thread, great work Bill as always. You're doing more for the good of humanity in the past 2 months then many do in a lifetime.

Thanks, man.  I really do wish it wasn't necessary, but I'm glad that we're in a position to help.

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Bill with everything funded at the moment, is there anything YOU need? The truck shouldn't be hanging on by scraps, especially if we can help. I know shipping into Hungary is expensive, so if there's parts or stuff you need to keep going, let us know. 

Javelin said:

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Bill with everything funded at the moment, is there anything YOU need? The truck shouldn't be hanging on by scraps, especially if we can help. I know shipping into Hungary is expensive, so if there's parts or stuff you need to keep going, let us know. 

Good call, Bill how many miles is this round trip? How many hours was the entire trip last time? I just want to get a feel for your work here.

And please let us know as Jav asked. If you need parts or such I think we can help with that.

Do you get APO mail and packages .

that might help getting car parts you need.

californiamilleghia said:

Can Vikki send you a SIM card or 2 ?

yes, Vikki can

Bill? 

tuna55 said:

Javelin said:

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Bill with everything funded at the moment, is there anything YOU need? The truck shouldn't be hanging on by scraps, especially if we can help. I know shipping into Hungary is expensive, so if there's parts or stuff you need to keep going, let us know. 

Good call, Bill how many miles is this round trip? How many hours was the entire trip last time? I just want to get a feel for your work here.

And please let us know as Jav asked. If you need parts or such I think we can help with that.

Don't worry guys, she'll hold together.  I'd trust that thing with my life and wouldn't think twice.  The trip to Lviv was 20-hours round trip (10 there, 10 back) with no major stops.  The Budapest runs are 5-hours round trip (2.5 there, 2.5 back).  Kisgorbo is about 45 minutes there and 45 minutes back, but those roads are the brutal ones.  Barely more than paved equivalent of dirt roads.

With everything funded, I'm good.  I'm going to get hot and heavy on getting things to Budapest to make op for the month I couldn't go.  I was thinking I'd reach back out to Mayor Kozma to see if he was short on any items though.  I'll let you know when I hear back.

Going back to the truck, I've got an extra o-ring laying around.  I should be able to tackle the job before my shift, if it turns out to be the culprit.

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

You are self-sacrificing enough, don't do it with the truck when we can help!

californiamilleghia said:

Do you get APO mail and packages .

that might help getting car parts you need.

I can APO, but I depend on the service memebers here to let me use theirs.  I really really really really really really try to keep it to the bare minimum, as I don't want to cause those guys any issues.  Engine parts I can source for the Toyota easily enough as there was a Volkswagen vehicle that sported the 22RE out here.  No such luck for Dodge Charger parts though

In reply to VikkiDp :

I am so happy to see you post!

VikkiDp said:

californiamilleghia said:

Can Vikki send you a SIM card or 2 ?

yes, Vikki can

Bill? 

I'll send you an e-mail in a second.  Thanks Vikki!

Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:

 it was looking like I'd have to drive into Ukraine and THEN get a sim card.
 

i think it's the best solution

this can be easily done at the first gas station after crossing the border

Vikki!  It made my day to see your name as the last post. Glad to see you're ok.

Thank you guys 

i'm fine and safe

Dear members of the Grassroots community

It is not by accident that I do not address Bill, my Hungarian supporter, at the beginning of this letter. Although he undoubtedly has great merits in the collection of financial and other donations for Kisgörbő School Shelter.

Allow me to speak directly to you. I had some time recently to check the news feed of the blog that you use as a communication platform on your page. It was shocking and fascinating to see all the attention, and the serious questions concerning our cause.

I was wondering what it must be like to look at this conflict in Eastern Europe from thousands of kilometers, overseas, and what it must feel like to be helpless from so far away. No matter how much your hands are clenched, concerning real or fake news that the media is pushing on you. From the very first moment, I have been paying close attention to ensuring that my volunteer work helping refugees is free of politics. 

I should consider only the universal or biblical good as a beacon in my work. Although I am not a religious person, I have always believed in human dignity, respect, bestowal, and equality. That is what we're talking about here. After all, I knew about every single family or person who arrived to Kisgörbő, because I wanted to know if they were really a war refugee if they really needed our help. If he or she is coming from a city, whether it has been evacuated or not, who they left behind, how much money they got. It's not some curiosity on my part, it's a matter of authenticity, in order to help people who really need our help.

It is very challenging due to language barriers. Interpreter support is always required for each conversation that takes place either in person or on an internet-based interface. By the way, everything is ambiguous. Three Russian – Hungarian interpreters support my work 24/7 free of charge. Unfortunately, they're not in Kisgörbő.

When I had to take one of the 65-year-old uncles to the hospital, because he had pneumonia, which is not a game at his age, in addition, he also had COVID in the spring, we could only make an accurate diagnosis with the help of the interpreter, over the phone. I was with him in the E.R. for eight hours. Our health care system has been very slow to respond to the new arrival of non-linguistic refugees into our society. There is no medical history, and no interpreters to help. Everyone is distrustful to the doctors, medicines, institutions. In addition, they must deal with the feeling of vulnerability that no one is used to. It's also an experience. Even though we know what to do, we know where to go, we know who to look for. But believing that to a stranger, trusting him is not the same thing.

Think about how your family and you will end up in another country where you are a stranger, you can only trust the favor and help of the people who live there, all so that you cannot express yourself, and you are still strong and lead your family, because your children trust you. It's a hopeless state. They also had to get used to my person, although I spent a lot of time with them since 3 March 2022, they only draw conclusions from my gestures and actions what kind of person I can be. Can you trust me 1,400 km from home?

This is exactly how it happened at our first meeting on the Hungarian-Ukrainian border, when I personally took the village bus to pick up the first 17 people! Who I am, where I come from, that I drive, etc. (Kisgörbő is about 550 km from the border) That was a huge responsibility. But I didn't hesitate, because in times like these, we need really credible people to be trusted. But that trust must be served. I am proud of this small Ukrainian community who came to us, forged without written rules or policies. We were sorry every single person who lived with us and left our shelter in the meantime. It's a strange situation, but it's understandable somewhere, because as long as we could take care of them, I could keep them safe. I feel responsibility until they are with us.

You deserve to express my appreciation for supporting my work with a more personal letter. I believe that every dollar or euro is a great support in these hard times. Something can only be bought for money, and today, almost everything costs money. But I also know that if you were closer, you'd be a volunteer here. As a result of great distance, your donation money is your only instrument to help us from so far away, and the trust that your donation will be used for the right cause. I can't stress how honored for this continuous support. Thank you again.

A few thoughts on how they live their everyday life. We managed to split three larger (8-bed) rooms in two smaller rooms, so we were able to create six smaller rooms that are more suitable for long-term stays. We currently have 11 rooms, and the building can now accommodate 40 people!

There are up to three people per one room. Everyone has their own wardrobe, bed, bedside table, bedding, towels, supplies. We have three communal rooms inside: lobby, kitchen canteen, and a lounge with a children's corner, TV, sofa, drawing equipment, books, and a laptop. We got everything from donations! We were able to renovate a completely new bath and toilet for them, which is clean, warm, cozy. We bought new water heaters, sets of dishes, cutlery, curtains, plates. We painted the walls and provided unique atmosphere with nice pictures on the walls. Every room has a heating-cooling equipment and carpet on the ground. I got playground equipment for the yard, we built a swing and even a small garden for them, so they can grow vegetables and flowers. We planted about 40 bushes to make the yard nicer. Every day we prepare different basic food, soft drinks, sweets in the kitchen. Anyone can take anything... Trust and calmness are important. We got bikes, brand new washing machines and dryers. Three new refrigerators, and we also renovated the kitchen. They get a warm main meal every day, plus fresh pastries for breakfast, of course. We arranged a dentist, a doctor, a pediatrician, and a job-organizer to help us. High-speed internet is available everywhere in the shelter, to stay in touch with family and friends back at Ukraine. We organize small trips, workshops and other activities for adults and children to entertain them. Basically, we are a village in the village.

I have always appreciated the spirit of American volunteering and patriotism. I saw good examples of this when, as a soldier, I was in Ohio with the National Guard - or in several war sites around the world where I served e.g. Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan.

The situation of Hungary is not easy either, because you must know that at the peace conference that ended the First World War in Trianon, the then (great) Hungary lost 2/3 of its territory, because the victorious great powers punished our country with this. It still has an impact to this day. 

The 1,000-year-old Hungary received a punishment that was, and has been, unprecedented in the history of the world. Why is this important? Because the territory beyond the eastern border of our country was Hungarian territory 100 years ago. The descendants of these families still live in Ukraine. This area is about 13,000 km2. So we're worried about our compatriots across the border as well! We're talking about hundreds of thousands of people at this time.

By now civilians and volunteers are getting tired, and in the long run the work with refugees can be divisive as well. The higher we go in this topic, the politics permeate this issue more, while refugee families, women, mothers, glitter-eyed children can't do anything about it.

I am very careful that the donation you collect is spent exclusively on refugees.

 I'm sorry that you cannot feel the gratitude, the deepest human gratitude they give me. Gratitude that I felt on last Friday (06 May), when I finally said goodbye to five refugees who decided to leave Kisgörbő and returned to Ukraine. I took them to the bus station, and they headed back to Kiev, from where they came to us about two months ago. I can't think of a more touching moment. Everyone was crying and holding each other. All this without words, only with gestures. I wish you many such feelings, of course not in such a context!

Good health to you! Thank you for reading my letter, I hope it brings us closer.

Thank you Bill, for the broadcast.

Gábor Kozma, mayor of Kisgrörbő

What a wonderful letter from the mayor.

I think it's striking how the people are eager to return to their homes in Ukraine, even though the war still rages.  It says a lot about their loyalty to their country.

Bill,

We're privledged to be able to help out financially thru you and the folks that are helping out Bill.  We appreciate his kind words but they are unnecessary as he is more than doing his part.  I appreciate him adding some color as I didn't know the WWI implications and land loss.  It makes a lot more sense now how it hits so close to home.  Happy the GRM family could have an impact, if a small one, in such a terrible situation.  Keep the faith and don't be shy about what we can do to help.   

I'll be in Italy, the Netherlands, and Germany in early June if there are things that I can mule over on the plane.  I'll have free checked baggage that I can use.  Maybe medical supplies?  I could likely ship them cheaply when I arrive if that is something that might help.  I;m sure I could round up Toyota parts or whatever is needed in the month before I leave.

That letter is so touching. :) 

Bill, I'll be in Europe for about 80-85 days here in the late summer/fall working some races and exploring. If you need anything brought over or a helping hand for a week doing anything just let me know. More than happy to swing over and give a hand. I haven't locked in the exact dates yet as I'm working with the different sanctioning bodies on which races I can work. 

Vikki I am overjoyed to see you here. My children were asking "Did she have to leave her home? Was she scared? Is her family OK? Is her neighborhood OK? Did she see Russian soldiers?" If you have the time, and want to share, we would love to know more about your trials.

Gábor Kozma,

I am so glad to read your letter. You are exactly right when you guess how we feel so far away and unable to help. I serve as a deacon at our church and my role there is to serve the people with their physical needs. You are doing much the same for your group of refugees there, but in a much larger and very impactful way. I cannot express how glad I am that you are doing this work for those people. Please continue to share the result of the efforts as you are able. We want to know what's going on, but we also don't want to burden you with an unnecessary obligation. Keep it up.

Thank you again for this

Brian 

Bill,

Thanks again for sharing that letter. It made my day. I showed my kids and wife as well.

Thanks everyone.  I copied and pasted that letter without reading it yesterday, just as the mayor asked, and then proceeded to delete my replies countless times.  I was surprised to find I had been staring at my blank post for over half an hour and even then I only noticed because it was the end of my shift... 

Nearly 24-hours later I still don't know what to say or even what I'm feeling.  I've been a mix of emotions all day and I can't imagine what it must be like for Mayor Kozma.  It's gotta be like seeing part of your family off, and I'm certain it's was why he wanted to share his letter with us personally the way he did.

I was thinking about all the issues he mentioned in the beginning.  About how to people arriving, they're handing over their care to strange people in strange places, and the work that goes into establishing trust, and what they must have gone through to get to where they are now... 

I know things in Ukraine are far from over, but it hit me that we've just helped an entire family through their entire stay out of country. 

I think this was a bit more emotional for me personally because they came from Kyiv, and I got to thinking about all we've done since the fighting started back in February:  We helped prepare a living space and helped establish a heating system in the middle of one COLD winter so Mayor Kozma could bring this family in under his care.  Through invites, articles, and letters, we've shared events with them in their new home away from home, we've shared a meal (Borsch!), we've even shared a holiday (Easter).  Even as we read this, their kids are carrying stuffed animals that they picked out personally from the back of our very own GRM delivery truck (soft enough to hug for comfort, big enough to cry into if needed).  And while all that was happening here, we were busy running supplies back IN to the home city they were forced from to help the people they had to leave behind.

While fighting was STILL happening in the area, we were the organizers and the beginning of a 3-vehicle relay that got boxes of medicine, bandages, and medical supplies from Papa, Hungary to Budapest and all the way into Zhytomyr, Ukraine (almost to Kyiv!).  Then, when the fighting was pushed east, we drove ourselves with another load of medical supplies to Lviv where our shipment was combined with another delivery and sent directly INTO their home city. 

And now we're sending them, the family that was under our own roof, safely back to the beginning of their return to normal life. 

As I'm coming to terms with all this, I realize that family is never going to know any of the names that helped make this possible.  Not mine, not yours, they'll never know about this forum, or our thread, they'll probably never even come close to imagining that the help that arrived came from a group of dorks half-way around the globe who tried to make a difference simply by doing they only thing we knew how to do:  We threw a bunch of stuff in the back of an 80's crap-box and drove the wheels off of it.  The way only we could. 

And that's the way it should be, I think.  Invisible helping hands.

Individually, our abilities and actions would have helped someone somewhere.  I'm sure of it.  But our combination of these abilities, and THESE actions helped THIS family, and I really wish them the safest and happiest return home.  I'm eternally grateful to all of you that we were there when we were needed, and that we were able to be a part of this with them and for them. 

I don't know what's next.  But regardless of what happens from here, I'm good with this one.  This one we did right.