We are going to be in Romania on 3/6 transporting Ukrainian refugees that need assistance getting to various locations throughout the rest of Europe. We will also be allocating apartments and advising on their options.
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Its been 2 months since Sean returned from Romania helping Ukrainian citizens, but has remained distanced only geographically. For Sean, the families he met have never left his mind, especially the children.
In speaking daily with AICDL President, Ioana Urzica, she has grown concerned that after almost 3 months of Ukrainian families being displaced and no end in site to this war that children could start feeling isolated, disconnected and depressed. We have been brainstorming on ways to bring normalcy to the children's lives and to try to encourage new connections among Ukainian and Romanian children. Therefore, back in early May Sean and I arranged to have over $5,000 worth of recreational equipment, such as ping pong tables, hula hoops, soccer balls and nets delivered to Ioana's NGO, AICDL. On May 31st, that shipment arrived.
Different games have been organized and children have been given the opportunity to have structured teams and introductions to new friends to make a healthy social
connection, and as we hope, as much normalcy we can bring to help keep the hope alive for the Ukrainian people.
Here is a short article on just some of the wonderful things you all have helped do for some of the displaced Ukrainian families As Ioana says, "we have demonstrated that good people can change the world."
Peace and Love,
Katherine
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Its been 2 months since Sean returned from Romania helping Ukrainian citizens, but has remained distanced only geographically. For Sean, the families he met have never left his mind, especially the children.
In speaking daily with AICDL President, Ioana Urzica, she has grown concerned that after almost 3 months of Ukrainian families being displaced and no end in site to this war that children could start feeling isolated, disconnected and depressed. We have been brainstorming on ways to bring normalcy to the children's lives and to try to encourage new connections among Ukainian and Romanian children. Therefore, back in early May Sean and I arranged to have over $5,000 worth of recreational equipment, such as ping pong tables, hula hoops, soccer balls and nets delivered to Ioana's NGO, AICDL. On May 31st, that shipment arrived.
Different games have been organized and children have been given the opportunity to have structured teams and introductions to new friends to make a healthy social
connection, and as we hope, as much normalcy we can bring to help keep the hope alive for the Ukrainian people.
Here is a short article on just some of the wonderful things you all have helped do for some of the displaced Ukrainian families As Ioana says, "we have demonstrated that good people can change the world."
Peace and Love,
Katherine
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This past weekend was an in important holiday weekend for many Ukrainians.
They say "Good Friday is a day of hope. It's a day we look forward to a brighter tomorrow. Many things happened that changed our lives, but it did not shake our faith."
Thanks to this wonderful group of people who have been apart of this humanitarian aid. Sean and I were pleased to send Asociatia de Initiativa Civica si Dezvoltare Locala Neamt $5,000 worth of Easter deliciousness to help Ukrainian refugees relax and enjoy their weekend. Nothing is more important than health and happiness, so to see young children running for chocolate bunnies during these horrific times just shows that Ukraine is still on top.
Peace & Love,
Katherine
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And look at that! Our partner (yours as well) of the NGO's President, Ioana Urzica, received a formal thank you from a mayor in Ukraine today.
We called Ioana immediately to congratulate her and send her additional money today to continue her valiant efforts. She wanted us to thank all of you for making her services possible.
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I will keep this update simple, this morning's boot camp in Stamford raised an enormous $3,000 for our existing fund. More than four professional trainers arrived with their clients who took themselves out of a warm gym and did a lot of sweating and a lot of donating to the people of Ukraine.
We were also joined by Luba (holding the Ukrainian flag) whose has been working with us for 2 weeks getting some of her family members to safety. They reached a block at the border due to missing paperwork...something we have several people currently working on.
It is remarkable to see so many wonderful people in the U.S. come together to support this humanitarian cause. I am proud to write you all and share that this incredibly giving group continues to grow.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tc6nzbfmztrbg8o/Scalzi%20Park%20bootcamp.mp4?dl=0
Love and peace,
Katherine
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We have done some special things with all of your help in the past couple of days. Thank you.
Three weeks ago news reporter Shosh Bedrosian reached out to us to help her friend, Andy (from Kyiv), get his mother to safety. Andy's mother was hiding in a home as the city she was temporarily living in was shelled by the Russian military...a city we have all seen on the news often, which is Chernihiv. The civilian casualties have been so high that finding someone willing to go inside and execute a mission was almost impossible.
We worked with the same NGO we communicate with daily which helped send a mercenary to safely evacuate Andy's mom. Our trusted NGO had a contact, Olga, who carried out the mission with her resources. Attached is a photo of the great news today.
Last week, you all helped feed a group of 41 families who arrived in Romania and had young children to feed. Thank you to Ioana Urzica who did all of the purchasing, delivering and feeding.
Last week we also funded Andrei Andriescu, who is traveling to the border to bring families to safety, as well as supply shelter and food to thousands.
Tomorrow we will be in Stamford, CT speaking at a boot camp event to raise money for the Ukrainian citizens. It's wonderful to see a group of physical trainers use their skills and time to help generate funds for a cause that we have seen make a huge difference.
https://westchester.news12.com/boot-camp-workout-in-stamford-to-help-ukrainian-refugees
If you have made it this far I continue to thank you for being apart of this mission. You are all special and deserve to know all of the special things you have contributed to.
Peace and Love,
Katherine
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Sean and I were lucky enough to have met Kathleen Kiley at a recent peace rally for Ukraine. It came at a time when we were planning to travel to the Ukrainian border to help refugees a day later, but were asked to speak on the spot in front of hundreds of Ukrainian supporters. As soon as Sean left the stage, Kathleen, a journalist who used to do work for The New York Times, immediately greeted us. Given her next level ability to gather information and connect people, she has been instrumental in helping us continue our humanitarian efforts.
About a month ago I started a WhatsApp thread, titled Medical Supplies, that consisted of a group of journalists here in the Greater New York area, as well as Sean and some contacts who have access inside of Ukraine. While our initial mission was to help refugees fleeing the war, how could we forget those fighting for freedom on the front lines? Fast forward to last week, Kathleen introduced me to Danielle Butin, founder and CEO of Afya Foundation, an NFP that works with hospitals in the Northeast on donating medical supplies to global citizens in need.
I had not a clue, but domestic regulations require that large volumes of supplies must not be reused...and these are unopened and unused supplies inventoried in hospital operating rooms. As a result they are destined to local landfills, although they could be used in countries in need...such as Ukraine.
Over the past 11 years Afya (which means "wellness" in Swahili) has rescued and shipped medical supplies valued at $36 million to 83 countries, which has also diverted 9.5 million pounds from the greater New York waste streams.
I caught up with Danielle last week to learn that doctors on the front line in Ukraine are in large need of amputation surgical kits, chemical protection respirators and wound packing kits or soldiers injured in action and not near a hospital. Danielle is full of energy and hard to reach, because she is an never ending champion of what she does...
I let her know that I have a group of tremendous people, which are you, that would help her purchase medical equipment. Happy Monday to you all, each of you have contributed to the wellness of Ukrainian citizens and soldiers wounded in this war. Thank you.
Action is the Antidote to Trauma.
Peace and love,
Katherine
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Sean Lentner is now pairing up with Flow Trandu, and several other physical fitness instructors to raise money on Sunday April 10th at Scalzi Park in Stamford, CT. The instructor will lead a massive sized BOOTCAMP to local residents and the proceeds from this event will go directly to a Romanian NGO who’s mission has been helping Ukrainian refugees seek shelter, provide supplies, and supportive counseling services for families struggling with the war.
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It has been a while since my last post and in part because of all of the traveling. Sean has returned to the United States and continues to work daily with our Romanian NGO to subsidize a continued influx of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.
I picked up a different man than I dropped off at the airport, but that was to be expected. While he says he felt safe, I don't think anyone could prepare for what it is actually like to console a small child missing their parents or someone who has witnessed death before their very eyes. Many women and men handed their children off to our care and returned to defend their country.
The borders are not safe, people are being attacked on their attempt to get to safety and most are coming with limited to no resources if they do make it beyond Ukraine.
While we are concerned that it will be difficult for many of the bordering countries to sustain this cost, we will not stop until there is a cease fire. We are beyond lucky to have been able to connect with an amazing director of the NGO, Asociatia de Initiativa Civica si Desvoltare Locala Neamt. Her name is Ioana Urzica. We speak with her daily and continue to connect refugees to her, as well as subsidize her needs to continually attempt to rescue and bring peace to the women and children entering Romania.
Sean and I will be paying to ship 3,000 pounds of requested medical supplies to Poland this week, which will then be picked up by a volunteer and then driven to Lviv, Ukraine where it will be dispersed to various hospitals in need. We thank our hard working organizer, Ulyana Bolgachenko and her co-founder, Dmytro Dovgan of Help Ukraine With Us, Inc. for helping bring this together.
Thank you for all that you have done so far. I leave you with a link to the latest news report on our mission and a photo of a young smiling child blowing bubbles. The money from this fund not only is feeding this child, but providing her a warm place to settle with lots of positive people looking over her.
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Catalin is now driving Sean to the airport in Romania where he will fly to London and then back to NYC. The last day was a day of playing and spoiling the kids coming in. They had a pizza party and played games, which is always hard to leave.
Sean would like to send a special thank you to Ioana Urzica, who is the president of the NGO, AICDL, who she says is an organization thant will extend themselves the last mile, going above and beyond the safe zone. Sean describes her as brilliant and someone that just never stops her mission..."just an amazing person, story and will." We are grateful to Catalin for his connection and his willingness to partner with us on our mission which won't stop.
We will continue to stay in close contact with her and the continued rush of refugees coming into Romania. We will continue to fund them and we will continue to work with the Ukrainian church that is continually collecting medical supplies, baby formula, etc. for those staying in Ukraine and continuing this battle to save their land in the name of freedom.
"It's a victory when the weapons fall silent and people speak up." Volodymyr Zelensky
Peace and Love,
Katherine
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The day of logistics. I forget about paperwork and moving, hence why I still have an Illinois drivers license...I guess because I can?
People coming into Romania have to register everything, including their pets and then quarantining their pets until the shots they are required to get set in. Some refugees are now looking for work, some have asked to return to Ukraine, some want to move outside of the country. Everything requires paperwork.
Tomorrow Sean and Catalin travel 12 hours to a suburb of Kyiv to deliver medical supplies. By the time 6AM EST sets in, they will be in the thick. I respect them both so much, it seems as though once they immersed in this it has been consuming. They both have one direction.
Attached is a photo I loved. Its two girls enjoying a game they all played...so innocent.
Peace and Love,
Katherine
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Today was tougher than expected for Sean Lentner and Goldan Catalin. They met 2 families at the Siret border that had come all of the way from Kyiv. There was a language barrier and the families were both exhausted and terrified. In fact, the youngest boy (not pictured) was Ivan and he arrived sick and pale. I can't imagine what their journey was like or what they have seen already. The families were transferred to a friend's shelter and funded.
Its a hike to the borders, and traffic is tough. At about 9PM tonight our team on the ground heard through their WhatsApp thread that a family (with an infant) were sleeping outside at a train station in Bucharest. They had no money, were in freezing temperatures and needed help. We got them picked up and a friend in Romania now has them safe, warm, fed and in bed at their home. They were also funded and the stay is welcomed as long as needed.
Tomorrow I will ship 2,000 pounds of medical supplies for soldiers fighting in Ukraine, and included is also baby formula for mothers who stayed to fight and have babies to feed. Thank you Alex Meyerovich and Ulyana Bolgachenko for getting everything organized.
I also wanted to personally thank all of our friends and family who have donated to this fund. I can promise you that you have helped save lives and made people more comfortable in a time of despair.
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Update #4. Sean and I spoke via WhatsApp today at 10AM in a joint interview with Alex Meyerovich (immigration attorney) and News 12 reporter, Frank Recchia.
What we aren't hearing much about on the news, which Sean said is very prevalent, is the sex trafficking that is going on. Only registered volunteers are now allowed to enter the border crossings because of the exploitation that exists...many desperate people are trusting strangers for a ride, food, shelter, etc. I am proud to say that Sean is a registered volunteer with an NGO based in Piatra Neamt, Romania and is able to continue helping families. Its so chaotic at the borders, new crossings have been established to better organize traffic and people coming and going. Sean is currently working on helping a group of 7 football players who were missing their chaperone from the walk to the border...something that is not uncommon right now. Where did she go, and how do we try and find her?
Another issue in Romania is the unrest over their gas prices reaching almost $8/gallon. Sean said the areas to get gas are gridlocked with traffic, people are getting out their cars and fighting, and in our latest video share a colleague was calling the police because they were fearful they saw a situation escalate with a gun. The unrest is not quite to the level of a riot, but dangerous enough they encourage refugees to try and stay in their vehicle when they are transporting them to shelter.
Lastly, shipping from the US has become a small fortune. Father Ivan, priest at Holy Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Church has organized 2,000 pounds of medical supplies, however the problem is the best shipping quote came to $2.40/pound. Sean, Alex Meyerovich, and our team are working with our contacts to find a more efficient way of transporting the supplies today.
Lastly, I will leave you with a photo of a happy family Sean picked up today. Smiles are few and far between, but worth recognizing when one pops up.
And one more lastly, check out the videos on our page that Sean sends to get a better picture of what boots on the ground looks like.
Peace and Love,
Katherine
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I have a great update on Tatiana, who was a family member of a friend trying to navigate out of Ukraine with her 14 year old son. Our team guided her via WhatsApp communication to the Siret border crossing between Ukraine and Romania starting over a week ago. Tatiana has stage 4 cancer and is in need of continuous medical treatment.
Once Tatiana arrived at the border, we had a safe vehicle transport her and her son to a train station where she was sent to Lyons, France so that she could guarantee her insurance would cover her urgent medical needs. Please find the text and photo she sent late yesterday to our team.
Peace and Love,
Katherine
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Thank you friends. This group has made its first donation! We sent Andrei Andriescu $600 USD to help secure this large gym with bedding, blankets and food. At 2AM last night, 70 families with children and pets arrived at the shelter center and they will be allowed to stay as long as they need.
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Thank you everyone for your heartfelt wishes and of course your generous contributions to this mission at the Siret boarder in Romania. We love you all and are lucky to have you in our lives.
This morning we spoke at a Ukrainian church in Bridgeport, CT. The proud people of Ukraine who attended the mass sang their national anthem as we concluded, some with tears of pride.
Please keep spreading our mission because this is guaranteed to make a difference for many women and children who are in need of support and empathy for their family.
I will continue to update you with news, photos and potentially videos of progress. Sean will leave in 6 hours.
Peace, love & freedom to all,
Katherine
P.S. Here is a photo of the family sending Sean off well fed. Thank you to Alina and her husband, owners of Transylvania Cafe. We met at a rally yesterday in support of the citizens of Ukraine. and Alina will be donating 10% of her proceeds to our mission. She has also connected us to a home in Budupest to provide a family. Teamwork makes the dream work.
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