Dear friends –
Attached please find the Impact Report from our March 2024 mission to Ukraine. Please let me know if you have any questions on any part of it. As a team, we are again so grateful to you for making it possible. I am always humbled when I see any donation – we are a small team without the name recognition (yet) of other organizations. When you donate to us, you donate to Steve and Vik, Finch and Yuliia, Emily, Bohdan, and me – you entrust us with your donation and you believe in our work. As I have said before, there is a direct line from you, through us as conduits of training and material, to end users who are applying that knowledge and those skills to save lives. Without you, that line does not exist – you are a critical part of our all of team effort.
This week is a special one for Força Ukraine. Thanks to some tireless work by another organization that was able to get our Ukrainian teammates to the US for a short period of time, 6 of our 7 teammates will be here in Colorado this week. I also had a chance to see Yuliia, who will not be able to be here, in North Carolina last week where she was attending a medical conference. I came home last night from a work shift to Vik and Bohdan in my living room – something none of us thought would ever be possible. It is amazing to see them, and for them to have a break away from that environment. We will use part of this time to also start planning our September 2024 trip back to Ukraine. The needs remain as high as ever and we are committed to doing all we can to empower people on the ground with lifesaving knowledge and tools.
If you will indulge me a moment more, I want to again bring attention to how special this team is. Doing what we do is sometimes uncomfortable – housing without indoor plumbing, running water, or electricity. It is sometimes dangerous – the threat of drones and missiles was greater this time than on any other trip. I ask a lot of them. Yet without fail, they not only rise to the occasion, they excel. They are amazing providers, and better people. I feel so lucky to be able to be a small part of this effort – to work with them, learn from them, and learn about them. I wish there were more people like them in the world – they truly represent the best of us. To each of them – Vik, Bohdan, Yuliia, Steve, Emily, Finch – thank you for being a part of what Força has become and helping it grow. Thank you for trusting me and believing in us.
From all of us here at Força Ukraine, thank you. I will continue to update you as we solidify our plans for the next mission.
In gratitude – Mike
