The war in Ukraine has captured the attention of the world for more than two years now. Several months into the conflict, Atlanta businessman, Emory Morsberger, was tired of writing checks to lend his support and demanded he do more.
In June of 2022, Morsberger left for a trip to Ukraine to hand-deliver tens of thousands of dollars worth of Stryker drill sets to hospitals across the war zone. With partnerships and support from organizations like Friends of Disabled Adults and Children and Rotary Clubs throughout Metro Atlanta, this trip was the inception of the humanitarian relief organization, HelpingUkraine.us.
To date, HelpingUkraine.us has received more than $1 million in donations. With connections throughout the country, HelpingUkraine.us and its team have delivered: 4000 blankets, 400 wood-burning stoves, 4.5 tons of potatoes, 8000 seed packets, 100 chickens, and 80 generators that power hospitals, orphanages, community centers, and water purifiers. Two ambulances and two SUVs have been donated and are being used to transport wounded people to nearby hospitals.
Over $1 million in medical supplies and equipment like medication, tourniquets, surgical drills, and incubators, have been distributed to Ukrainian hospitals nationwide. Collaboration and partnership with ProgenaCare Global has resulted in the donation of $3 million worth of wound care and twelve different hospitals trained in using their innovative Keratin-based wound care products.
Olga Gorman now leads HelpingUkraine.us as the Executive Director. Olga relocated to metro Atlanta from Ukraine in late 2021, mere months before the war erupted. Originally hailing from the Donetsk region, invaded by Russia in 2014, she now has most of her family residing in Kharkiv, one of the hardest-hit cities in Ukraine. Gorman has made a name for herself in Atlanta’s Ukrainian community for her activism and community organization efforts.
“This is personal for me; I feel a deep sense of duty to represent my country. Although I left, I still have many family members and friends there. I am a soul, a face, and a voice for Ukraine and I want to do everything I can to help,” Olga Gorman said. “HelpingUkraine.us has achieved incredible things and has become a vessel for my passions.”
Just last week, Gorman returned from a trip to Ukraine. There, she connected with several of HelpingUkraine.us’s partners to survey the progress of the projects currently underway, assessing the ongoing and ever-changing needs of the communities HelpingUkraine supports.
Symbolizing Ukraine’s reputation as the “breadbasket of the world”, Olga helped organize the Social Bakery Project. In several liberated villages such as Davidiv Brid, this initiative addresses the urgent need for food and jobs, offering sustenance and employment opportunities to locals. HelpingUkraine purchased equipment and Olga oversaw their installations in different community centers. “This project meets immediate needs and lays the foundation for long-term community development and self-sustainability,” Gorman said.
She continued, “One of our most rewarding endeavors saw chaos turn into joy for children living on the war front.” Alongside partners in Odesa, HelpingUkraine has been sending hundreds of children to a summer camp in the Carpathian Mountains. This camp lasts eight days and gives these kids a much-needed week of socialization, rest, and fun activities. These children have experienced an abundance of traumas throughout the war, and have access to therapists, counselors and mental health professionals on-site at the camp to help in healing and adjusting to their new realities.
With one of their partners in Kryvyi Rih, HelpingUkraine helped open a “Daily Development Center” — classrooms in a school-like format housed in a village community center. This provides a safe learning space and shelter for children during the day. “The schools in the city of Kryvyi Rih and several other villages in the Kherson region like Davidiv Brid and Arhangelske, were all destroyed by Russian strikes. Parents in this area are constantly worried about their children while at work or away from home, especially when the air raid sirens sound,” Gorman said.
Kids of all ages go to the center and do their schoolwork, participate in activities, and socialize with others, continuing their physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development. Most importantly, these traumatized kids are provided with access to psychological and mental health services there.
With several new projects on the horizon, the organization’s commitment to creating meaningful change remains unwavering. Future projects include drilling wells to provide clean water in small villages, offering housing assistance to orphans, providing mental health and psychological support, and distributing medical supplies like blood transfusion kits to hospitals on the front lines. Every initiative is a testament to HelpingUkraine.us and its partners’ dedication to a better future.
“We can stretch each dollar we receive, whether people give $5, or $50,000, everything helps our mission.” Gorman said. “Together, we can make a difference that transcends borders, languages, and ideologies to help those in need.”
At some point — hopefully soon — Ukraine will prevail but there will be a massive need for replacement infrastructure and economic development.
“When the bombing ceases, there will still be work to be done to accommodate the requests I receive every day.”
Go to HelpingUkraine.us to donate.
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