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https://gofund.me/94bc0c43
I want you to meet a special family who desperately need our help. This is Mark, father of two amazing daughters, Elina (10 years), and Anna.(7 years). Mark, Elina, and Anna are from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine which is on the eastern border of Ukraine near several nuclear power plants. Mark, Elina, and Anna speak only Russian.
Swept up in the war in Ukraine, Mark and his daughters were forcibly removed from their home, had all of their belongings seized or stolen, and were forced to flee their beloved country. For months, Mark moved his daughters across his war-torn country, sleeping in cars and train stations, looking for food and refuge in churches, literally with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and what would fit into one small bag each.
Can you even imagine what this must've been like, both for Mark and these two young girls? Absolutely gut-wrenching and terrifying. Mark and the girls were eventually able to escape the devastation behind them and enter into Germany. While in Germany they connected with a family on the Welcome.us website and were able to find their way legally to the United States via the 'Uniting for Ukraine' humanitarian program. My dear and incredibly generous friend and her husband have been hosting this family for months now but they need our help.
In Ukraine, Mark was an auto mechanic and also worked in construction (tiling, plumbing, drywall, etc..). Mark is fiercely independent and wants to find employment - but this takes money. Money for transportation, clothing, insurance, driver's licensure, and all of the daily needs we all take for granted. Elina and Anna are enrolled in school already but do not speak english, and also have many unmet needs. All 3 have Social Security numbers, are learning the english language, and Mark is authorized to seek employment.
These 3 amazing human beings love their new country and represent everything that makes America wonderful (don't believe what you read and hear on social media - this is still an amazing country). And one of the things that makes this country great is our endless generosity and empathy.
Each of us have the opportunity to donate to worthy causes every year - through work, church, or of our own volition. But do we really even know what happens to our generous donations? Usually not. This is an opportunity for you to make a difference in 3 human lives that will never be forgotten. I have made a cash donation to Mark, Elina, and Anna and I cannot describe to you how grateful they have been for even a modest amount of help.
I am a US Marine and even I know - war is an awful, awful thing. This is an opportunity to help 3 very deserving victims of the ravages of war. I cannot imagine the horror of being forcibly removed from the only home you have ever known, or the pressure Mark must've felt trying to find safe harbor for the loves of his life - his two young daughters. I cannot imagine losing everything I had ever worked for in an instant, and being destitute and without hope.
These 3 fellow humans have hope now. We can give them a lot more of it. Please consider making a donation. We can make a tremendous difference in their lives.
And it goes without saying, not expecting anyone here to donate - totally fine either way. If you can't donate, you can help by promoting the campaign anywhere you can.