Ukraine Refugee Assistance

hoo dawgies.  I'm just getting my head back above water.  Sorry for no updates last week everyone, here goes:

Ok, first up, we're collecting this month for the Kisgorbo shelter.  I did hear back from Mayor Kozma the last time I wrote him, but he said he had to keep it short because he was in the hospital.  Not sure what or why, or what the implications might be but I need to reach back out to him.  That being said, we're starting from scratch as all of last month's money (266,000 forint) were transfered to VikkiDp.

Our GoFundMe is at $3563, which is an amazingly good amount!  We're very close to being able to fund 100% of the hospital's lighing needs.  I'll probably begin work with Vikki on this tomorrow or late this week at best.  and this is because  (see next row)

School and art supplies!  We have an amazing list from VikkiDp, Mrs Hungary started spending some money last month, and I 100% plan on spending more this month.  We just received (like seconds ago) 10,000 huf (just under $30) which brings our total local donaitons up to 260,000 huf (plus the material donations we've received). 

For baby clothes/blankets/food/diapers, you'll see we're carrying a balance for the first time.  This is because my grandmother sent me $300 from her and her neighbor and I'm putting it in this row as a saving spot for my organizational needs (it has to go somewhere).  I know we received some material donations for little Mariya, but I want to hold this money in reserve to make sure she gets everything she needs.  In this row though, Miro is still working on collecting donations.  His Landcruiser just got put in the garage for the work it needs, but I have my fingers crossed it'll be ready in time.

Hospitallers Battalion:  Unfortunately, I think Clockwork's donation was the only supplies received for this one.  The Yetis on the other forum donated to the GFM (more than likely it was because it was the path of least resistance) but that's ok.  I have a plan to add to Clockworks donation and maybe do something good with this one.

Suffie delivery:  What can I say.  We got blankets, clothes, stuffies, EVERYTHING from you guys.  Most is already sorted and organized, I am going to dip in and pull some clothing items out for the one or two children that have expressed a need so we can make sure they're taken care of as well. 

Good times

The Augusta Press picked up our story and published an article on  our work.  It's blocked to me as I'm overseas, but maybe you guys will be able to view it:

https://theaugustapress.com/motorheadline-conflict-heroism-and-a-34-year-old-toyota/

Ok, so that plan for the Hospitallers.  What the heck is going on in this picture:

Well, we took out a loan and Mrs. Hungary got a new car.  We were getting ready to sell this car for next to nothing, and got to thinking "maybe we can do something better than 'just get rid of this'"

Some brainstorming happened by the camp fire and we decided it really wouldn't take too much to make this a decently marketable vehicle.  Looking online, similar models (automatic, diesel) are going for 2-million forint ($5600 USD).  There are a lot of americans that move into our area looking for an automatic vehicle to drive, so why not polish it a bit and sell it locally for a slightly lower price?

Then take that money, and buy the decompression needles and chest vents that the Hospitallers need!

So that's what we're doing.  First up, I'm solving a front end "clunk".  I've got it identified as a stabilizer bar end link and put the part on order (8000huf).

Next I gotta polish the headlights.  More to follow

Real quick as it was being discussed with some friends outside of this board, I'll try to post links to the fundraising we have going on with the weekly updates.  For now, here's what we got:

Paypal (you know the address):  Goes to Kisgorbo shelter

Amazon:  Chest vents for the Hospitallers.  We're going to keep this open in an effort to do a bigger delivery to them in December:  https://www.amazon.de/hz/wishlist/ls/1J1W4VRXR2Y7J?ref_=wl_share

Current GoFundMe:  Goes to Dnipro Prenatal Center, Closes August 11:  https://gofund.me/bfd3afc1

Social Media links:

https://www.instagram.com/dniproexpress/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/510575651154518

Cheers, guys!

It looks like I have a few spare minutes, so maybe we can sneak in some photos from the Ukrainian Day celebration real quick.

On the way to the church, I got behind a Subaru with a Ukrainian flag sticker on the back. Subarus and Ukrainian flags are both common sights here, but still, I got a warm feeling knowing I was heading to the right place. Sure enough, they were going to the same place I was.

The other Monohues, Mrs and Little, were waiting for me at a nearby park. We were astonished at how many cars were parked for blocks up and down the street. Then I started noticing license plates. There's one from British Columbia, Canada. There's Montana once, then twice. Good lord, people are coming from all over for this. Wait, what? There's Saskatchewan! Even if they came from the very nearest corner of the province, which is unlikely, that's a thousand mile drive. These people are serious!

There were a few vendors set up to sell t-shirts and other things, with the profits mostly going to keep the event going or to the church's humanitarian services in Ukraine:

At another booth, they had all kinds of tryzub (trident) themed jewelry. I snagged the legendary Snake Island postcard (made my day!) and even got the kid a beautiful children's book about the legendary mine-sniffing dog, Patron:

russian warship, go berk yourself!

Next was a stop at the food tent for some kobasa kapusta (sausage with sauerkraut), pyrizhky (fried buns with meat filling), and varenyky (pierogies) with sour cream:

If that ain't country...

Plates in hand and drool running down our chins, we found some seats to watch the dancers. Now, cultural events and regional dances are not my scene. Not by a long shot. But then they started. 

The ceremonial welcoming dance with bread and salt:

Then a few more dances, some traditional, some created by the dancers themselves:

These kids were getting it done. I was moved. 

You'll notice that a lot of these dancers don't look particularly Ukrainian. Apparently the church continues to hold Ukrainian Day even though almost nobody there has roots in Ukraine. The pastor is ethnically Polish. There were Black and Caribbean families there,  mixed races, people who looked like they were of Indian and Korean ancestry, all putting their hearts and souls into this thing, maintaining the traditions, because they are worth maintaining. And then you have those kids working incredibly hard in a two-week Ukrainian dance camp to put on this show every summer. The whole thing showcased the best of humanity, and it brought a tear to my eye before I even understood what was happening. I'm about as secular as it gets, and I felt like I'd found my people.

On the walk out, I noticed one more license plate. This was my favorite. 

Слава Україні!

THAT looks like an AMAZING time

(and that food looks darn good too!)

Героям слава!!

In reply to DarkMonohue :

Aaron, thanks a lot for your report and pictures - it touched my heart 

The food looks very appetizing ... yummmy!!! Ukrainians like to eat well 

I noticed one more license plate. This was my favorite. 

It says Kozak( cossak).

Ukrainians are descendants of Kozaks - they were good warriors who valued freedom above all else, that's why we fight for our independence now - it's in our blood 

I took a train to Budapest on Monday to pick up some parts for the truck.  I mentioned Mrs. Hungary got a new car, well it's a 5-year-old Toyota (easily the newest vehicle we've ever owned).  Along with the purchase I was hoping to leverage the dealership's parts department to help get me a few coolant hoses I wanted to replace to be ahead of things (having already replaced the discrepant hose, I thought I should do a few of the others just to be safe).  Ideally, the parts would have arrived when we picked up the car but alas.

So... I took a train to Budapest on Monday to pick up some parts for the truck and just prior to the trip my grandmother and her neighbor sent me two checks totaling $300.  I had some time to kill between the parts pickup and my return trip back home, so I thought I'd use the time to browse a nearby mall in search of a winter jacket for Milana.  It's a more than just a bit "out of season", but I really wanted to make sure that girl got something nice, and that $300 would have gone a long way in making sure she had what she needed this winter.

Instead of finding a winter jacket, I ended up coming across a super cute backpack that I thought would be the perfect size for a 3-year-old.  I immediately thought that we could put all her donated clothes in it, and maybe a few toys to go with.  And, not knowing her living situation, if her family had to move then maybe this would give her something of her own that she could carry to take more of her stuff with her when she went!

The price was 10,000 forint (almost $30) but when I paid, the cashier gave me half my money back.  It turns out it was on sale, 50% off!

so that's how I ended up with three coolant hoses, and a pretty pink backpack for my return trip home

Just a heads up everyone, I'll be closing the GFM and will begin to move donation money in 2-days.  After that I'll drop off the RADAR and will post again when I return.  I still have a few updates to post between then and now, but wanted to let you guys know.

Here's the link to the current GFM:  https://gofund.me/ad204fb7

Ladies and gentlemen,  I have just secured 150 decompression needles for the Hospitallers Battalion! 

Here goes:

First: no.  I haven't sold the car yet

so what happened?

Yesterday I received another donation from AClockworkGarage destined for the hospitallers, and when I went searching for North American Rescue Decompression Needles I noticed that everything was twice the price.  Perhaps worse yet, version the needles I wanted to order (3.5 inch, 14ga) were on backorder until DECEMBER!  Obviously this was a bit of a problem.

I contacted a couple vendors and they all reported the same thing.  One helpful vendor pointed me towards another equally helpful vendor, and when I sent my inquiry they responded "I have some of the more expensive needles with the same NSN, would that work?"

I replied that I was very much in search of the previous version because of budget and buying power, and there was no way I could meet the quantity request at twice the price.  They asked me to hold, and when she got back on the line she reported that she had found 150ea of the previous needle version (I had requested a quote for 300), and sent me a quote for $10.99 each (+tax).  I took clockwork's donation, plus my credit card, and purchased the whole lot.  I plan on paying the remaining defect on the credit card once Mrs. Hungary's car is sold.  From there, I'll take the remaining amount from the car sale, plus any other donations, and I'll keep buying until we have the 300 needles and 200 chest vents that the Hospitallers need. 

Either way, this just knocked about $1500 off of our bottom line.

Link to Rescue Essentials for coming through in a pinch:  https://www.rescue-essentials.com/nar-ars-for-needle-decompression/

Hi everyone!!!

I'd like to tell you a story about one of our families - it's just one of many stories of Ukrainian families who have suffered in this damn war.

This girl's name is Anna, she's 15 yo and her story touched my heart - so i want to share it with you all 

Anna and her family from Backhmut - is a small, cozy town in the Donetsk region, it was like that... it was... 

The house that Anna lived in is gone, all burned down - her things, her toys, her books... but what she loves the most stayed with her, she loves drawing.

This girl has special needs, she has developmental delays, but drawing helps her overcome her illness and the loss of her home.

Now Anna with her mom and dad live in Dnipro, she studies at school and plans to go to college next year and dreams of being a painter.

Anna and a little her drawings. I like it 

In reply to VikkiDp :

I can support Anna. I went uh, a little wild with finding toys, music and paints for donation.

First, I have 50+ individualized little paint by numbers kits that have been providing little acrylic paint pots and cheap brushes. I've also been trying to find the paints.if they're just in little packs.

Some of the toys I've found for some of the little ones. I know the alphabet jewelry and beads have English on them, but I know some of these kids know english- and I thought, what little girl doesn't love making bracelets?

Tower of stuffies as it currently sits. Also in here are another 10+ pairs of headphones, a drawing tablet (think more etch a sketch than PC) and several 3D car models. I'm also going to be testing today if I can take the cheap linen posters you see everywhere on Amazon (I can get these literally less than 50 cents), do a few coats of modge podge, and reuse them as canvases.

Bill, it looks like I'd be sending two packages. I know you said this'll be the last time we can to that PO box, is that still okay? Also, I've sent you an Email of some other, more serious items that can be donated I want your opinion on.

We can 100% support Anna.  Girthquake, I got your message and replied.  Let me know if you didn't get it.  I don't want to rush you too much, but we gotta get these last ones in on the fly (it's gonna be close).  This is some good stuff though, and I don't want to miss on the opportunity.

Ok, with that and regarding the Hospitallers order:  I got my numbers backwards because of the way the message was sent.  We need 200ea decompression needles, and 300ea hyfin chest vents (singular, so if you buy a package that is a "pair" then that's "two").  I have an order of 150ea decompression needles in, we have 6ea on hand from Clockwork, and I'm about to put his next order in here shortly.  That should put us pretty close to 200.

I was going to wait until December to do another Dnipro run, but Mrs. Hungary and I were talking last night.  There's no way I could sit on med supplies like this for a single day longer than I absolutely have to.  Everyone I talk to is reporting a shortage of these.  So with that, I'm going to schedule a TBD run to Uzhhorod, Ukraine and I'll use NOVOPOST's courier service to get the items the rest of the way (I do not trust Hungary's government or post office enough to attempt a shipment locally).  I'm still working on her car (I'll post about that shortly) and once that's sold, I'm hoping to hit the whole damn thing with a BF-hammer.

If you want to get in on the action, this wishlist ships right to my brother's address:  https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/399BDXHVTXLBF/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2

He's going to hold until we're 100% (or out of cash), ship on his dime, and cover the customs charges. 

You'll note that there's a tourniquet on the list:  although not specifically asked for, these are always in high demand.  I would place it on equal footing with the chest vents and decompression needles.

good times

So.  I'm sure I'm not unique in this aspect, but it's been my experience that I often find what I'm looking for when I'm not looking for it.  Case and point, I have found Milana's jacket:

So there I was... Grocery shopping... and I'm having a rough go at it.  The first chain grocery store in the city had about 3/4 of what I was looking for, so I popped over to the one I usually don't shop at and walked RIGHT BY a rack on wheels when something pink caught my eye.  It was a BIG puffy jacket for a little girl.

I immediately stopped what I was doing and started poking through the rack.  There weren't any big enough for Milana hanging there, but I shot a photo off to Mrs. Hungary asking what she thought and immediately got the "hell yeah!" reply.  With that I started poking through the clothing department.  Nothin.

Making my way back, I came across one last stand with pink stuff on it and there they were (photo'd above).  First I grabbed the puffy jacket with the little flower print, and scored big when they had one that was one size bigger than Milana (because kids grow between now and when they actually need these things).  As a bonus there was the thinner (but still pretty heavy) jacket just around the corner.  I grabbed that too.

"These are going to go great with the snow pants/overalls that were donated to her" I was thinking.  Plus with the cut of the sleeves, it looks to me like if things got REALLY cold then you could 100% double up these jackets.  Milana is going to be SET for this winter.

Best of all, when I got to the register and scanned my club card, the whole shebang was nearly 40% off!  I spent $35 of my grandmother's donated $300 on this (also the $14 I previously on her backpack for all her clothes).

I was very happy.

We have STUFFIES!!!!!

Girthquake's box arrived last night

Thanks Girthquake!!

Ever mow your lawn and find a house? 

I did...

It's been raining a lot lately so I've been using the weather as an excuse to not do all the yard work that I should be doing (and focusing instead on the upcomming run).  Unfortunately the grass doesn't stop growing just because you weren't looking at it, so this is how I've been spending my afternoons this week...

Ok, but all the lawn mowing did give me a chance to get those hoses installed in the engine bay:

To get to the bottom hose I had to drop the skid plate though.

When I did, there was a TON of African dirt still stuck under there.  I guess I haven't really gone about cleaning the ol girl as well as I should have since that run, huh?

(one clump of dirt shown, as it dawned on me late that I should take a picture before I chunked it all off)

Ok, but you KNOW nothing can go smooth with this, right?  I'm working away from my garage with a limited bag of tools I brought that "should" do the job.

So naturally I run into issues with the clamps on the bottom hose:

Yup, everything looks fine in that first picture.  But in that second?  that clamp is missing a tang... and how the heck am I going to get the new hose on if I pull this thing off and there's no tang to squeeze?

"meh, better luck next time" you might be thinking, but this is where i tell you that I've had the garden hose in my radiator this whole time and have been circulating this sediment filled water ALL THROUGH my cooling system to get all the rust crud out (this is like my 3rd flush in 2 years and I'm STILL finding rust crud...  during my first flush I found that my entire lower radiator tank was full of the stuff and it was just sitting there...).  I really don't want to put the rad cap back on and run the hard faucet water in my engine...

"ok.  so drain the hard water, and fill up with the anti-freeze and distilled water we all KNOW you brought with you" you say

yes.  But if I do that and then have to pull the lower hose later, I lose all that fresh goodness I just poured in.  I don't want to do that either.

"Fine.  then you figure it out"

So I came up with an idea.  What if I took a good clamp from the upper hose and put it on the lower.

then I could use zip ties on the upper hose to hold it in place until I get home.

and THEN, when I got to my garage I can get a spare clamp out of there and put it on the upper hose without losing too much coolant!

so that's what I do!

and you know what?  it WORKS!!!! 

Hose change:  Check!

Coolant flush:  Check!

(but you know what else?  and this is no joke...  I am only realizing RIGHT NOW, as I am tyoing this, that I commuted to and from work today and I completely stinking forgot to put a hose clamp on there...)

eska paski for the win!

Next up, in the land of vehicle updates:

Mrs. Hungary's stabilizer bar end link arrived!  I can get that installed this weekend and start on those headlights!

honestly, after that I don't think there's anything really stopping me from putting this up for sale.

ok guys, and one final photo dump before I duck out.  Here it all is:

Starting at the top, this is:
 

Stuff we're currently organizing

Stuff we still need to organize

more stuff we still need to organize

Stuff that's been organized for us, but there's still some stuff we need to organize, but we can use it real quick for a photo-op

and Jackets :P

Thank you all for everything on this one.  Fingers crossed we blow the roof off the truck

Quick Update on Bill's behalf: The decompression needle request has been fulfilled!

All remaining Hospitallers needed donations can simply be purchased through through the Amazon link shipping direct to Bill's brother.

In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :

This all looks AMAZING!!! Thank you so much 

the alphabet jewelry and beads have English on them

don't worry  i think it's an awesome way for little kids to learn the alphabet and i'm sure little girls love making and wearing bracelets 

Awww!!! this picture is my favorite!!! i love it!!! 

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

 I often find what I'm looking for when I'm not looking for it

Ha-haaa, it always works this way  always!!!

This story made my day - Bill's on the hunt for something pink and puffy and looking for little girl outfits 

But seriously, you're an amazing person!!!

Guys, have your hearts melted, too? 

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Fingers crossed we blow the roof off the truck 

it looks exactly like this!!! 

You and Mrs.Hungary have done and incredibly awesome work!!!

And thanks to all the guys for supporting this run 

This promises to be incredible!!! Fingers crossed 

In reply to Driven5 :

GREAT news!!!

VikkiDp said:

Guys, have your hearts melted, too? 

Yes, Bill makes me swoon too.

But today it was most of all from reading your post about Anna!