For the second time since war broke out, Milos Pospisil is preparing to deliver much-needed supplies to Ukrainians near the front lines, and he’s fundraising for both equipment and monetary donations to the cause.
In late May, Pospisil will leave his home and family in Gibsons for two weeks. This will be his second trip near the front lines to successfully deliver tourniquets, chest seals, hemostatic gauze and more. The medical supplies will be used by Ukrainian brigade medics and civilians. Pospisil will return to Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine, with surgical supplies. He’s also adding a new stop on his journey: a rehabilitation centre for traumatized children, many of whom are now orphaned by the war.
Pospisil estimates he’ll have $35,000 worth of pediatric equipment — but they’re looking for more donations. Two in-person fundraisers at Sunnycrest Mall in Gibsons and Trail Bay Centre in Sechelt brought in around $5,000, and online donations total nearly $10,000.
“To all of our dismay, we’re still at this more than 400 days later,” Pospisil told Coast Reporter.
Pospisil said it seems Russia and Vladimir Putin have no plans to de-escalate the conflict or withdraw from Ukraine. “The indications are they’re going to drag this out as long as possible with the aim of wearing us out. By ‘us’, I mean the collective West… You don’t want to give up, because that’s what they want. They want the West to lose interest.”
So on Feb. 24, exactly a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, Pospisil’s team launched a new fundraising campaign.
He first teamed up with Canadian ex-reservist Kevin Leach’s Project Volya (which means Project Freedom) in 2022, when Pospisil and Sechelt physician Dr. Paul Dhillon launched a fundraiser that raised nearly $15,000 in tactical equipment.
Before that, Pospisil volunteered in March 2022 to help evacuate seven families to safety from the Polish-Ukrainian border.
Project Volya recently partnered with S.O.S. Ukraine, a registered Canadian charity. This means they will now be able to offer tax-deductible receipts to donors, which Pospisil hopes will help attract corporate sponsors. That website is www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/project-volya.
Pospisil’s efforts are also supported on the Sunshine Coast by people including Michael Maser, Norm Blair, as well as Daria Anico-Taveras’s family and Judy Rother, who have been connecting Ukrainian refugees with local resources since the war broke out. Their help, Pospisil said, makes him feel “not so alone.”
On April 15, Pospisil is scheduled to present at the Seniors Centre at 2 p.m., with the support of the Rotary Club of Sechelt, and all are welcome to attend.
