"I just couldn't stand by and watch any longer" says 10+ year Haslemerian Michael Alves about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "I'm far too old to volunteer to fight in that battle, but I'm not too old to help where I can. So when a friend asked one dark, cold winter night if I would co-drive an ambulance stocked with medical supplies from Britain to Ukraine I just said 'Yes'...and now we're packing for the trip."

 

Alves, originally from California, has lived in Surrey for over 20 years and is something of a history addict. He points to the many parallels of an underdog Britain facing down a military invasion in 1940 to the current conflict in Ukraine, "Only Ukraine didn't have the benefit of a 20-mile-wide moat. And just like this country they're fighting for their democracy, and their lives...and they've been doing it now for four long and deadly years."

 

Volunteering for the now well-established charity Help4Ukraine –– which has to date delivered over 50 ambulances and rescue vehicles to Ukraine –– is just something Alves feels compelled to do to make a small contribution to the Ukrainians' massive effort to keep their country free. "I can pay with a bit of money and time, while they're paying with their lives," says Alves.

 

He doesn't know exactly where the ambulance he's delivering is going to go, but he does know it's going somewhere in the country where it's desperately needed, and it's going to the right people. "Help4Ukraine is a brilliant, well-organised charity with a clear mission to do what it says on the tin. I'm glad I can do my bit, and any assistance I receive from our community is greatly appreciated and will be put to very good use."

 

The charity has set up a secure donations page specifically to assist Alves' mission at: https://donorbox.org/h4u-2

 

To learn more, visit the Help4Ukraine website or watch their video on YouTube.