Lincoln travel agency helps hundreds of Ukrainian refugees find shelter

For decades, Lincoln businessman Steve Glenn has helped Husker enthusiasts vacation to major game titles and bowl appearances.Now he’s utilizing his travel agency and know-how to assist Ukrainian refugees obtain shelter in Poland.”Generally we went out and reserved the thirty day period of April for 50 lodge rooms to maintain 200 family members that were being refugees and experienced no put to dwell,” Glenn reported.He termed it Operation Protected Harbor Ukraine.”We set them in a personal home the place they can be with their small children, so they are fully risk-free,” Glenn explained. He mentioned since of the community’s generosity, Operation Safe and sound Harbor Ukraine has raised additional than $220,000 and enlisted church and local community groups and dozens of volunteers who have traveled to Poland to help.”It appears we are going to be in a position to assistance refugees for the month of April and even part of June,” Glenn reported.He not long ago traveled to Poland and saw the desperation 1st-hand.”If you think about it, the trauma of dropping your dwelling, your family members, your community, your task, all these are dropped,” Glenn explained. Most of the refugees have been gals and little ones. Lots of were being ill.”A single of three people staying at the resort have healthcare troubles due to the fact they’ve experienced to occur from Ukraine to Warsaw, Poland. And that is a 10- or 12-day trek on foot and the cars and trucks and buses trains and through six inches of snow and spring rains,” Glenn explained.He said lots of have been in shock.”This is encouraging persons in their darkest hours,” Glenn stated.He observed countless numbers of people today sleeping in mass shelters or prepare stations.A single girl with three children experienced just misplaced her husband in the war.”That was a tear-jerker for us mainly because we just failed to know how to aid,” Glenn reported.He explained they received her counseling and attempted to give her ease and comfort.”There is certainly not significantly we can do and she had just dropped all the things,” Glenn claimed.He said all of the donations go to resort rooms, foods, clothing and professional medical awareness. Volunteers assist households fill out paperwork and even arrange passage to other international locations.”We’ve despatched 11 families already to Canada, the U.K., Spain and even two families into California,” Glenn said.He is functioning on flying families to Lincoln and Omaha as properly. So much, Procedure Secure Harbor Ukraine has aided above 200 family members.”We imagine we are going to be more than 500 or 600 below in the following thirty day period,” Glenn mentioned.While in Poland, Glenn traveled to the Ukrainian border.”We came on miles and miles and miles of semi-vehicles ready at the border with supplies to go into Ukraine,” Glenn stated.He also noticed gentlemen carrying rifles heading into Ukraine.”These had been Us residents, these were Brits, these were being Europeans that ended up going into struggle,” Glenn explained.Glenn reported his staff of volunteers functions with community companies to determine family members who need support.”This is to show Ukraine we really like them. And then America cares. And The usa feels this is not suitable and we help you,” Glenn claimed.Glenn reported they could see the gratitude in their smiles.Just one gesture that primarily touched him and the volunteers was a hand-drawn thank you card from a 10-year-old refugee.”It was a hand and the hand was the coloration of the flag of Ukraine with a coronary heart with a flag of the United States,” Glenn stated.”What a impressive drawing,” Glenn reported.”We are so blessed in the United States.”In this article is a backlink to Procedure Risk-free Harbor if you would like to support.