I Saw a Need

06/11/2026

Bluetooth light bulb. For real.

06/10/2026

Update - 1 week in.

So, it's rained every single day since I've arrived in camp. It's been sunny at least part of the day as well, but the rain is just enough to keep everything and everyone wet.

The washing machine here did not survive the winter in storage, we're hoping to purchase a new one in Kyiv this weekend but in the interim everyone is various flavors of wet and gross. Today I washed a load of clothes by filling the newest wheelbarrow with my dirty stuff, then adding cold water from the hose and a bit of laundry soap. Then I attached an old oven rack to a board effecting a DIY washboard to scrub against. Not sure how effective it'll be at actually cleaning the clothes, but the water got dirty as I went so hopefully the worst of the soil came out. If nothing else, the stuff is all hanging on the line instead of stinking up my tent.

I've got the two gas water heaters about 90% installed and should have them up and running by tomorrow afternoon. Today another volunteer and I dug up the existing gas line so I could add a second one and increase the amount of fuel available to the two units. Last year they shared a line and there wasn't really enough to run both effectively. The rest of the day was spent moving boards from the storage yard in Lukashivka with Yuliana to House #5. Then Yuliana and I drove into Chernihiv to get the Van inspected, purchase groceries, and make another EpicenterK shopping run. I also ripped down the twenty 6-meter long planks into ceiling battens with a circular saw as the other volunteers don't have much circular saw experience. I also showed the other volunteers how to use and prime the shallow well pump at #5 so they don't have to draw water up 35 feet from the bottom of the well with a bucket.

The mosquitos are thick like fog almost all day long. Only after 10pm or so does it get cold enough to put them down for the night. Last year I arrived in early July so I missed the worst of mosquito season, this year I get the full experience.

All of the coolers at the local store are broken so there's no cold soda to be had.

This weekend a group of us is heading to Kyiv to attend a music festival as well as acquire some items we can't get in Chernihiv, like a secondhand washing machine and other stuff. We're also picking up another couple of volunteers. We leave Friday after work and return Monday. I've rented a lovely looking AirBnB near the Hilton and Hotel Intercontinental where all the foreign dignitaries and American officials stay, I'm told that area is on the do-not-bomb list for that reason so in 5 years has never been struck.

There have been zero missiles fired from Russia into Kyiv for over a week. Only 150-200 drones per night sent into Ukrainian apartment buildings, kindergartens, houses, and theatres. This weekend will probably be a massive blitz of ballistic and cruise missiles along with hundreds of shahed drones targeting the city and others. The AirBnB I'm staying at has an underground parking structure that doubles as a bomb shelter.

Like everyone else here, I'm exhausted, damp, and gross. I'm having the time of my life and there's nowhere I'd rather be.

Good night from Ukraine,
-a

06/09/2026

First shopping trip into Chernihiv, first air raid...

06/07/2026

Hi Everyone, This is my # for the next five weeks:

+380 930 122384

Send a message to learn more

06/07/2026

Some videos taken from Kavdrak market, the mall and commercial area destroyed by the Russians last week.

05/16/2026

Less than three weeks until I'm off. This year I'll be arriving in Poland and taking the train to Ukraine on my 53rd birthday.

Fundraising has been slow this year, while I'm only in the country for six weeks this year instead of the 10-12 I would prefer, that's still six weeks of no income and expenses back home that don't pause in my absence.

The same link at buymeacoffee still is active: https://coff.ee/AaronToUkraine

Every amount helps.

$10 lets me buy my team of 6-10 people a cache of energy drinks and snacks for the morning.

$25 can purchase paint, plaster mix, a few sheets of plywood, or a dozen cans of the spray foam that basically holds most Eastern European buildings together.

$50 would cover a nicer tent than whatever hand-me-down happens to be available in camp, or the activation and three months of unlimited data on the Ukrainian 4G/5G network.

$100 buys all the groceries to cook a three course meal for the camp of 30-ish people. (I've seen on our telegram channel from last year that many people are looking forward to my cooking again.)

$200 can buy the camp a better range with an oven that actually maintains its temperature. Or a third water heater just for the kitchen so we can wash dishes and run the shower at the same time. Appliances are much cheaper in Ukraine even though they are the same exact models we find in our shops here.

Any support is appreciated.

Slava Ukraini.

I leave for Ukraine on July 8. I'll be spending the summer rebuilding homes destroyed or damaged in parts of northern Ukraine that were briefly occupied by Russians.Outside of my background in IT, I

05/01/2026

Four weeks to go until I'm back in Ukraine.

I'll arrive in Kyiv on my 53rd birthday.

Send a message to learn more

10/25/2025

Hey Everyone!

We are still in the midst of settling all the dust upon return. Sadly, there was a faucet issue waiting for Aaron's assistance right away and some yard cleanup he took on. Getting med refills. Strategizing financial stuff. You know, fun.

We are planning on having 2 return parties. One possibly at a friend's place near West Salem (waiting on details and would need an RSVP if you want some main course dinner) and another near Monroe so Aaron's mom has minimal travel. We'll post events as we have them set.

Thank you all, so much, for the support so this trip could happen. The money donated directly and positively impacted the lives of those suffering from Russian terrorism in Ukraine and the quality of life in the camp for those who risked everything to help. There will be pictures, videos, and stories shared.

Please let us know any food allergies if you want to attend and which party location (both is great!) so we can better plan food. Contributions of money, a dish to pass, or beverages are absolutely welcome.

10/08/2025

Hurrah!!!

Aaron has been retrieved from the Minneapolis/St Paul Airport and we are settled into a new room (the one last night had weird water temp issues) with him taking a well deserved shower.

Feast your eyes on the going away gifts those still at the camp got him. You may sense a theme.

10/07/2025

It looks worse in real life than the photos ...

The washer in camp does a so-so job of cleaning. Couple that with cheap detergent and hanging everything to dry on the line where road dust and harvest chaff deposits on garments. Then add just the general state of grungy-ness that comes with having been outside for three months solid.

Everyone in the airport is giving me a wide berth, probably cuz my usual fashion sense has deteriorated to sort of technicolor-tramp-chic.