Gooooood morning! And my sincerest apologies for not being better about these updates. I have a goal in my head where I'll send these out every week, but sometimes life gets in the way and things just get pushed aside, and then I only get further behind on such things.
So what's been happening?
Well, as you already know, we've opened a channel to help some Ukrainian volunteers who live about an hour to the south of Dnipro (talking about Julia and her daughter here). They're partners with our friend "Becca" at The Spirit of Ukraine Foundation and their house was damaged in a drone strike that landed outside their home. Our original goal was to help them by raising funds to repair the damage, but unfortunately that strike was followed by multiple others and now it's looking like they might have to evacuate.
Honestly, with as many strikes in their town as I've already been tracking I'm incredibly surprised they haven't evacuated already. But, their work being as important as it is, I can understand why they've chosen to stick through it. I was surprised to learn that Julia's daughter (Mila) was only 11-years-old, and you know what that means. Yup, she's been added to our list of children we're helping in the area. Volunteer or not, she's still a little girl and it's important that she makes it through this with at least a bit of her childhood intact.
Ok, next up is our developing partnership with a volunteer named "Gina" in the UK. She's a member of "Ambulance4Ukraine, Kent" and is friends with our volunteer friend "Elishka" up that way. Lately Gina has been porting more and more assistance in our direction. Sleeping bags, warm clothes, kids toys, and even a 2.7KVA Honda Generator is all slated to be sent in our direction. The last time we talked to Elishka, she reported that Gina might have as much as 5 pallets of supplies available to us!!!
This is absolutely incredible, and we're really hoping it works out. Apparently there have been interactions with volunteers who have taken the war in Ukraine as an opportunity to be.... shall we say "less than honest" about things? Yeah... It sucks. But it's the #1 reason why Mrs. Gina (and Elishka) have taken to our efforts and we're really hoping we can live up to the good work they've done so far. As always, "integrity" will be the name of the game (and we intend to keep ours intact)
Our friend Jack has been hard at work too! He's found an All-Wheel-Drive Honda CRV that needed a driver to send it (loaded with aid) into Ukraine. Ultimately we were unsuccessful (despite all of our efforts) but the donor of said vehicle just wrote and told us it's being sent on a flat-bed into country. That's good news!
And speaking of Jack, we're hard at work with him now working towards our next run. We have a 4x4 that still needs purchased for "Savage", our Marine defender, we have an Easter Fundraiser that will be put to GoFundMe here shortly (which will be used to purchase Easter chocolates for our 63 refugee children), and I've been hard at work on the 4-Runner which has been having a rough go at things lately!
In that last department, I've just finished replacing the head gasket on the old girl. This was something I've done three years ago (it was leaking coolant into the combustion chambers) during the war, but I found out then that it was just an intake manifold gasket that was leaking. I changed the head gasket out of an abundance of caution, but must have forgotten to go back in there and to re-torque the head bolts after some driving because when a similar issue presented itself this time (coolant again leaking into the combustion chambers) I found that almost all of the head bolts were a bit looser than they should have been.
Ultimately no serious harm was done to the truck, and she got another new head gasket. Hopefully I remember to re-torque those head bolts soon, but we've just gotten back from a test drive and all went well.
Well... That is, aside from a trunion bearing I think I hear in my rear differential. It's starting to make a warbling noise when I decelerate in second and third gear. I guess this is just the next issue in the driveline after I got my third gear fixed (ooh! I forgot to mention that too!) in my spare transmission and got that installed. Honestly though, this poor girl has just had a rough life. I've said it before, but she wasn't ready to be pressed into service when this war touched off. I had just bought her from a farmer who seemed dead-set on neglecting her (she was in BAD shape) and had planned on working on her over the course of the next half-decade or so and eventually turning her into a family adventure wagon.
Well, here we are. Just over seven-years after her purchase and it's been a lot of work just keeping her running. But she hasn't missed a beat yet, so we'll get that bering fixed and she'll keep at it!
Ok. So I know that was a LONG update, and I'm positive I'm missing a lot of stuff, but I wanted to get this out there before more of our efforts got lost to my (admittedly "bad") memory. You guys are doing some darn incredible work out there, and it's important that I get these out to you so you can see it. Going forward, I'll try to be better about getting these out on a more regular schedule.
Cheers everyone, and thanks for doing all you do!
-Bill
Gooood morning, everyone!
I do apologize, I have been absolutely atrocious about getting any sort of regular (weekly? Monthly???) updates out. I know I don't need to tell you, but things have been absolutely insane. Not just in and around Ukraine, but all across the world it seems. That being said, it is 5am my time and the house is still asleep, so what better time to take advantage of the silence and give you an update as to what's been going on.
First up, and possibly the most important, all of our Christmas gifts have been delivered! I've posted the update on our main (donorbox page) as well as on our website (www.DniproExpress.com) but here's the link to the youtube video as well so you can see our children with the gifts you sent them!
https://youtu.be/nKHTdv7f5FM
Furthermore, if you didn't know it the vehicle we used to haul all the presents (a humble Volkswagen Sharan) has been donated to the 1st international Medical Battalion and is pulling HERO levels of work.
Her modular cargo area, and simple reliability has her making runs from the unit and back to Kharkiv. This is a 3 hour run she makes no less than three times a day. The guys in the unit were super excited about this and I honestly didn't understand until it was explained to me that having a runabout like a Sharan means they don't have to pull a 4x4 or an ambulance off of the front lines to do the work needed in the rear areas of the war (where pavement exists, and threats are lower). With that, she's turned into quite the force multiplier as this means that all the dedicated "frontline" vehicles can stay where they are and continue to do the work they need to do at a moments notice!
Next up, I wanted to let you know that ALL of our Bluetti power supplies have been funded, purchased, and DELIVERED!
I've posted the photos to our main donorbox page. You'll have to scroll down a but, but unfortunately I can not post them in this e-mail due to the formatting and permissions of this update. Either way, Ruslan in the Intelligence Battalion, our Mortar Team in the 1st International, and our very own Magician "Vikki in Dnipro" are all using these power supplies to keep their equipment running while the power is out (no longer measured in "hours" but now in "days", so those got there JUST in time).
A HUGE "thank you!" to everyone who helped get those to where they were needed.
And FINALLY, our next run has started already! We're fundraising another 4x4 for a unit in Ukraine. This time the 37th Brigade, and the Marines there have been taking a beating lately. They report that they are desperate for transportation for evacs and for troop and logistics hauling and we're thinking a Mitsubishi L200 might be the sort of plucky "do it all" vehicle they need to get stuff done.
We've set the goal for $4000 (USD) for this fundraiser, but as you know the goalposts can be very fluid when it comes to buying second-hand vehicles. As always, we're shooting for the most solid and reliable vehicle we can within our modest budget. Something that's more than just the sum of all it's parts.
As it sits, we have over half the money raised and we've teamed up again with Ambulance4Ukraine Kent (the same people who funded the aforementioned VW Sharan) to get these defenders the wheels they need. If you'd like to donate, you can do so through our usual donorbox account.
So here we go, everyone! It's 2026 and the war hasn't stopped, so neither will we!
Разом до перемоги!!
(Together until Victory!)
Everyone, our photos are IN!!!!
I am so sorry for the delay, but boy am I glad we waited until after the New Year holiday to receive the last few of those photos. Seeing those children smile after all they've been through really had me absolutely MELTING inside.
In fact, I was such a mess that it took me FOREVER just to find some music to put to the photos to convey JUST how hard these pictures hit.
Anyhoo, without further adieu here is the video of the children with their Christmas gifts from our fundraiser this year. I really hope I did this one justice, and thank you for all your hard work.
Everyone, with the money we've raised this year from our Christmas fundraiser, we were able to purchase every single item from our children's wish list. Added in were four boxes of Christmas candy AND we still had $700 left over after the last gift was purchased!
In the picture above is EVERY gift we purchased! For the remaining balance, a call has been made to the Dnipro Children's hospital and they report that they need UV Disinfectant lamps. Lamps that our good friend Vikki in Dnipro has already placed on order!
We have to drop offline now for this run, but stay tuned for more when we get this holiday delivered!
Christmas Run 2025
Everyone, the fighting hasn't ended and neither have our efforts. Today, we're starting our Christmas run, and we're not going to stop until we've helped ALL 63 of our Ukrainian children who are currently taking refuge in Dnipro get the best Christmas holiday we can possibly bring them!
Learn more and donate at our donorbox account, or (for those who wish) on GoFundMe at the following link: https://gofund.me/6991b4448Https://gofund.me/6991b4448
Thank you all for all the work you've done, and thank you again for making this possible!!!
Everyone, we are back and the trip report has been written! You can read the whole thing yourself on our webpage from the very tough beginning to the equally tough ending: https://dniproexpress.com/trip-reports/f/trip-20-chuhuiv-or-bust-1-million-helping-hands
I know I'll say it a million times, but I could not say it enough: THANK YOU for making this possible. If you're reading this then you are one of the one-million helping hands that continues to make this possible. I hope you see your hard work and dedication reflected in our efforts, and we look to you to make sure we do what's right by our donors.
A quick Donorbox update: I seem to be having trouble updating the latest and greatest when it comes to our efforts. I'm still working through it, so if you visit and it looks like the latest information isn't available, then that's probably why. We'll sort it though. It'll just take some time.
Until then, we do have a separate effort going at the moment. It's for a little girl with diabetes, and you can read about it here if you'd like: https://donorbox.org/andriya-s-insulin-pump
Again, thank you everyone. Thank you all.
-Bill
Guys, things have been NUTS as the day of our ambulance delivery has gotten closer. Here's where we're at.
We have the ambulance at the machine shop getting some heavy duty leaf springs welded under her so she'll perform better in the heat of battle. While that's going on, Jack is completing the purchase of the L200 for the same unit.
While all THAT was going on, we got a request from the 25th Airborne asking for a 7.5 ton semi-truck, and just HOW in the heck were we going to make THAT happen? We don't even have a license, yet alone the ability to fundraise that much money.
Then two things happened. First was a donation from a man named Vladimir for over $400 that we were completely not expecting. THEN came a message from Ana on the group chats, does anyone want a 7.5 ton Lorry from the UK? Purchase price was 1700GBP.
The realization of what was happening was beginning to hit our brains, so we called Ana and told her we wanted the truck. We called the command and told them they could count on us. Through a friend named Nicholas (we met him on our last run) $1000 was added to our account.
And the donations kept coming.
We were so busy, we couldn't even open a fundraiser, but we didn't have to! you guys did it without even knowing it!!! You just bought a 7.5 ton truck for the 25th Airborne just through our "Keep the Express Running" effort!!!!
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!!
Hull4Ukraine in the UK heard about what we were doing and have banded together and completely loaded this truck with medical supplies. So in addition to my truckload, Jack's Ambulance, the L200 with the two Ultrasounds, AND our friends Tori, Emma, and Grant (who are bringing their vehicles with supplies as well) we have 7.5 TONS of medical aid headed into Ukraine!!!!
Guys, everything is frantic as we get ready to work the declarations, and handle all the paperwork on this. But you have just sent an entire convoy of vehicles LOADED to the axles with medical aid into the country, and we can not possibly thank you enough for all you are doing to make this possible. My sincerest apologies for going so many weeks without our usual updates, but as you can understand... we've been SWAMPED!
What a good problem to have. Thank you.
-Bill
Happy Friday, everyone!
Listen, I know things have been quiet recently but it's only because this is the part where a MILLION things are happening in the background. Here's what's been happening:
First up, Sarah received word that there were two Ultrasound machines in Germany that a hospital wanted to donate to Ukraine. Not able to fit them in the Express, a loaner van rental was DONATED by Spark Performance (a local logistics company) for her to use. Along with the two machines, we received a literal shed-load of supplies from the donor (Angie, in Bavaria). So a HUGE thank you to Angie in Bavaria and Nate at Spark Performance!
Ok, moving forward, one of the Ultrasounds wouldn't power up once we got it to the house. I spent more than one morning troubleshooting it, but it turns out it was nothing more than a loose circuit card! We were able to get the card secured back in position and are working on reloading the operating system on the machine now. I tell you, you would not BELIEVE the help we've received on this. As of right now, the internet (Reddit and the Yeti forum) has not only helped us track down the needed software, but one of the members of the Grassroots Motorsports Forum is offering to burn it to a 3.5 inch floppy disc for us (required for the install).
What else? An oil leak was found in the Express, and we were able to get that repaired. It turned out to be nothing more than a crank bolt that worked its way loose, but we replaced all the seals in the area just to be safe.
And if that weren't enough, Jack in the UK is in the beginning stages of the repair work on our ambulance, there is a van full of military gear headed to Vikki in Dnipro that departs next Monday, and I'm sure there is more that I'm not remembering.
Once the OPSEC period passes, I do post everything on our social media accounts so be sure to follow along for regular updates!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/510575651154518
https://www.instagram.com/dniproexpress/
https://bsky.app/profile/dniproexpress.bsky.social
Happy Friday, everyone. And thank you for being part of the "One-Million Helping Hands" that make all this possible
-Bill
Ladies and gentlemen...
We've done it!!!!!
If you saw, (and I know it happened quick): Last night we were contacted by two medics in two separate units. Each had a request for a medical device that their ambulance needed, and each device cost approximately $200.
Well...
I am SUPER happy to report that both devices were funded overnight and he money is on it's way!!! As soon as the shops open on Monday morning, Vikki in Dnipro is going to get both medics the devices they asked for.
A HUGE thank you to all of you out there who continue to make these efforts possible. Our heads are STILL spinning because of how insanely FAST you rallied to get these devices to the medics who need them. I can't say enough how much this means for the people who rely, not only on these machines, but on us to get them to where they need to be.
And it means a whole lot to us too. So, from us, thank you ALL for everything you're doing out there.
-Bill
Everyone, please take a minute today to look at the AMAZING work you've done!
Here is our ambulance:
Thank you ALL for making this happen. More updates will follow.
For now, Jack reports that this unit is slightly older than the last one we sent. BUT it has a single rear leaf spring in the rear to assist the airbag suspension that's installed. He's going to go in work now to add "helper leaf springs" to beef this baby up a bit for when that airbag eventually fails.
Wish him luck for us everyone, and stay tuned for more!
Everyone, thank you ALL!!! The members of Grassroots Motorsport internet forum rallied together and got us across the line!
In total, they raised the last $1000 we needed in less than 12-hours! We're doing it!
We're working right now to transfer the money to the UK for the purchase of a Renault Master ambulance that we've had our eye on. The seller is working with us, and we're hoping to have it in our possession soon.
We'll keep you posted, either here or by updating our fundraiser so stay tuned!
Thank you!!!!
Everyone, we are back from our "Back to School" run this year, and it was INSANE!
I don't want to give any spoilers, but it's all in our trip report that's just been published on our website. It's along one, so make sure you've got some free time, but you can read it here: https://dniproexpress.com/trip-reports/f/run-19-back-to-school-an-ambulance-and-a-motorcycle
Now that we're back, it's time to put all our time and energy into getting Gary and the 1st International Medical Battalion their replacement ambulance. We're going to go "full speed" on that fundraiser and wont stop until Jack has it at the Machine Shop to get a good going over.
We'll be making a couple videos along the way, so check back in periodically on the fundraiser description. We don't want to spam you with a bunch of e-mails every time something is posted, but we do think you'll enjoy watching them (Scroll down to the "Back to School" section when you do. That's where they'll be).
Cheers everyone, and thanks for being out there and doing what you're doing!
-Bill
Everyone, I know I said I'd go "offline" while on the trip but thing were going so well with the new ambulance effort that I decided to break that rule to give everyone an update!
First: The school run is going great and you wouldn't believe it but we're finding even more donations along the way. With our network growing the way it is we've found a warehouse on our route that's been struggling to deliver some medical supplies, so we're going to hero up and take those in on their behalf!
Second, and to everyone who's donated to the ambulance so far. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I mean, what a START!
Ok, I need to tell you what's going to happen next, because donorbox is weird. The total displayed on Donorbox right now shows $2246.01 donated. Of this total, $1412.18 is for the ambulances fund.
Why is this different? This is different because the total resets at the end of every month. This usually works because we have no more than a single fundraiser going each month and we can work the timing accordingly. This month though, we were ending the school drive and beginning the ambulance drive. Below is what I see as page editor for options:
So why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this because I didn't want you to panic in a couple days when the total collected amount resets to ZERO again. To help clarify in the future, I'll post the total collected in the body of the fundraiser so we can all keep track.
Like I said though, we have until October to purchase and prep this vehicle. We've had a great start and there has been a lot of enthusiasm surrounding this and even MORE support! I love you all for being out there.
Anyhoo, coffee break is over. I gotta get this truck pointed back east and towards the sunrise. I'll see you all on the other side of this run with some WILD stories about what's been happening between then and now.
Cheers! And thanks for being out there!
-Bill
Good morning everyone! We're getting closer to our drive date and you know what that means. We'll be dropping offline for a moment to handle last minute preparations (and to keep our exact delivery date and route somewhat secret...). But we promise lots of photos, a trip report, and of course a video of our drive when we get back. It's going to be a good one, and we owe you all a HUGE thanks for making it possible.
Here's where we're at: In total we raised just about $2500 in this fundraiser. With it, we were able to purchase ALMOST all of the listed items the kids sent us for their needs. Sarah and I added in a bit of our own funds to take care of the last bit, and that means that EVERY item was purchased on our list!
In addition to the above, we got word from a mother who had a child with kidney issues. Her request said she needed size 6 diapers and a special brand of baby formula. Could we help?
ABSOLUTELY!!!
We were able to purchase the diapers locally, but could not find the formula. For that, we're going to transfer cash to Vikki in Dnipro and she'll handle the purchase for us. But one way or another we're going to get that mom the stuff she needs to care for her kid.
Ok, looking forward: Our rescue bus for Gary has been delivered! He made a video thanking Taras in the UK and the Worshipful Company of Carmen for their part in the donation, drive, and delivery of the bus. We REALLY need to add to that thanks as none of it would have been possible without him. Such vehicles are used in unarmed civilian evacuations and light medical evacs for the unit.
Next up is the ambulance that was destroyed. I'm not sure if I made mention, but the ambulance we delivered in April was destroyed this month. We wrote its story and made a bit of a silly video to commemorate its time in service and you can see both here:
https://dniproexpress.com/trip-reports/f/run-17-epilogue-the-fate-of-the-ambulance
The loss of the ambulance has generated a surprising amount of support when it comes to funding a replacement. Our original plan, and this would have been very much in an effort to keep things "linear and organized", was to wait until we returned from this drive to start a fundraiser for a replacement ambulance.
APPARENTLY, you all had different plans! :) As of this very second, we have not even remotely mentioned such a fundraiser and you have donated $550 towards the purchase!
That's not all, though: Jack (the driver of the ambulance in the April delivery), along with his mates, has already offered his wrenching skills in the UK to better prepare any ambulance purchase we make for use on the front.
We got quite an education on the abuse these vehicles are subject to last time, and going forward we can better prepare the vehicles so they survive longer and are better able to assist.
So here we go! We're starting an ambulance delivery! Estimated date will be "late October" and wrenches are standing by. I'll update the main page of our fundraiser effort, and keep you posted along the way.
As always: Thank you ALL for making this possible. The idea that our little operation is able to assist our children AND deliver ambulances to front line soldiers is a level we never thought we'd be on. You are AMAZING for making this possible, and we won't let you down.
-Bill
Everyone, we're back from our first big shopping trip from last weekend. I don't mean to brag or anything, but we are getting GOOD at this :P
What you see in the photo isn't a CVS receipt. From top to bottom, those are the school supplies we're buying our kids!
We'll have more updates coming soon. Truck work, Ambulance updates, reports from the children... It's all happening at once!!
Goooooooooooood morning, everyone! It has begun!
I noticed yesterday that we had just passed the $2000 mark with an $800 donation that was made by Hanna in Switzerland yesterday (it posted directly to our account, but we'll try to add it in here so the balance reflects) and thought is was about time we started buying gifts for our kids!
Now the list isn't complete yet, and Vikki in Dnipro is SUPER busy with all the efforts we're juggling at once, but with so much going on at once it's best not to waste time. Yesterday we made our very first stop, at our very first shop! From here on, it only gets bigger and BETTER!
I'm still working on the truck and am just about done with all four brakes and the front axle replacements, so more updates on those will be coming soon as well!
Until then, thank you ALL for being out there. I really can't tell you how much it means to see your continued support for these children as they continue to go through everything they're going through.
-Bill
Camilla is originally from Mykolaiv, and I would love it if everyone would take a moment of their day to wish her a very happy birthday!
Hey all, first time trying an update on here, but what an amazing start to this drive!
Ok, so where are we at? Well, short and sweet of it is the truck is on jack stands and we spent the holiday weekend making trench candles! (that's "good times", right?).
I'm trying to post a photo of the 4-runner on stands, AND of us making the trench candles but DonorBox says the file is too large (even when I use the snipping tool). Well, no worries. We'll get this figured out.
More than anything though, I just wanted to get on here and shout a huge "THANK YOU" to everyone who is out there making this happen. You are AMAZING people, and the world is better because you are in it.
Happy Monday, everyone!