We all watched with horror as Putin invaded Ukraine on February 23rd. If you were like us, you may have wondered, “What can I do to help?”
Our good friend, Steven Moore, decided to put his life on hold to help anyone he could. He has a special connection to the Ukrainian people; he lived in Ukraine from 2018-2019 and made many close friends. At first, he did his best to help them from afar, but there were too many limitations.
Approximately one week ago, Steven flew from Washington DC to Ukraine (via Romania) and secured an apartment in a Ukrainian city near the border. Steven, known as Stepan in Ukraine, is now housing 25 guests, including a child with special needs. More are on the way.
While there are NGOs providing support to refugees just outside of the Ukrainian borders, there is a growing demand for support INSIDE Ukraine for individuals and families that have been forced to evacuate dangerous areas. Many Ukrainians also cannot or do not want to leave their country. Military aged men are unable to leave, and many families understandably do not want to be split up.
Steven has a network of Ukrainians who have mobility inside Ukraine. He can get supplies into the country and provide safe passage to Romania for those willing to leave.
We want to be a force multiplier to aid in Steven's work. He is courageous, smart, selfless and someone we all trust - which is why we’re asking you to participate in this fundraiser. This is an all-volunteer effort. All funds will go to medical supplies, food, transportation, shelter and other emergency needs.
Please join us so that we can help Steven do more to help the good people of Ukraine.
Team Stepan:
- Kristen & Brian Byrne
- Chris Cate
- Amber & Rene Gracia
- Lani Lutar & Dan Lounsbery
- Gary Rotto
- Theresa Wulf
- Rozanna & T.J. Zane
Highlights
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The San Diego County Prosperity Foundation is serving as a fiscal sponsor for the Ukraine Freedom Project.
Ukraine Freedom Project Principal Volunteers:
Steven Moore
Steven Moore is a political strategist and public opinion
researcher who has a track record of running towards danger to
lend a helping hand.
Steven was one of the first wave of civilians in Iraq,
ultimately spending two years in that war zone. He has also
worked in other sought-after vacation spots like the
Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor and Aceh.
Additionally, he spent 7 1/2 years in the war zone of Capitol
Hill, working as chief of staff and leadership aide in the
House of Representatives.
In 2018/2019 Steven conducted public opinion research in
Ukraine and developed a sizable network of wonderful Ukrainian
friends. When Putin invaded, Steven tried to help his friends
from afar, but quickly concluded he could be much more
effective on the ground. By day four, Steven had landed in a
country neighboring Ukraine and made his way to the border. He
called some Ukrainian friends to pick him up and together they
established a safe house for refugees and internally displaced
persons, calling it the Ukraine Freedom Project. As of March
15, some 40 people have come through the Ukraine Freedom
Project and more than 70 people are safer today because of the
group's efforts.
Steven has served as President of the San Diego County Prosperity Institute since 2018.
Lani Lutar
Lani Lutar is president of Responsible Solutions, LLC, a public affairs firm specializing in advocacy, coalition building and government relations. She has over 20 years of experience in public policy research and analysis, strategic marketing and business development. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, grassroots non-profit organizations and public agencies.
Prior to establishing Responsible Solutions, Lutar led three respected San Diego non-profit organizations as CEO. She earned a Master of Pacific International Affairs degree from the University of California, San Diego and graduated magna cum laude from San Diego State University with a BA in Psychology.
She serves on the boards of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and San Diego North Economic Development Council. Her past and current non-profit clients include Equinox Center, Lincoln Tubman Foundation, Surfrider Foundation, Water Reliability Coalition and the William D. Lynch Foundation for Children.
Gary Rotto
Gary Rotto serves on the faculty of the School of Public Health at San Diego State University where he specializes in health policy. He hosts the nationally recognized health policy podcast, "If I Could Change One Thing." Gary has served as a policy advisor to several elected officials and was a Deputy Director for San Diego during the administration of Governor Gray Davis. He has also worked in the arena of international relations during his tenure as the San Diego Area Director for the American Jewish Committee.
T.J. Zane
T.J. Zane is a public affairs and communications professional, nonprofit executive, and local elected official with over 25 years’ experience providing consultative and executive level management services for association, corporate, and political clientele at every level of government.
Zane is co-owner of Dovetail Partners Consulting Group, a certified MWBE focused on public affairs, lobbying, nonprofit management, targeted digital advertising, and facilitating high-level introductions to government agencies, elected officials, and prospective strategic partners.
Twice elected (2014, 2018) to the Poway Unified School District, Zane is currently serving a second term as Board President.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, with degrees in Political Science and Communications, Zane is an Executive Committee member of the San Diego-Imperial Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and Emeritus Director of the Rancho Family YMCA. In 2011, he founded the San Diego County Prosperity Institute (501c4), and currently serves as President of the San Diego County Prosperity Foundation (501c3).
Hey friends, I am in Ukraine helping to save lives. I need your help to continue.
I lived and worked in Ukraine in 2018-2019. While I was there, I developed a sizable network of really great friends - they call me Stepan, the Ukrainian version of my name. Many of them were unprepared for Putin's invasion.
At this critical time, I have the freedom and skillset to help friends who are fighting for survival. This is not my first war zone. I was one of the first wave of civilians into Iraq in 2003 and ultimately spent two years there. Democratic Republic of Congo and East Timor are both places I have called home.
The Monday after Putin invaded, I landed in Europe and hired a car to drive me to the Ukrainian border. I called some of my Ukrainian friends to pick me up and I have spent most of the time since then in a Ukrainian city. I rented an apartment - itself not an easy task with the flood of people fleeing Kyiv for relative safety - and sent out word to my friends and their friends that I had a safe place for them to land.
Since arriving in Ukraine, I've helped get some 70 people to safety, most of them friends. I've done all this out of my own pocket. I have spent enough money to buy a car, even at today's inflated prices. To help keep my friends alive, this is well worth it. I can't imagine a better thing to spend my money on.
If I can get more funding, I can help more people. Essentially, we have built a machine that gets people out of the dangerous parts of Ukraine to a safer part of Ukraine or across the border, if they choose. The machine also works the other way. We can get equipment and supplies from the US and the rest of Europe into the hands of people who need them in Ukraine's hot spots. We call it the Ukraine Freedom Project.
Here are a couple of projects the Ukraine Freedom Project working on:
- Internally displaced people (IDPs) are a major problem and one that not enough NGOs are currently addressing. Of the people who have come through my apartment, only about a quarter have left the country. Military-aged males are not allowed to leave. Most of the people who come to me are making a very difficult decision as to whether the family should split up and the women and children should leave the country or whether they can make a go of it as a family in the safer parts of Ukraine.
- I have a line on a former children's camp facility that sleeps about 100 people. It is relatively easy and inexpensive for me to lease this, but I don't want to get 100 people into it and find out in June that I have no money to feed them. I need a continuing funding stream.
- My Ukraine network includes doctors that have a reach into some 70 hospitals in Ukraine. If we can get panel vans to a safe part of Ukraine near Kyiv, which should be relatively easy, we can put the supplies in a warehouse, and volunteers from the Kyiv area can get them in their private cars.
Please take a few minutes and donate now. Thanks for taking the time to read my story.
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