Ukraine Help: We fly, we bike, we accommodate

The solidarity for Ukraine from Boehringer Ingelheim employees is incredible. Equally impressive is their practical help for the people in and out of Ukraine. Many of them have donated, collected and distributed relief supplies or want to take in refugees. We share three impressive stories.

Supporting Ukraine out of the air

Travis Kelley lifts the last of a total of 34 cargo boxes into the small plane. Inside: an incredible 800 kilograms of medicine and hygiene items for Ukraine. Before the end of the day, the PC-12 turboprop aircraft will take off from the airfield in Egelsbach, a town in the south of Hesse in Germany, and fly in the direction of Rzeszow, a Polish city near the border with Ukraine. When the time comes, and the aircraft takes off rattling and roaring, Travis Kelley is in tears.   

The 39-year-old is a co-organizer of the “Ukraine Air Rescue” project: an airlift to the Ukrainian border on which volunteer pilots transport aid supplies and bring Ukrainian refugees to Germany. For Kelley, it's a matter of the heart. The family man used to be a helicopter pilot himself in the U.S. Army. His missions serving in Iraq left their mark on him. "I have a good idea of what's going on in Ukraine, what it looks like on the ground and how the people in the country are doing.  I couldn't help but apply my knowledge and help the people in need," he says.   

Travis’ professional background and competencies have helped for the organization of the flights. Having joined Boehringer Ingelheim in February 2021 as a manager for site security, he brings an international network and acts as coordinator for global operations. 
   
Travis built the team for "Ukraine Air Rescue" together with pilot friends within a very short time. "We wanted to act as quickly and unbureaucratically as possible, so we brought in experts from the fields of IT, PR, finance and law, as well as various aid organizations." Networks had to be established and trust built with people involved at the border. After all, ensuring that goods always arrive at the right place is not easy, nor can it be taken for granted. "Thefts or problems with authorities can always happen. That's why very careful planning is enormously important," explains Kelley. 

The team was delighted - and relieved - when they received confirmation that the first flight out of Egelsbach had gone according to plan and had achieved its goal of helping those in need. Upon the flight’s return the Pilot was able to bring back an unaccompanied Ukrainian boy who was subsequently placed with a family friend.   

The cost of a flight is around 8,000 euros, depending on which aircraft is used. The operation is financed by donations. Travis Kelley hopes for many supporters. He fears that the people in Ukraine will need help for a long time to come. Information about the project and how you can help can be found here. Link  

Meanwhile, the next flight of "Ukraine Air Rescue" is already being planned. Once again, medicines and urgently needed goods are to be flown to Poland. This time, on the way back, a family man suffering from cancer will be brought to Germany with his wife and child.

Donations for Ukraine

Colleagues in Finland look to the war in Ukraine with great concern and sympathy. After all, the Nordic country has a border with Russia more than 1400 kilometers long. Traditionally, Finland has maintained a close relationship with its neighbor. But now the relationship is naturally tense.  

And so is the mood among our colleagues. "The conflict with Ukraine is currently the main topic among colleagues," says Frank Kornely, Head of Marketing and Customer Experience. "There is a lot of need for exchange." So much so that the team decided to transform a long-planned team meeting that was intended to celebrate the successes of last year with the launch of new therapeutic options for patients into a day of action for Ukraine.  
 
The team dressed in the national colors of Ukraine and cycled on so-called e-fatbikes, which are known for their wide tires – and thus ideally suited for the cold Finnish spring. "With the choice of clothes, we wanted to send a signal that we support the people of Ukraine."  
 
For every kilometre completed in Nuuksio National Park, just outside Helsinki, the team also donated an amount to the Finnish Red Cross. After the approximately 20-kilometer tour, the team came back together. When eating donuts – home-baked and of course all in blue and yellow – the employees were able to talk about their worries and fears with regard to the war. "These days, it's all the more important to keep an eye on mental health," says Frank. Kindness and active listening are more important now than ever.

Accommodating refugees from Ukraine

Robin Stierkat has been with the company since 2003 and oversees international IT projects. When he reads in the community newspaper that a fellow citizen is going to the Ukrainian border and bringing refugees to his hometown of Laupheim, Germany, he doesn't hesitate for a second. Together with his wife, he offers to take people into their home. "We have a big house and it was clear to us from the start that we wanted to actively help the people from Ukraine," he says. 

A short time later, Katya is with them with her two children, nine and eleven years old.
Katya is 34 and comes from Kyiv. She and her children crossed the border into Poland by bus on March 5 – shortly before the apartment building in which they lived was hit by a bomb. A week later, the family was picked up in Breslau by a German friend of Ukrainian origin. He brought a total of seven people to Laupheim.

Living together is going very well. Katya speaks some English, otherwise the families communicate with hands and feet - and via apps. In addition to doing some paperwork, the families also spend part of their everyday lives together. “We eat dinner and sometimes watch TV together. At the same time, of course, we offer Katya and her children plenty of opportunities to retreat,” says Robin. To everyone's amazement, the children are currently having general online classes, which are being offered from Ukraine. The father had to stay behind at home. The family talks to him on the phone every day.
  
It is important to Robin to motivate people to help – in whatever way they can. “If we can do it, you can do it too,” he appeals. The paid volunteering days from the company have proved enormously helpful for Robin. “We need the time to fight our way through the forms from the authorities or to open a bank account. Many processes have not yet been sufficiently clarified and take a lot of time,” explains the IT specialist. 

In the meantime, Katya has found an apartment nearby. The family can move in there in mid-April. However, the support of the Stierkats will not end. They will help with the set up and with the most important errands and knowing the emotional impact of these events will be lasting, the Stierkat’s are planning a trip to an amusement park for the children.