August 18, 2022 at 2:04 p.m.
Northwoods native aided Ukrainians following Russian invasion
Wyzlic: 'There are still people in desperate need'
Northwoods native aided Ukrainians following Russian invasion
By Trevor Greene-
One of those Americans was Saxon resident Shane Wyzlic.
Medical supplies, body armor and stuffed animals were just some of the things Wyzlic helped supply for those affected by the war.
On two occasions, the Ironwood graduate traveled to Poland and Ukraine to deliver the supplies personally.
On Tuesday, Wyzlic - who also served eight years in the U.S. Navy - spoke of his "missions" at the Boulder Junction Community Center.
When the situation abroad began to transpire, Wyzlic said he was "glued to the TV."
"It's just something that really bothered me and I dwelled on, even to the point where I would have trouble sleeping at night," he said. "I just knew it was going to be a bad situation."
While Wyzlic's story is about helping people during their most difficult times, it's also about how he didn't do it alone.
Everything happened so quickly, he said, and he was able to go after linking up with a Polish citizen named Peter on Facebook. Peter, in-turn, allowed Wyzlic to tag along once he picked him up from the airport in Poland's capital, Warsaw.
Wyzlic said he had to help by "getting his feet on the ground," and one thing which left one of the biggest impressions on him was how so many of the people he met "walked away from their jobs" to defend their country.
Peter, Wyzlic said, organized many donations through the internet, the same way the two met.
Additionally, through a GoFundMe page setup by his sister and another Wyzlic established himself, he was able to raise funds for the effort. In a nearly four-day period, before he left the first time, $4,000 was raised.
Eventually, an additional $1,000 was raised and used to buy a Mercedes Benz Sprinter van.
Wyzlic said he was thankful for all of those who donated and, with a smile, said he has told contributors they are part owner of a Mercedes Benz.
"That van is still in operation over there making deliveries," he said. "I couldn't even guess how many tons of supplies ... maybe 20-30 tons of supplies have been delivered. And a lot of refugees have been brought back (to Poland) too."
Transporting refugees was a significant part of Wyzlic's efforts, and while the mood may have been somber among the war ridden landscape, moments of happiness were found in his interactions with refugee children.
Before heading back the second time in May, Wyzlic said he bought several stuffed animals from a store in Ironwood and gave them to different children he met along the way.
Though giving stuffed animals to children was a bright spot for Wyzlic, Ukraine was under attack and equipment and medical supplies were the two most important items he was able to give.
Donations of body armor were made by Ironwood's public safety department, as well as medical supplies by a hospital in Dubuque, Iowa.
Shipping those items to Poland was a challenge, Wyzlic admitted, but with donated cargo space by United Airlines, along with the translation help of a New Yorker at customs, "it all worked out."
Towards the end of his presentation, which was sponsored by the Boulder Junction Public Library, Wyzlic played a video of the first time he was at the train station in Lviv, Ukraine.
"It's the air raid siren," he said of the video, noting his crew had arrived just an hour before. "The first time you hear it, it's pretty chilling, but after that you kind of get used to it."
Ideally, Wyzlic concluded, the war will soon be over but if it isn't, he may continue to help next year once he is able to take more time from work.
Donations were coming in from all directions at first but the hype has since declined, he said.
"There's still a need for (donations), a great need," Wyzlic said. "You get through that initial hype and people tend to forget. Even now, you watch the national news and they may have a 30 second, maybe a minute spot ... on Ukraine. But the issues are still there. There are still people in desperate need."
Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].
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