INDIANAPOLIS — A Franklin College alum is on a mission to help those in Ukraine.
Alex Bariyev is helping send supplies to Ukrainian hospitals. He says it's a personal mission for him and it's bringing big results, including $10,000 in monetary donations.
Bariyev grew up in Ukraine. He became an American citizen in 2019, however, he says his parents still live in Ukraine.
“It’s a surreal experience Facetiming your parents and hearing the air-raid alarm go off and having to hang up the call so they can go take shelter,” Bariyev said. "That’s not something I expected to happen, personally to me, to my family, to anybody in the 21st century.”
Bariyev said he collected donations and collaborated with a colleague of his who has ties to Ukraine. Bariyev has collected monetary donations to give to her so she can buy and bring supplies to Ukranian Hospitals.
“It’s overwhelming. You don’t think that your heritage means much to other people, but it does and seeing other people really get behind the cause, it’s touching,” Bariyev said.
Among the physical donations, Bariyev has collected at least $1,800 worth of military-grade tourniquets, 30 16-ounce blood stop powders, 1,920 yards of four-inch gauze rolls and 160 pounds of baby formula.
If you’d like to help, Bariyev said the Ukrainian Army is accepting donations.
