Who We Are
Mission for Ukraine is a small, volunteer‑run effort created by friends who refused to stand by while Ukrainians fled war.
We work with trusted partners in Ukraine and Poland to deliver direct, agile aid—food, medical care, education and trauma support—where it is needed most.
From that first van trip to the Polish–Ukrainian border in April 2022, our work has grown into a network of projects and partnerships that continue today.
Our Story
From one trip to a long‑term mission
In the early weeks of the full‑scale invasion, founder Bill Hayes watched images of women and children crossing into Poland while their husbands, fathers and sons turned back to fight. After struggling to find a way to volunteer through large organisations, he bought a ticket to Kraków.
In April 2022, Bill, his son Rob and friend Willard Boss arrived in Poland with a simple plan: rent a van, fill it with supplies and drive to the border to help refugees. On that trip they met Polish organiser Karol Kras, who became their guide and connector. Together they began delivering backpacks, food and essentials to train stations, refugee centres and NGOs along the Polish–Ukrainian border.
What started as a spontaneous act of solidarity quickly became an ongoing mission. More trips followed. Friends joined in. Warehouses were rented, vehicles purchased and partnerships formed with local organisations in Poland and Ukraine.
Today, Mission for Ukraine continues to:
- Support Ukrainian children and orphans through education, art and trauma therapy
- Partner with hospitals and US medical institutions to improve care and build a pioneering 3D‑printed prosthetics programme
- Back frontline medics, logistics hubs and grassroots groups that larger organisations often cannot reach as quickly
Our story is still being written—by the partners we stand beside and the donors who make their work possible.
Our current Partners
We believe in working with people and organisations who know their communities best. Each partner brings local knowledge, professional expertise and accountability on the ground.
PROTEOR – manufacture 3D printing for prosthetics and provide equipment and software.
Happy Kids Foundation (Poland) – caring for more than 600 Ukrainian orphans now living in Poland and preparing for improved orphan care in Ukraine.
Transcarpathian Regional Clinic Hospital (Uzhhorod) – home of our pilot 3D prosthetics clinic.
Mukachevo Pediatric Hospital – rennovation of facilities for pediatric surgery and treatment for displaced and local children.
Fair Dog Denmark – grassroots network sending tons of donated supplies into Ukraine.
Life Polska Foundation / Love Does Schools – running K–12 schools and programmes for Ukrainian refugee children in Warsaw.
UNBROKEN / First Medical Union of Lviv – working on rehabilitation, prosthetics using our donated PROTEOR 3D printers.
RadiantHope – bringing trauma‑informed care training to teachers and caregivers.
Foundation in the Meantime – volunteer frontline polish medics saving lives near the front.
Texas Children’s Hospital & Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas) – medical partners supporting prosthetics programmes, training Ukrainian doctors, and advising on pediatric orthopedic care and rehabilitation.
Previous Partners:
American Ukrainian Foundation / David Craig – operating a warehouse and fleet delivering food, medical supplies and equipment deep into Ukraine.
Palianytsia (Lviv) – managing a humanitarian hub that distributes food and essentials into frontline and newly liberated areas.
Our Team
William (Bill) Hayes
Founder
Bill lives in Wilson, Wyoming and is originally from Houston, Texas.
For over 40 years he worked as an international oil and gas lawyer, based at different times in Houston, Cairo, London and Dallas. Alongside his legal career, Bill has been active in land and water conservation, serving as a trustee of The Nature Conservancy of Wyoming and on the board of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance.
Moved by the suffering of Ukrainian refugees, Bill travelled to Poland in April 2022 and co‑founded Mission for Ukraine. He now leads strategy, fundraising and relationships with US partners.
Frank W. Donnelly
Founder
Frank lives in Houston, Texas, where he was born and raised.
With more than two decades at Wärtsilä, a Finnish company specialising in smart technologies for marine and energy markets, he played a key role in expanding its presence in the Americas. A graduate of Rice University in Mathematical Sciences, Frank also serves as the Honorary Consul of Finland in Houston, with a strong interest in innovation and clean energy.
Frank joined Bill on subsequent trips to Poland and Ukraine and now co‑leads Mission for Ukraine, focusing on project development, partnerships and medical collaborations.
Karol Kras
Partner
Karol is a consultant with Proteor and manages the expansion of 3D-printed prosthetics across Ukraine. He coordinates partnerships between Ukrainian hospitals, US medical institutions and European suppliers, and spends part of his time working in Lviv on prosthetics programmes.
A graduate in Social Policy from the London School of Economics, Karol has worked in political and refugee hotspots across Poland, Greece, the West Bank and Iraq. He served as a political advisor in the European Parliament and produced content for Netflix, VICE News and Polish TV.
In the first weeks of the full-scale invasion, Karol helped coordinate the evacuation of 2’000 Ukrainian orphans with the Happy Kids Foundation and represented international journalist federations in Ukraine. He remains Mission for Ukraine’s key connector in Poland and Ukraine, linking hospitals, NGOs, volunteers and donors—and personally delivered the first Icarus Lite 3D printer from France to Ukraine in his old car.