A Life Aloft
Well-Known Member
CALLING ON ALL AIR CARRIER PERSONNEL:
Please consider joining/donating and/or starting an initiative at your carrier for this worthwhile cause. Take the idea to management at your company, spread the word among the employees and suggest that they do the same. Get your local church, retail stores, your friends and neighbors involved. Make copies of the link below for everyone.
Please post the link and story all over your social media, as well.
Operation BackPack4Kids – Providing backpacks for child refugees leaving the Ukraine. The need is great, but we can help thousands of children, one backpack at a time
What we do:
We are a group of airline pilots who regularly fly to Europe. We witness the major humanitarian crisis unfolding as Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, flee the war-zones of the Russian invasion for safer areas in western Europe. Seeing hundreds of refugee kids arrive each hour in Cologne, Germany, Operation Backpack4Kids founder William Vaughan asked the German Red Cross services director if bringing some backpacks filled with essential items such as blankets, hats and gloves, toothbrush, etc., would help the arriving refugee kids. The response Bill got was, “How many and how soon can you get them here?” Operation Backpack4Kids was born.
Donate! We use your contribution to source backpacks and supplies for kids ages 5-12 in Cologne, Germany. Occasionally we get asked to make bags for mothers with newborns or older adults as well. Pilot volunteers build the backpacks and deliver them to refugee aid centers in Cologne and Poland, often handing out the bags to refugees themselves. To date we have delivered hundreds of bags which we couldn’t have done without your donations.
Make a backpack! From time to time as transport opportunities present themselves, we can accept bags made in the USA. Please contact us and reference the How to make a backpack page before making your bag.
Packing List
The Team: Marie Lallemand, Kristin Burgess, Caroline Loison, and Dominique St. Arnaud (& daughter) working their way through a sea of backpacks. Missing: Thomas Schmidt, Lylea Loison and friends, Amy, Aaron, and Mary-Beth.
From my oldest son:
FedEx partners up with OB4K!
April 3rd, 2022
Our bags being loaded into the Conex trailer…
Monica experiences the operation first hand.
Monica ensuring backpack are making it, right up to the last minute.
More happy mothers and children with backpacks from America!!! The smiles on their faces when they dig into their very own backpack is priceless. Without you, there would be no BackPack4Kids. Thank you again to everyone who has helped make this a reality.
Another proud IPA pilot making a difference on his layover. While it may not seem like much to us, when the refugees find out we are Americans, they are stunned and excited to meet an American.
Please consider joining/donating and/or starting an initiative at your carrier for this worthwhile cause. Take the idea to management at your company, spread the word among the employees and suggest that they do the same. Get your local church, retail stores, your friends and neighbors involved. Make copies of the link below for everyone.
Please post the link and story all over your social media, as well.
Operation BackPack4Kids – Providing backpacks for child refugees leaving the Ukraine. The need is great, but we can help thousands of children, one backpack at a time
What we do:
We are a group of airline pilots who regularly fly to Europe. We witness the major humanitarian crisis unfolding as Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, flee the war-zones of the Russian invasion for safer areas in western Europe. Seeing hundreds of refugee kids arrive each hour in Cologne, Germany, Operation Backpack4Kids founder William Vaughan asked the German Red Cross services director if bringing some backpacks filled with essential items such as blankets, hats and gloves, toothbrush, etc., would help the arriving refugee kids. The response Bill got was, “How many and how soon can you get them here?” Operation Backpack4Kids was born.
Donate! We use your contribution to source backpacks and supplies for kids ages 5-12 in Cologne, Germany. Occasionally we get asked to make bags for mothers with newborns or older adults as well. Pilot volunteers build the backpacks and deliver them to refugee aid centers in Cologne and Poland, often handing out the bags to refugees themselves. To date we have delivered hundreds of bags which we couldn’t have done without your donations.
Make a backpack! From time to time as transport opportunities present themselves, we can accept bags made in the USA. Please contact us and reference the How to make a backpack page before making your bag.
Packing List
- Packable blanket that can fit into the backpack* along with all the other items, age appropriate size.
- Candy / candy bars / chocolate (this is popular, Ghirardelli a FAVORITE)
- Goldfish and/or crackers
- Small packages of wet wipes and/or tissues – no chlorox or strong household cleaner types.
- Socks, 2-3 pairs
- Underwear, 2-3 pair
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Hair comb or brush
- Small stuffed animal (beanie baby sized)*
- Refillable water bottle (12-16 oz) NEW only
Hat and gloves*.Summer hat, baseball caps, new only.- Body wash travel sized, all in 1 type (Shampoo and body wash)
- Washcloth
- Sketchpad & markers
- Rubik’s cube, fidget spinner, or pop-it toy*
- Matchbox car (boys) or small doll (girls)*
- Hair tie (girls)
- Small pack of feminine hygienic products (for girls 10yrs +)
The Team: Marie Lallemand, Kristin Burgess, Caroline Loison, and Dominique St. Arnaud (& daughter) working their way through a sea of backpacks. Missing: Thomas Schmidt, Lylea Loison and friends, Amy, Aaron, and Mary-Beth.
From my oldest son:
FedEx partners up with OB4K!
April 3rd, 2022
- We have partnered with a shipper. Our first large shipment of backpacks from Louisville KY, will fly to Cologne via the FedEx Corporation. Working with the FedEx pilots and family members in Germany on this project certainly helped us secure this partnership. Details will follow shortly on when and where to drop off bags in SDF for shipment.
- We cannot thank Dave S. enough for allowing us to use his hanger for bag storage. His generosity has been amazing.
- Cassandra Z. will be traveling to Cologne and will assume the lead contact position next week. Working with the FedEx families and our own pilots on layover, she will run the day to day operation for 12 days.
- Five Trustees have been named and are now guiding the project. William Vaughan continues to serve as the Director of Operations.
- 100 backpacks were delivered to the nonprofit group Ukraine Friends Germany. We worked hand in hand with this group in Poland a few weeks ago, and they will take our backpacks to Poland this weekend and distribute them to refugee children.
- Another 30 backpacks were loaded this afternoon into a German Technics Humanitarian Help Conex shipping container leaving tonight for Lviv, Ukraine. Because we are visible, and our professional reputation is growing, we were able to ‘hitch-a-ride’ for free.
Our bags being loaded into the Conex trailer…
Monica experiences the operation first hand.
More happy mothers and children with backpacks from America!!! The smiles on their faces when they dig into their very own backpack is priceless. Without you, there would be no BackPack4Kids. Thank you again to everyone who has helped make this a reality.
Another proud IPA pilot making a difference on his layover. While it may not seem like much to us, when the refugees find out we are Americans, they are stunned and excited to meet an American.
Last edited:
