It started with people who wanted to help.
In spring 2022, a small group of Alaskan volunteers began supporting Ukrainians defending their homeland and caring for their communities.
We’re teachers, veterans, small business owners and retirees. What brought us together was a shared belief that we could do something useful, even from a continent away.
Today, our network reaches from Europe to the Pacific. The work still depends on personal relationships with people inside Ukraine.
Those relationships let us respond to the needs our partners see firsthand: medical equipment for a hospital, repairs to keep a vehicle moving, or support for families living through the war.
Close to the people. Close to the work.
We work with personally verified Ukrainian contacts and local organizations. They know their communities, and help us understand what’s needed and where our support can make a difference.
Our volunteers coordinate with partners in Ukraine, arrange supplies and transport, and follow the work through delivery. The need can change from one week to the next, so we keep the mission flexible.
Help takes many forms.
Medical supplies. A vehicle that can make another journey. A chance for children and families to spend time together. Each begins with someone on the ground telling us what would help.
What guides us
Personal relationships, practical help and responsibility to the people who make this work possible.
Work directly
We coordinate with people and groups in Ukraine, keeping the distance between a need and a response as short as we can.
Know our partners
We work with personally verified contacts and stay in touch as needs and circumstances change.
Keep it personal
This began with volunteers helping other people. That remains the heart of Alaska2Ukraine.
Be accountable
We require and practice transparency and accountability, and share the work through updates from the field.
Care for everyday life
Alongside urgent aid, we support families, community groups and the animals people continue to care for through the war.
Respond to changing needs
We put the most urgent need first, whether that means a medical resupply, transport or help for a local community.
A connection that keeps growing
Spring 2022
The work begins
Alaskan volunteers begin supporting Ukrainian communities and humanitarian initiatives through personal contacts.
Since then
A wider network, the same approach
Support grows beyond Alaska, connecting volunteers and supporters from Europe to the Pacific with partners in Ukraine.
Today
Continuing the mission
Medical aid, vehicles, field logistics and support for families remain central to the work. Mark’s field notes document the people and places behind it.
The people behind Alaska2Ukraine
Our board brings experience from rural Alaska. Our officers bring medical, legal and military experience to the day-to-day work.
Board of directors
Alaska2Ukraine is supervised by a three-member board. Directors come from the fourteen villages of Alaska’s Norton Sound region, including Saint Lawrence Island, and must have at least six years of regional experience as Community Health Aides or similar rural healthcare providers.
Rita Jane Buck
First Director
White Mountain, Alaska
Dolly Kiyutelluk
Second Director
Shishmaref, Alaska
Judith Pelowook
Third Director
Savoonga, Alaska
Corporate officers
The team responsible for day-to-day management and mission work.
Mark Hayward
President
An Army veteran with medical and legal training, Mark works with Ukrainian partners and is based in Mykolaiv.
Read full biography
Mark is a former Special Forces team member and US Army veteran with degrees in History, Physician Assistant studies, and a doctorate in law from Liberty University. From 2018 to 2025, he worked with Community Health Aides in rural Alaska Native villages.
After the 2022 invasion, Mark volunteered for Ukraine's International Foreign Legion and has been working with Ukrainian soldiers, medics, Marines, and volunteer organizations ever since. He is now based in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, and is currently being vetted for adoption by two small Ukrainian cats.
Sheila Nitta
Vice President
A retired deputy prosecutor, independent grand jury counsel, photographer and freelance photojournalist.
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Sheila is a retired deputy prosecutor with over forty years of experience as a practicing attorney. She now works as an independent grand jury counsel, professional photographer, and freelance photojournalist.
She is passionate about upholding international law and promoting freedom, whether in Alaska, Ukraine, or anywhere else. At home, she is closely monitored by an indoor cat and dog and an elite team of spayed/neutered outdoor cats.
Liz Killebrew
Secretary
A retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and combat veteran, with experience in command, ethics education and inspection.
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Liz is a retired Lieutenant Colonel and Army combat veteran. Her military career includes command of an air defense (Patriot) battery in the Persian Gulf, teaching philosophy and ethics to officer candidates at West Point, and service as an Inspector General officer in Afghanistan.
She writes speculative fiction, is allergic to tyrants, and is supervised by an assortment of full- and part-time cats.
Camille Hayward
Treasurer
A registered nurse with more than thirty years of clinical and managerial experience.
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Camille is a registered nurse with over thirty years of clinical and managerial experience.
She also provides medical, social, and operational support to three geriatric cats.
Explore Alaska2Ukraine
Our story
How a small group of Alaskan volunteers began.
Our people
Meet our board and the team doing the work.
Our philosophy
The principles behind our approach.
Our partners
Why we work through personal relationships in Ukraine.
Our feline friends
Care for the animals that share people’s lives.
Administrative expenses
Help cover the costs of keeping A2U running.