Central Florida man behind Mission 823 trying to provide aid to children of Ukraine

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Experts believe the Russian invasion of Ukraine will have major impacts on the western world as Ukraine is a democratic nation.

In Orlando, there is a man trying to help by providing aid to the people of Ukraine.

Mission 823 is a humanitarian non-profit that seeks to help and protect at-risk children there. The children they help are orphaned or are out on the streets suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and childhood traumas felt in war-torn areas. They also work with local task forces to help rescue children from human trafficking.

Shawn Sullivan heads Mission 823. He was in Ukraine earlier this month when President Biden advised Americans to leave the country as war looms.

Sullivan says the need to help the children is increasing.

"There are a lot of situations that are just getting worse.  Orphanages, refugees, poverty-stricken children, human trafficking victims, abused/neglected kids, street children – all of those risk categories are increasing right now, and we need your help," says Sullivan. "There are not many organizations like ours that are doing this kind of work, and unfortunately because of the economic conditions and war, the federal government of the Ukraine does not have the resources to care for children who are at-risk or traumatized.

He says almost all of this type of work is being done by non-governmental organizations (NGO) such as Mission 823.  You can find more information about the work being done by Mission 823 here.

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