CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia’s Batman John Buckland announced he will be taking another trip to Eastern Europe to help Ukrainian refugees, only this time he aims to go into Ukraine itself.
Buckland said he will be arriving in Krakow, Poland on April 12, after which he will move east into Ukraine, where he hopes to visit citizens and injured soldiers in cities like Lviv and Kyiv. However, due to the war, Buckland said his schedule will need to be fluid and adjust to recent occurrences or attacks as necessary.
Buckland took a trip to Poland in March of 2022 to spend time with the refugees who fled there but still feels like there is more he can do for the people of Ukraine.
“These kids have had their childhoods ripped away from ’em,” Buckland said. “A lot of people don’t understand the nature of what I do. It’s just a simple concept of showing up and giving people hope in a horrible situation, and that’s what this is all about.”
During Buckland’s first trip to Poland, he said that the thing that stuck out to him most was the resilience and strength he saw in Ukrainian families and children. Many Polish families had taken refugees into their own homes, and refugees were quick to show their appreciation and share what little they had with Buckland.
Buckland said that even though he won’t be able to stop the war or cure a child’s cancer, being able to make people happy during dark times is still vitally important. While Buckland is abroad, he also plans to take handwritten letters that were given to him by Pendleton County students and give them out to refugee children.
“If there’s one thing I want people to know it’s that, the only thing that we take with us when we die is what we do for others while we’re here. That’s it,” Buckland said.
If you want to stay up to date on West Virginia Batman’s trip to Ukraine, you can find his Facebook page here.
