The Larry H. Miller Company and the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation delivered four shipping containers filled with donated supplies to Constanta, Romania, between November 2022 and January 2023. The Miller organization’s Driven to Assist community fundraiser and donation drive raised $4 million and collected 250 pallets of donated goods to benefit refugees fleeing Ukraine, many of which were included in this recent and timely delivery.

“In times of crisis, Utahns respond, and the Ukraine Crisis was no different. Together we took action to serve, lift, and love, and that is why I’m proud to be a member of this community,” said Gail Miller, chair of the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation. “We are grateful to the generous people of this state who supported the relief effort for those affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine. The donated goods, including coats, blankets, gloves, diapers, and feminine hygiene products, arrived in time to help and comfort refugees during the cold winter months.”

After the goods arrived in Romania, the Foundation for Mobile Emergency Service for Resuscitation and Extrication (SMURD) distributed the donated goods, with the support of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situation, to both Ukrainian refugees in Romania and to Ukrainian organizations for the people in Ukraine through CECIS (Common Emergency Communication and Information System), the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union. Mircea Divricean, Utah’s Honorary Consul of Romania, worked directly and helped facilitate and coordinate the partnership with the Romanian government and Romanian counterparts.

“The people of Utah came together in a time of need to try to bring love and warmth to the people of Ukraine,” said Mircea Divricean, Honorary Consul General of Romania to Utah and President and CEO of the Kostopulos Dream Foundation. “As the aid from Utah has made it to the European Union Humanitarian HUB in Suceava, Romania, I am very happy to know those donations will come at a critical time to help and support Ukrainians in need.”

At the initiative’s launch on Thursday, March 3, 2022, philanthropic leaders had already donated $2 million and encouraged the community to match the donation. Members of the community added over $2 million, reaching the goal of $4 million. Over 3,600 donations were contributed to the Utah for Ukraine Fund managed by the Community Foundation of Utah. Ninety percent of those donations were $100 or less.

To date, $4 million has been disbursed to fund relief efforts in Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. The following organizations received funding to support Ukrainian refugee women and children: United Nations Children’s Fund, Catholic Relief Services and International Rescue Committee.

Donation bins at Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres, Smith’s Ballpark, Daybreak, Vivint Arena, and Rio Tinto Stadium overflowed with donated goods throughout the drive. Donations totaled more than 250 pallets, enough to fill 15 semi-trucks. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Utah Food Bank transported and stored donations in their warehouses.

Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox’s initiative, Show Up, organized efforts of more than 500 volunteers to sort and prepare donations for distribution and collected more than 25,000 cards from Utah children to offer support, hope and love to refugee children. The Other Side Academy donated time to sort and count the donations to prepare them for shipment.

On March 29, 2022, the Gail S. Halvorsen Aviation Education Foundation successfully airlifted 12,000 pounds of the Driven to Assist donated supplies bound for displaced Ukrainian children in Eastern Europe. The airlift was accomplished in partnership with the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation, US Navy’s VR-56, AllenComm, the City of Berlin, Germany, Senator Mike Lee’s office, Last Mile, the Gail S. Halvorsen Aviation Education Foundation, and a variety of other caring organizations and individuals.

In collaboration with the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, the Miller Family Foundation donated $200,000 to provide Ukrainian Olympic athletes the opportunity to come to the United States and train at Utah Olympic facilities.