What’s really happening in Ukraine? Two West Seattleites return home to tell firsthand stories

Story and photos by Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

In 2022, when the conflict between Ukraine and Russia finally boiled over into an invasion, longtime West Seattle resident and entrepreneur Peter Gelpi traded the comfort of an office for a bomb shelter on the front lines of the largest war in Europe since World War II. And, Gelpi says if given the chance, he’d do it all over again.

On Monday night at Our Lady of Guadalupe, Gelpi, who’s back in West Seattle after another trip to Ukraine, spoke on behalf of Impact Partners Ukraine, a nonprofit organization he helped found with longtime friend-turned colleague and fellow West Seattle resident Jennifer Gouge. The event was hosted by the West Seattle Hatters, a knitting club who have turned their talents toward making cold-weather hats for displaced Ukrainians. Since Gelpi met them as a presenter for another group’s meeting, he’s taken more than 800 hats to children and families forced out of their homes by the invasion.

Gelpi, formerly the Vice President of Programs and Operations at FIRST Washington, a program aimed toward inspiring and preparing students for careers in STEM, says there wasn’t one single moment that motivated him to volunteer in Ukraine. When the war started in 2022, as he put it, he simply felt compelled to go. “I swore to my wife I wouldn’t start another company,” Gelpi joked, “and look where we are.”

Since touching down in Ukraine for the first time three years ago, Gelpi has seen the conflict evolve, and he’s been forced to adapt alongside it. This adaptability, he says, is a strength of Impact Partners Ukraine. Instead of operating as a large, bureaucratic NGO (non-government organization), they’ve managed to stay nimble. Gelpi and Gouge opt to partner with other small, local organizations and individuals across Ukraine, acting quickly as boots on the ground to help coordinate, fund, and assist with whatever needs their partners have.

While they’ve been successful so far, establishing multiple operational kitchens and contributing to shelters across the country, it hasn’t been without hardship. Gelpi recalled a particularly difficult moment, when they were forced to evacuate a shelter they had set up in Toretsk, a city in Eastern Ukraine next to the frontlines.

“Even a few months before,” Gelpi said, “it became increasingly apparent that we were being surrounded. Slowly, the roads I was used to taking were being occupied by the Russians.” Evacuation itself was difficult, as they tried to convince residents to leave the only home they’d ever known for an uncertain future, against the imminent threat of occupation- or even death. “They kept saying no, our army will be there for us, our God will be there for us, and I had to say no.” Gelpi said, “We’re not going to be saved by anyone; we need to get out.”

A filmmaker following Gelpi’s efforts at the time recorded the process of evacuation, which he presented on Monday Night. Here’s the video:

Camera shots through the stained windows of a truck show Gelpi and his partners driving past burning buildings. Residents tearfully pack their belongings. Some carry elderly loved ones, no longer able to walk. The sound of bullets crack in the distance as everyone instinctively ducks. They drive past empty neighborhoods and the shells of buildings as they evacuate the city proper, all to the steady rhythm of shells on the horizon.

On those days, and there have been many, Peter says, it’s hard to keep going. But, through this work, he’s met so many dedicated, brave people, which he says helps him continue on. “Meeting Jennifer and the other organizers, being able to share stories and experiences, those connections sustain me.”

Jennifer Gouge has been Gelpi’s colleague for less than a year, but in that time, she’s gotten a clearer look at the conflict than many ever will. Her story started at the beginning of 2025, in January. “I felt myself spinning with anxiety with all the chaos, and the emotional upheaval going on in our country and our world,” she said. “I needed a focal point, Something I was passionate about. So, I made my decision to focus on one thing: to keep democracy alive and to support Ukraine.” Gouge had been following Peter’s efforts as a friend, but two months after deciding what she wanted to do, she was touching down in Ukraine as a volunteer.

“I went to witness the situation on the ground firsthand,” said Gouge. “I wanted to meet these Ukrainian partners and peers and see the impact they were having on their communities. I wanted to see who they were.”

As a civilian, Gouge said she wanted to be as prepared as possible headed into the conflict. “I went through all the thoughts of what could possibly happen,” remarked Gouge. “We practiced self-tourniquets. Whenever we went to a hotel, I always knew exactly where a shelter was. When we were walking around, I would always take note of nearby shelters. I was incredibly aware, the last thing I wanted to do was freak out.”

She and Gelpi both had their share of stories from their time in Ukraine. In fact, with the way both of them talked about it, you’d never have guessed that their lives were in danger. Gouge talked casually about looking out the passenger-side window of their car a handful of days in, only to be faced with a low-flying drone, keeping pace with them. Gelpi joked about watching a ballistic missile hit the street near a hostel and feeling asphalt rain down around him.

“Someone, an old woman, stepped outside and asked, ‘What should we do?’ and I said, ‘Well, they shelled once, they probably won’t shell again’,” he said, smiling. “The scariest sound I’ve ever heard was that second missile streaking overhead. In that moment, we could’ve been gone.”

“Our first night in Kyiv,” Gouge interjected, “we got bombarded, and Peter slept through the whole thing,” a remark that drew laughter from both of them.

But beyond the war stories, Peter and Jennifer both agree that what sticks with them the most is the encounters they’ve had with partners on the ground. People who were regular citizens before the war, often displaced from their own homes, have worked ceaselessly to help others and keep hope alive as the war continues into its third year.

Their presentation on Monday wasn’t just about Impact Partners Ukraine and what people can do to help; it was about sharing the stories of people like Sveta, a woman displaced from her home who’s built multiple shelters since the outset of the war. When a shelter closer to the frontlines was destroyed, instead of giving up, she buckled down and kept working. Today, she plans to start a shelter north of Odessa, in Bohhunove, a quieter community with a focus on agriculture. As Gelpi put it, they’re tired of things getting blown up.

Keeping evacuation efforts active is Philip, a longtime friend and partner whom Gelpi met early on during his time in Ukraine. He receives a text from an unknown phone number, usually just a set of rough coordinates, and as missiles and drones close in, he and his team drive straight into the fire to save the lives of people they’ve never met, a routine Gouge says he’s kept up daily for the last three years.

Then, there’s Rise of Ukraine, a group founded by young adults in Dnipro, a city eight miles southeast of the capital of Kyiv. Working together with the community, Rise of Ukraine seeks to give children who have been forced to learn remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic the chance to develop socially and academically. This Christmas, they’ll be hosting a party for the children in Dnipro, which Impact Partners is currently helping fundraise for.

Gouge and Gelpi have friends everywhere, and these connections have continually been inspired to work against all odds to help the cause in Ukraine. “The people I met showed incredible resilience,” said Gouge. “I saw their strength, I saw their compassion, I saw their commitment to rebuild. These are people who didn’t flee. Some of them could, but they chose not to. They chose to stay and make a difference in their communities.”

Peter and Jennifer have taken the compassion they saw in Dnipro, Toretsk, Kyiv, and so many more places in Ukraine to the United States, and so far, while the reception has been overwhelmingly positive, they both expressed frustration that the war has, in their words, faded into the background. “I think people care a lot about Ukraine,” said Gouge, “and frankly, a lot is going on, but they aren’t getting the right news. I feel like we can be a vehicle, people can hear about what’s going on in Ukraine through us.”

Throughout their presentation, they shared countless stories. Quietly sharing a cup of coffee in a basement with Ukrainian soldiers who’d nearly shot them before they identified themselves as Americans. Watching their wi-fi go out, something they quickly learned was an early warning of a drone strike. All of the countless hours spent working with Philip, Sveta, and Rise of Ukraine. Each story held the same throughline, a thread that pulls Peter and Jennifer through impossible odds, and sometimes unbearable tragedy: these stories need to be shared.

There’s one in particular that stands out in Jennifer’s mind, from a day she spent in Kyiv. She saw people sitting in a corner shop, having coffee. People jogged down the street next to her, and others were playing with their dogs, taking advantage of their moments outside before curfew. “And everywhere I looked,” she said, “I would see Tulips in bloom.”

To help support Impact Partners Ukraine and the Christmas for the Children of Dnipro project, you can donate through their website here. Currently, Gelpi and Gouge are focused on spreading awareness. If you have questions or know other organizations that would be interested in hosting them for an event, you can contact them at 206-465-0033 or [email protected].

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