Meet Katie Stadler | Founder & Executive Director at BeHumanKindness

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Stadler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
BeHumanKindness was created in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. My first trip to Warsaw, Poland was 3 1/2 weeks into the full scale invasion of Ukraine. I traveled over as a volunteer, praying to connect with an existing NGO that was serving the vulnerable refugees, all of them mainly women and children.

After my first day at the Warsaw train station, where over 4 million refugees cycled through as they fled, very few International NGO’s had mobilized at this point, and these families had no idea what their next step was, most not knowing where they would even be sleeping that very night.

I spent 2 weeks traveling to the border of Ukraine and working in and out of the large refugee centers, train stations and food lines with other volunteers like me, who just showed up wanting to help these families.

As a mother of four children, I felt for the families, for what they had endured already, for the traumatic experience many of these families faced escaping Ukraine and for the overwhelming journey they still had to travel to get to a safe and secure place. Looking at the situation as a mother and a Believer, and imagining my own reality if I was fleeing alone with my children, I realized the urgent need for an organization like BeHumanKindness to exist; a comprehensive humanitarian program launched in response for Ukrainian families that has the ability to meet the complicated & emergency needs of refugees while simultaneously working with them to prepare for a long term sustainable future.

BeHumanKindness was founded not from a dream to build an International NGO or business, but from a much deeper calling as a mother myself, and the willingness to step out in Faith to serve those in need.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
BeHumanKindness is an International NGO that focuses on women, children and families living in crisis. Our current focus is with Ukrainian refugees and orphans who are displaced by the ongoing war in Ukraine. BeHumanKindness offers comprehensive programs and support that meets the immediate and long term needs of displaced people. BeHumanKindness is a full scale, comprehensive organization that provides safe shelter, food, immigration services, travel assistance, medical attention and much more. Because of our ability to say yes and meet a variety of needs, we partner with other NGO’s and governments to identify the most vulnerable women and children who need the comprehensive care we provide.

Currently we have 2 safehouses in Poland for refugee families. While families are. housed in safe, private rooms, our team works with them to decide and plan the next steps after evacuation, taking them from living in crisis to living sustainable, independent lives in host countries. In 9 months we have relocated over 15,000 refugees to 31 different countries with a success rate for our refugees that far supersedes other refugee focused organizations.

BeHumanKindness provides support and auxiliary care for Ukrainian orphans who have been relocated to Poland and those who have been moved to western Ukraine from the battlegrounds in the east. We provide essential clothing items, beds, bedding, food, volunteers and ongoing support for these groups as resources are running out.

Our team works in and out of large refugee centers providing additional support and services for families when their needs go beyond the limited scope of most NGO’s providing aid.

Just recently BeHumanKindness opened up a personalized pairing pathway for local DFW families to connect and sponsor Ukrainian families we serve in Europe who are looking to come to the USA through Uniting for Ukraine USCIS. The Ukrainian families have been fully vetted by our team and prepared for what integration into the USA looks like. The individualized attention our team gives to each family allows for their success after immigration as well as a positive experience for the Sponsor Family.

BeHumanKindness has a reputation in Ukraine, Poland and across Europe as a “boutique” program whose model of care is the best practices for refugee families. We the NGO that will find a way to say YES to needs that otherwise would not be met. We focus on treating all those with serve with dignity and compassion and at the same time encouraging them to make secure long term plans about the future until they can return home safely.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a interesting question to ask since BeHumanKindness has sponsored over 50 Ukrainians to relocate to DFW, hosting them and sharing our community with them in the months after their arrival. Our favorite thing is to take these families to all the wonderful places that are unique to Texas, specifically Fort Worth. Of course Joe T Garcia’s is a must for their first taste of Tex-Mex, as well as stopping at Railhead for the full Texas BBQ experience. We love inviting our families to Christ Chapel Bible Church with us on Sundays. Many of the families were able to attend the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in January and have traveled down to the stock yards to see all our Fort Worth culture. The families love all the local parks, the Trinity River and all the family focused special events that Fort Worth hosts on a regular basis.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to give a huge, heartfelt shoutout to the Fort Worth community and our friends and our family that live in DFW. Fort Worth and our loved ones have surrounded us, supported us and encouraged us over the last year as we founded BeHumanKindness.

Fort Worth has so many people of Faith who have been so generous helping us support Ukrainians displaced by this war. Not only through monetary donations, but with their time and resources. As we have continued to expand our mission field and help Ukrainian families relocate here in DFW our community has donated furniture to furnish apartments, uniforms for school age kids, they have opened the doors of their homes and churches to welcome these families and make them feel at home.

We have been overwhelmed by so many and look forward to continuing our mission through the continued support of our neighbors and friends. Thank you!

Website: https://www.behumankindness.org/

Instagram: @behumankindness

Facebook: @behumankindness

Youtube: @behumankindness3735