PEORIA, Ill. – An executive at OSF Healthcare has been honored for his humanitarian work in the Ukraine war effort.
Vice President of Government Relations Chris Manson received the Cross of Ivan Mazepa from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a ceremony at the National Archives in Washington D.C. last Thursday. Manson was one of nearly two dozen people who received the award at the ceremony.
Manson created US Ambulances for Ukraine in March of 2022 after his daughter asked if anything could be done to help the Ukraine people. To date, 67 emergency vehicles that include ambulances, fire trucks, and more, have been donated.
Manson says he first heard about receiving the honor while preparing for a normal work week in the nation’s capital.
“I got a call Sunday night saying ‘Hey, you’re definitely going to be in D.C., right?’ I’m like, yep. Like, okay, you’re going to get a call from the Ukrainian embassy here in a little bit. And they’re going to give you details where you need to be on Thursday,” Manson said.
Manson says he believes some of the groups he’s worked with in the U.S. and Ukrainian governments, as well as the Ukrainian consulate, nominated him for the honor.
He says while receiving the medal is a high honor, there’s something that means just as much to him.
“I get these video and picture updates from frontline troops, or from firefighters, and ‘Hey thanks, we were able to put out a fire because of this vehicle’. Or ‘Hey, we’re moving some wounded because of this vehicle.’ Or just people posing in front of it, ‘Hey, we didn’t have an ambulance before, now we do, thank you.’ That means just as much as the medal did,” Manson said.
Manson also says the award would not have been possible without support from local groups and organizations contributing money or vehicles to send over, including the Chillicothe Fire Department and Advanced Medical Transport.
