This Franklin-based wireless company is donating over 800 Wi-Fi access points to Ukraine

A Franklin wireless technology company is donating over 800 Wi-Fi access points to Irpin, Ukraine, in support of the city's education system.

Advanced Wireless, Inc. is donating these access points to Milwaukee’s sister city which has incurred damage or destruction to 20 of its schools during the war with Russia, according to AWI President and CEO Darryl Morin.

The access points will be installed in the school district and will also cover bomb shelters, hospitals and government offices.

Friends of Be An Angel, a 501c3 charity in Milwaukee that provides humanitarian relief to Ukraine, will provide the logistical support to deliver the Wi-Fi access points to Irpin. They will ship in about two weeks, according to Friends of Be An Angel Board Chair Anya Verkhovskaya.

Friends of Be An Angel has already delivered $63 million in medical supplies, generators, food and more to Ukraine, she said.

“We are very proud to work with Advanced Wireless,” Verkhovskaya said. “Darryl’s leadership showed us today that one business can make the difference in the lives of those who need it most.”

Morin echoed those sentiments and encouraged other area businesses to see what they can do to help.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson thanked everyone involved in this effort and said we must continue to condemn the war in Ukraine.

“I feel for the innocent … and courageous people of Ukraine,” Johnson said.

Donation part of ongoing grant program at Advanced Wireless

The donation, announced Feb. 1, is part of AWI’s wireless schools initiative grant program which has invested over $2.5 million in Southeastern Wisconsin. While the specific dollar amount of this donation will not be made public, Morin said this is an investment of “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Halyna Salapata, president of Wisconsin Ukrainians, called this a significant donation toward education in Ukraine. She said since the country will require $411 billion in recovery and construction, “our collective efforts become even more vital.”

The demand for internet access for students is “at an all-time high” due to space constraints for in-person learning, according to Salapata.

Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn expresses his thanks

Speaking virtually from his office in Irpin, Ukraine, Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn shared his thankfulness for this donation with his comments translated by Salapata.

“(I’m) proud to have such great partners in the sister city of Milwaukee,” Markushyn said.

He thanked all the partners of this effort for support “during a very difficult time in our life.”

Markushyn said about 25,000 people have been temporarily displaced in his city, the largest number in the Kyiv region. He believes Ukraine is fighting for democracy, freedom and its land.

“Ukraine feels your support and for that I would like to thank you,” he said.

Consul of the Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago Koledov Serhiy, who also spoke virtually, said this effort shows “how sistership relations can be used effectively.”

“Your help is invaluable,” he said.

Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Advanced Wireless of Franklin donating Wi-Fi access to Ukraine