Last night, what started as a discussion by a small group of Fairfield Women morphed into a major fundraiser for the people of Ukraine. Held at the Penfield Pavilion On Wednesday March 30th, this special event blended solemn moments with music, song, great food, traditional Ukrainian folk dancing and music and raised nearly  $18,000 before the doors even opened, which will aid the relief effort for the people of the Ukraine as the second month of war ravages their country. 

The sold out event saw 350 tickets sold before the event even began. Adding to the funds raised was a silent auction which filled table after table, a raffle and bracelets in the colors of Ukraine created by children. Notably, every dollar raised will go to that effort as all of the more than two dozen vendors and businesses (see program photo below) donated their goods and services including the Town of Fairfield which donated use of the beautiful Penfield Pavilion. Al's Angels, the Westport based charitable organization that we have seen helping children and families for more than twenty years was instrumental in producing the event.

The entertainers delighted the audience, especially the high energy performance of the children's dance group Kalynochka under the supervision of Gregoriy Momot who operates dance schools in Stamford and NYC. The Ukrainian National Anthem was performed by Lilia Kushnir on piano, Nadia Solska on violin and sung by Kateryna Bilous Clark. and was sung solemnly by the many Ukrainians in attendance which was followed by a prayer for Ukraine performed by a children's vocal ensemble. A Ukranian stringed folk instrument, the Bandura, was played by Lesia Stetsko.

Speakers Irina and Khrystina Rayko spoke of the tragedy now happening in their country. Other speakers included Jaroslaw Palylyk, president of the southern CT and Westchester branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.Mr. Palylyk spoke at length in part saying "Here is what you can do as an American citizen. We ask that you Join Ukrainians and their supporters locally, nationally, and around the world during their rally’s and demonstrations. We need to ask for bipartisan political support. Reach out to the White House, your Senators, your Representatives and major news outlets." Mr Palylyk repeated the pleas of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zalensky for more military equipment including arial defense platforms, stronger sanctions in areas such as energy and against the families of Russian oligarchs living abroad and boycotts of Russian goods.

One speaker, Lena McMahan represented one of the prominent charitable organizations Razom, which is seeking donations. About Razom: "Razom, which means “together” in Ukrainian, is 60,000 donors and dedicated volunteers. Our team are passionate professionals from around the world across industries including tech, finance, marketing, medicine, arts, academia and law with substantial experience across NGOs and charitable foundations with a simple mission: building a more prosperous Ukraine. Established in the United States with people in Ukraine, the non-profit organization works towards that mission by creating and accelerating spaces where people meet, partner and do." Donations can be made at:  https://razomforukraine.org/

Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com  Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.