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The concert will be headlined by Ukrainian virtuoso violinist Arkadiy Gips, who was featured on two world tours with Madonna, and by singer/songwriter Eric Gnezda, creator of the PBS series Songs at the Center.
A suggested donation of $20 for individuals/$40 for families will be accepted at the door of the Davidson Theatre.
All donations to the Ukraine War Relief Fund will support humanitarian assistance in impacted communities in Ukraine and surrounding regions where Ukrainian refugees have fled. The fund is administered by the Grace Evangelical Church, Grove City, which is working with churches in Europe to provide transportation, shelter, food, and medical supplies for displaced Ukrainians both in Europe and Ukraine.
Concert performers will also include members of The Columbus International Children’s Choir, Ukrainian guitarist Alex Gordez, the Tony Hagood Quartet, flutist Cheri Papier, filmmaker and composer Max Platitsyn, the Ukrainian Folk Ensemble, and blues singer Shaun Booker.
The concert is made possible through the generous support of CAPA, NBC4, Sunny 95, The Columbus Dispatch, Voices of Hope, Inc., Songs at the Center, and John Wirchanski.
“Every penny donated will go to the Ukraine War Relief Fund,” said Gnezda. “Right here in Columbus, the Grace Evangelical Church has been working 24/7 with a network of local churches to get supplies, medical equipment, food, and money to the Ukrainian people.”
Through the Grace Evangelical Church, food and medical supplies are shipped to Cleveland, then Poland, where volunteers drive them in trucks to Ukraine, often at risk to their own safety, according to Rev. Viktor Moskalyuk of Grace Evangelical Church. Three volunteers have died on such missions to Ukraine, he added.
“Although we are part of a network of churches working to provide humanitarian aid, our church is also in direct contact with individuals in Ukraine through our local church members,” said Moskalyuk.
The “Coming Together for Ukraine” benefit concert is a follow up to a launch event held Saturday, April 9, at Dublin Community Church, United Church of Christ where nearly $22,000 was raised.
Online donations to the Ukraine War Relief Fund can also be made anytime at https://www.visitgec.org/ukrainesupport
