A group of teenage musicians are holding a benefit concert in downtown Annapolis, Maryland, Saturday to raise money for medical resources and other assistance for Ukraine.
Through tunes of a guitar and a lineup of performances by a group of talented young people, a community gathered to show their support for Ukraine.
Five musicians make up Young Hope Annapolis, and their mission is to raise funds that will go directly to Project HOPE, “a global health and humanitarian relief organization providing medical supplies and urgent assistance to address the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine,” according to a media release.
The goal was not just to raise funds, but also to use the power of music to highlight a tragedy, while providing inspiration and hope for the Ukrainian people. Some of them were within the crowd.
"At the first day of war during the night I heard the news that the war started. I read it on social media and I decided to escape Ukraine," Ivanna Ivaniv, who made it out of the country safely with her three children, said.
For about a month now, Ivaniv and her children have been living in the United States, but in her heart she lives with the constant pain of those she left behind.
"When I got here I of course I felt safe but my friends, my parents, my brother, they were all left behind in Ukraine," Ivaniv said.
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Now she gets to be a part of a community who shares her same hopes.
"I do meet a lot of people here who are very sympathetic and I'm very thankful for this, because the horror that is going on in my country versus the humanity that is going on here feels very supportive," she said.
Mayor Gavin Buckley said he found the efforts of the musicians “inspiring.”
"It is always inspiring to see the next generation get involved, take action and work towards making the world a better place. I applaud their initiative and encourage everyone to be generous in their support of this event,” Buckley said.
“We, as young people, wanted to find ways to make a difference for Ukraine, even while being 5,000 miles away,“ Jack Shenk, Young Hope Annapolis concert organizer, said in the release. “We have tons of musical talent here in the Annapolis area, so we decided to hold a benefit concert to encourage people to come together to provide hope and aid for the people struggling in Ukraine.”