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AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) – In early April, a group of Coloradans came together to focus their efforts on getting some much-needed resources directly into the hands of their family members who are putting their lives on the line while repelling Russian forces in small towns across Ukraine. Now, they’ve scheuled a concert you can attend while aiding their cause.

Back on April 2, the Ukrainian Eurovision 2013 finalist, Zlata Ognevich, joined an impressive billing of Ukrainian entertainers headlinging the We Stand With Ukraine Charity Gala Event in Skokie, Illinois, where she and others put on a show of support for Ukraine through the raising of money to help those suffering as a result of the conflict. Now, she heads to Centiniel state to keep that effort moving forward.

Now, on Saturday, May 14 at 8 p.m., the Ukraine Aid Fund, which raised roughly $18,000 during a bake sale in late April, is scheduled to team up with Ognevich who will headline a charity concert at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora, tickets to which are now available for purchase.

How funds raised by the Ukraine Aid Fund are used

The Ukraine Aid Fund was formed by seven Ukrainian-Americans who wanted to raise funds in order to buy things like vehicles, bullet-proof vests and other resources for members of the territorial defense forces, which are the militant groups made up of men under the age of 61 who were drafted at the outset of the war to protect their country.

”The thing that we all struggle with here is that we’re so far away and we feel useless and helpless because our family is there,” one of the Ukraine Aid Fund’s seven founding members Alina Tatkov said when highlighting how the founders overcome their feelings of helplessness that comes from being so far removed, phsyically, from the conflict ongoing in the eastern European nation.

Those who purchase a concert ticket to the charity concert will be contibuting to civilian soldiers in Ukraine. If you are, however, not entirely comfortable with the idea of supporting them through the purchase of militaristic aid, then you should know that the Ukraine Aid Fund gives donators the option of marking their financial contribution to go specifically to the following types of resources:

  • Humanitarian: Clothing, medicine, and other basic everyday needs
  • General: Funds will be distributed as the group sees fit, meaning those who choose this category have no reservations when it comes to military support.
  • Troops: Tactical supplu aid, apparel and equipment, short of weaponry.

These resources get to those who need it in Ukraine through the use of the group’s logistical network that they developed through their personal relationships. They fly these purchased resources to the Polish-Ukrainian border, sidestepping the conflict-impacted postal system, and transport them directly into the war torn region personally.

Organizers of this event expect a sell out so move quickly to reserve your place, and know that they want everyone to feel welcome participating in this celebration of Ukraine.

If you would like to financially support this group, but are unable to attend, then visit the Ukraine Aid Fund’s homepage, where you can choose how much and what kind of donation you would like to make.