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The country of Ukraine is more than 6,000 miles away, but when Azusa resident Nancy Kelel watched the news of Russia’s invasion in February of 2022, she said she felt the impact.
Like many, she didn’t know how best to aid civilians and refugees. So as a musician, she reached out to the people of Ukraine the best way she knew how — with song.
“I found myself writing about and being hit in the heart,” she said. “I wanted the people of Ukraine to know how much we care about them.”
Kelel’s lyrics outline not just her sadness of the brutal attack on civilians, but also a promise that she stands with the Ukranian people. Strumming between the notes A and E, her chorus calls for unity.
“I am so mystified, Why war is better than peace. Ukraine I send my song to you, As I pray this war will cease – Ukraine,” Kelel sings.
Kelel posted the ballad online, hoping at the least it would uplift Ukrainian listeners, when another sympathizer, dual Canadian and Costa Rican citizen Bruce Callow, heard the anthem and knew how to use them toward direct action.
Upon Callow’s invitation, on Friday, Oct. 13, Kelel, along with other artists around the world, will perform in a livestreamed, global concert aimed to raise funds to support medical supplies and other resources for the people of Ukraine.
This action is a continuation of aid work that Callow, a space educator and writer, organized in the fall of 2022. Soon after the initial attack, Callow visited Warsaw, Poland, where many Ukrainians fled seeking refuge from the war.
“On TV it just looked like such an overwhelming situation, but I saw volunteers doing a great job and I thought maybe if I can get over there I can offer more assistance,” Callow said.
With just $1,200 in donations from friends, family and supporters and a guitar in hand, he visited transit centers and schools to volunteer and connect with the victims of the war. One friendship at a time, he said, he responded to the needs of those he met and handed out resources to various neighborhoods.
Returning home with this firsthand understanding of the situation on the ground, Callow then organized a November 2022 musical fundraiser at St. David’s United Church in Calgary, Canada, that raised nearly $15,000. That funding went toward an orphanage in Lviv and to supply a mobile field hospital near the front-line of the then Ukrainian-held city of Bakhmut. Readers of coverage of the concert contributed another $28,000 after the fact.
Callow also connected with private donors who would be matched with refugees in need and to buy their air tickets out of the country into Canada. Some donors, Callow said, purchased multiple tickets and in total $30,000 dollars was used to get people out.
Los Angeles-based donors Neil and Robin Siegel, funded eight plane tickets for fleeing refugees.
“Like so many people, we were frustrated and upset when Russia invaded Ukraine and we were looking for something to do,” Neil Siegal said in a video message screened during Calgary’s benefit concert. “Hopefully there will be more (refugees) we can help in the future, but you can do it too.”
For Friday’s event, Callow landed in Ukraine earlier this month and will stream Friday’s event from the Korzo Pub in the heart of the western city of Lviv.
“Even in a really tragic situation, with music we can find something fun, positive and uplifting to do,” Callow said. “It is a helpful distraction from despair.”
This is all possible, Callow added, with a partnership with Canadian NGO Amigo Relief Missions. According to its website, the multi-denominational Christian charity has led relief missions into Ukraine for over a decade. And the charity has does work in Mexico and Cuba. Callow said that the group uses the funds to put supplies directly back in the hands of Ukrainians.
Anyone big or small, he added, can help the cause.
“Not only are we fundraising, but we’re sending a strong message of solidarity to the people of Ukraine,” Callow said. “When I close the show live, the people sitting with me in the pub are gonna know people all over the world are supporting them. That message is important.”
Kelel works full time as a musician and performs locally. She said she will continue to sing her supportive anthem at upcoming performances.
The event will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Ukraine, which means 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in the Los Angeles area. After the live steam wraps, visitors can still watch the event when it is uploaded to youtube and donate toward the cause in perpetuity.
To join the watch party, visit youtube.com/@LiveInLviv. To donate directly to Amigo Relief, visit canadahelps.org/en/charities/amigo-relief-missions-ltd/. In the comment section, add “Callow Mission,” so that the organization can tally the total contribution amount.