August 7, 2015

United Help Ukraine to hold charity concert for Ukraine

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Yuriy Gelytovych

Bria Blessing

WASHINGTON – Bria Blessing is known in Ukraine as “an American with Ukrainian soul.” She is a young and talented singer and musician who was born in Sugar Land, Texas, a Houston suburb. Her family moved to live in Ukraine when Bria was only 13 years old, and for over 20 years she has been living, working, and performing in Lviv, Ukraine.

Although born in the United States, Ms. Blessing considers herself to be Ukrainian and speaks better Ukrainian than many people born and raised in Ukraine. In August, this talented singer will be travelling to her native United States and Canada to give 12 charity concerts in support of victims of the war in Ukraine. She sings in both Ukrainian and English. One of the charity concerts, to be held in Washington on August 21, is organized by the non-profit organization United Help Ukraine.

Ms. Blessing has loved singing and performing since she was a little girl, but became famous in Ukraine only several years ago after she performed on the Ukrainian TV show “Holos Krayiny,” a vocal competition similar to the American reality show, “The Voice.” She sang the Ukrainian song “Ya Pidu v Daleki Hory” (translated from Ukrainian as “I Will Go to the Faraway Mountains) absolutely beautifully, and Svyatoslav Vakarchuk of the famous Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy agreed to become her mentor during the competition.

Ms. Blessing not only has a divine voice, but she possesses a big Ukrainian heart and soul, because she longs to help her brave Ukrainian brothers and sisters fighting for Ukraine’s freedom and independence in eastern Ukraine. During the last Christmas season, Ms. Blessing held several charity concerts in the zone of anti-terrorist operations (ATO) for those brave soldiers. She says that her guitar, which she bought in Nashville, Tenn., is now priceless because it was signed by the Ukrainian soldiers during her last charity tour. These soldiers are her stars and it is an honor, she notes, to perform for Ukrainian soldiers – something she plans to do until Ukraine wins the war.

Asked why she had decided to go on a charity tour in the North America, Ms. Blessing responded: “When I was invited on this benefit tour to help those affected by the war in Ukraine, I didn’t have to think twice before saying ‘yes!” Living myself in Ukraine, I try to do whatever I can personally to help our troops and to encourage others to do the same. The opportunity to join with the Ukrainian diaspora living abroad in these same efforts is so exciting for me. “

She added that she wants to encourage her audiences in North America to embrace the cultures and peoples among whom they live. “Once I opened my heart fully to the Ukraine that surrounds me, while not forgetting or despising my first culture, my life became richer than I could have ever imagined,” she explained.

“I also hope and pray that many Americans, who may know little to nothing about Ukraine and our current situation, will be at the concerts. Ukraine is such an undiscovered jewel – the culture, the music, the spirit – and I would love to share to the best of my ability with my first country all of the reasons I have fallen so deeply in love with my second country,” Ms. Blessing says.

Ms. Blessing’s repertoire includes a variety of songs in Ukrainian and English. Just recently, after her charity tour for the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine, she composed her first Ukrainian song, “We are Ukraine.” She wrote it in 15 minutes and it immediately became popular.

Ms. Blessing’s charity concerts will take place in San Francisco (August 15), Washington (August 21), Sacramento, Calif. (August 22), Portland, Ore., (August 23), Seattle (August 24), Vancouver, British Columbia (August 26), Minneapolis (August 28), Raleigh, N.C. (August 29) and Atlanta (August 30). Concerts have already taken place in Syracuse, N.Y. (August 7), Binghamton, N.Y. (August 8), Toronto (August 9).

Information about all the concerts in Ms. Blessing’s charity tour is available at https://www.facebook.com/events/ 1577764009111059. The concerts in each city are organized by Ukrainian activists and Ukrainian non-profit organizations.

The August 21 concert in the District of Columbia will be held in a premier location, just one block away from the Metro Center station, at 945 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets (for children 10 years old and younger admission is free) please visit www.UnitedHelpUkraine.org/tickets. More information is also available on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/396610950538962.

Earlier this year, in March, United Help Ukraine organized a charity concert for the famous Ukrainian singer Anastasia Prykhodko in Washington. The concert attracted approximately 300 guests and raised almost $10,000 for Ukraine.

United Help Ukraine (www.UnitedHelpUkraine.org) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to receive and distribute donations, food and medical supplies to people affected by the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

United Help Ukraine, or UHU, is a 100 percent volunteer-based organization that operates with minimal administrative costs (less than 3 percent). Since its inception in June of last year, United Help Ukraine has raised $130,000 in monetary donations and shipped 29,500 pounds of donated humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The organization’s activities fall within four major categories: (1) providing life-saving medical supplies to Ukrainian defenders, (2) supplying humanitarian aid to Ukrainian warriors’ families and internally displaced people of Ukraine, (3) providing aid to wounded Ukrainian warriors, and (4) engaging individuals, organizations, private and government institutions, and the media, and raising awareness in the United States.

Readers who would like to donate in support of Ukraine may go the website www.unitedhelpukraine.org.

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