Want to help State College’s sister city in Nizhyn, Ukraine? Benefit concert slated for Monday
A month after State College and Nizhyn, Ukraine, officially became sister cities, local community leaders have already organized an event to better help the war-torn university town.
A benefit concert featuring a variety of Ukrainian music — titled “Concert for Ukraine” — will take place 7:30 p.m. Monday at State College’s Grace Lutheran Church, 205 S. Garner St. Donations will be accepted at the door, as no tickets are needed. (There is no suggested donation; attendees are simply asked to give what they can.)
All funds raised will directly help Nizhyn, whose mayor visited State College in early May to sign the documents formalizing the sister-city relationship. Music during the hourlong event will be performed by Penn State faculty, State College area musicians and members of the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra.
“It helps tremendously because this is our only way of directly helping people of Ukraine and, in particular, Nizhyn,” said Svitlana Budzhak-Jones, concert co-organizer and founder of the nonprofit Sister’s Sister, which distributes the funds to Nizhyn. “We get reports of how the money was spent, what it’s used on, and we work directly with the city administration on what they need the most help with.”
Daryl Durran, a retired faculty member from the Penn State School of Music, helped curate the music and co-organize the concert. He said there will be a mixture of classical and contemporary, with some vocalists (including Ukrainian pop songs sung by high school student and refugee Ruslana Kaminska) and some instrumental pieces, such as works for ensembles, a piano solo and a violin/piano duo.
“Supporting these folks is really important,” Durran said, referring to Nizhyn residents. “They’re putting their lives and their country on the line for the whole world.”
Nizhyn is located nearly 5,000 miles away from Happy Valley — but it boasts a lot of similarities with State College. The populations are similar in size, both communities are considered university towns, and both have their fair share of sports heroes (like world-champion Nizhyn boxer Petro Ivanov). But Nizhyn is located just 90 miles northeast of Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, and residents there have endured death — at least 90 residents in armed forces and 10 civilians — to go along with destruction, with some residents living for months in the nearby university’s bomb shelter.
Budzhak-Jones’ nonprofit has already helped the Ukrainian town rebuild a central boiler system and recently helped provide 15 dry-air sterilizers to the local maternity ward. After a conversation Friday with the mayor’s office, Budzhak-Jones believed the next focus would likely be on schoolchildren or daycare facilities.
Those who wish to donate but cannot attend Monday’s concert can also send via Venmo (@SistersSister) or via check to 357 E. Prospect Ave., State College, PA 16801. (Checks should be made out to Sister’s Sister, Inc.)
But both Budzhak-Jones and Durran hoped to see the community at Grace Lutheran Church, which also did not charge the organization for using its facilities.
“It really is beautiful music,” Durran added. “And there’s lots of variety.”
