"Glory to Ukraine" concert at Golden Gate Park to support Ukraine

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Saturday marked the beginning of a concert series that runs through November in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

With the war in Ukraine, the beginning of the series has an added purpose beyond entertainment.

The sound of music washed over the crowd at the Bandshell in Golden Gate Park.

This particular concert called "Slava Ukraini" or "Glory to Ukraine" launched a series of shows for the month of March that is dedicated to Ukrainian Humanitarian Relief.

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"We have Ukrainian dancers and performers, concert pianists, poets, and all sorts of folks here today," said Ben Davis with Illuminate, one of the groups that helped arrange the concert.

Anytchka, a professional Ukrainian singer, was one of those performers. She sang to mend the many broken hearts as people bear witness to destruction and loss of life in Ukraine.

"Right now, it’s too much. It’s too much because the kids are dying. It’s not fair," said Anytchka.

A young dancer with the group Zoloti Maky stood by watching others as she waited for her turn to take the stage.

Yelena Markiv was born in America, but her parents are from Ukraine.  She said showing off her culture is bringing her newfound pride.

"Showing our energy, our pride, showing off our beautiful culture to the world and in the Bay Area specifically is beautiful," said Markiv. 

San Francisco’s famed Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence handed out sunflowers to people in the crowd.

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"The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine, and it’s become the symbol of resistance globally for this moment in time," said Davis.

A QR code attached to the flowers takes people to a website where they can give to World Central Kitchen, a non-profit known for helping in war zones.  It is reportedly feeding 150,000 Ukrainian refugees daily.

According to www.SF4Ukraine.org, the concert has easily surpassed its goal of raising $20,000 toward the cause. As of Saturday evening, the total was nearly $37,000.

"I’m very thankful for everybody who donates to help Ukraine," said Anytchka.

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One of the many donors was a Ukrainian-American woman from Fremont. She came with her family and expressed delight at the size of the crowd, which numbered in the hundreds.

"Oh, I’m so glad the community came together to support Ukraine. It’s a very important topic right now, and I am so glad so many people came over to support that," said Elena Kostrygina.

For the month of March, there will be nearly a dozen other free Bandshell concerts where others can do the same.