A Concert to Remember! $29,000 raised for Ukraine

How did the seed of an idea to run a small local concert in North Melbourne to raise funds for the Ukraine crisis, grow into a concert in the Melbourne Town Hall, with over 700 people attending and raising so far $29,000?
 
As I (Ted) was singing with the Homebrew Verandah singers, this idea took hold that I could help my Ukraine family along with my cousins both in Poland and Ukraine. My Rotary Club loved the idea so I approached the Ukraine community, to invite their amazing choir and dance group Lehanda who also brought in the Association of Australian Ukraine in Victoria (AUV).
 
The search for a venue commenced in a modest way as we thought a venue seating 200-300 people would be ideal.  However, our ideas expanded and we were very fortunate to secure the Melbourne Town Hall with the assistance of a generous donation from a company called Downer.  What a fantastic coup!
 
This meant marketing and promotion was vital to ensure as many tickets as possible were sold.  The word spread on social media and then Rotary and the Ukraine Association contacts, friends and family were all encouraged to purchase tickets. 
 
Ticket sales gradually grew until more than 700 seats were sold with the profit exceeding $28,000 and still growing.  What a fantastic result!
 
The Concert featured a range of entertainment including the male Homebrew choir, the beautiful choir of about 40 people from the Ukraine community and the world-renowned Lehenda dance group who are based here in Melbourne.
 
This was complemented by two keynote speakers Stefan Romaniw, First Vice President of the Ukrainian World Congress and District Governor Dale Hoy. 
 
 
The new Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia, who is now a member of the newly formed Rotary Club of Liviv, paid a surprise visit.
 
Many individuals and organisations contributed to the outstanding success of the Concert including Rotary North Melbourne, the AUV, the generosity of the Melbourne Town Hall and their staff and our two sponsors Downer and Bendigo Bank - Strathmore Community Branch.
 
 
 
To watch these wonderful performances, they can be viewed in two recordings:
 
Thank you to everyone involved and everyone who attended.
 
Ted Dziadkiewicz
Rotary North Melbourne