DAKHABRAKHA AND DINE OUT EVENTS A HUGE SUCCESS!
The stars aligned to support Ukraine and Sunflower Seeds Ukraine over two consecutive summer days in Colorado (and beyond!).
On July 23rd, Sunflower Seeds Ukraine held its 5th Annual Dine Out for Ukraine, where participating restaurants donated a portion of one day’s proceeds to Sunflower Seeds Ukraine. 40 restaurants participated, including several restaurants that have been with us for each of those years, new restaurants joining in for the first time, and two Ukrainian restaurants outside of Colorado! We are grateful to participating venues and to everyone who dined for Ukraine that day and visited us at our booths.
This year, Dine Out for Ukraine coincided with a July 22nd show at Boulder’s Chautauqua Auditorium by one of Ukraine’s most famous bands, DakhaBrakha. Sunflower Seeds Ukraine proudly co-presented this powerhouse ensemble! To make the evening all the more special, the neighboring Chautauqua Dining Hall embraced a new challenge of preparing a three-course Ukrainian dinner, which generously benefited Sunflower Seeds Ukraine. As SFSU volunteer Chip Heldman said, “The entire event was a wonderful way to bring Ukrainian culture to our community and our supporters! The concert was extremely moving; they are such powerful musicians and spokespersons for Ukraine, I was in awe! They are humble and funny and creative and committed and brave.”
Among the most moving parts of the evening was when the band auctioned off SFSU volunteer Cyndi Kennedy’s collage Tryzub made out of 139 vintage Ukrainian postage stamps. Knowing that the band auctions off its own art for Ukrainian Defenders during the shows, Cyndi graciously donated her piece to the band, wondering if perhaps they would consider auctioning her art too. Just ahead of the show, they overwhelmingly agreed and were touched by her generosity. The next thing Cyndi knew, her Tryzub artwork appeared on the huge screen behind the band, it was stunning! The audience gasped, and the bidding began. The screen focused on individual stamps, each one bringing a new crowd reaction. Cyndi watched the bidding quickly increase from an initial bid of $300, then $500, $800, $1,200, wiping tears from her eyes as the bid continued to increase, ultimately selling for $2,100. $2,100 for Ukrainian Defenders! It was a dream for Cyndi’s artwork to be the mechanism by which she can make a meaningful contribution to Ukraine, and why she thinks SFSU is a special organization. “What we do behind the scenes is the meat and bones, but putting ourselves out to the public is where we communicate our message and remind people to care. DakhaBrakha gave us that opportunity, and me personally,” Kennedy said.
Taken together, both days and the hundreds of people participating and with whom we engaged remind the world that Ukraine still holds its own and is worthy of our attention and our commitment. As Kennedy said, “The concert itself, an amalgam of ancient folk and contemporary music with stunning art collages in the background, is proof of the cultural and historical depth of the Ukrainian people. Slava Ukraini!”
