'Fairfield Stands With Ukraine' Fundraiser Set For October

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield will host a fundraiser in October at the Sacred Heart University Community Theatre to benefit the town's Ukrainian sister city, Kostiantynivka, an industrial city of about 67,000 residents in the eastern part of the war-torn country.

"Fairfield Stands with Ukraine — Supporting Our Sister City Kostiantynivka" is scheduled for Oct. 27, and will feature music, art, and cultural performances, in an effort to raise at least $100,000 for the Ukrainian city. The funding will go toward helping Kostiantynivka procure:

• Armored Van: for civilian evacuations and delivery of urgent aid to residents
• Crane: to assist in the removal of large pieces of rubble
• Refrigerated Van
• Dump Truck

The fundraiser is being organized by the Fairfield-Kostiantynivka Sister City Steering Committee and Ukraine Aid International, Inc., with support from the theatre.

Kostiantynivka, in Donetsk Oblast, was recently in the news after 16 residents died from a Russian airstrike.

"Innocent civilians are in need of our help, and I hope Fairfield residents will join us in our effort to assist our sister city," First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said Thursday, during a kickoff event in front of the theatre.

"Listening to this proud Ukrainian Mayor helped me gain important perspective on how blessed we are to live in a free and safe town and country," Kupchick added. "Our community is very honored to be their Sister City and to show our strong commitment and allegiance."

Fairfield launched the sister city effort in May with a dual purpose, "to offer support and contribute to the reconstruction of this heavily affected front-line community and to foster a deeper connection between the United States and Ukraine."

Kupchick also said that preserving democracy in the region is vital.

"For us to stand up for democracy wherever it wants to be is important for the United States," she said.

Marshall Mayer, President of New York-based Ukraine Aid International, said that Kostiantynivka was a "peaceful, quiet city" that has been under attack since the beginning of Russia's invasion in February 2022.

"It's meaningful to have a town like Fairfield stand behind it," Mayer said of Kostiantynivka.

Mayer said that he hopes the residents of Fairfield donate to the effort, adding that a $25 donation from all of its residents would raise more than $1.5 million and blow past the $100,000 goal.

Yuliya Pokhodnya, a Ukrainian-born Fairfield resident who is on the steering committee, took it a step further and said that a $2 donation from each of Fairfield's 62,000-plus residents would generate significantly more than the $100,000 goal.

"The only way to stop Russia is to fight back," an emotional Pokhodnya said. "Without fighting back, there would be no Ukraine."

For more information on the Oct. 27 fundraiser, click here. To buy tickets for the event, click here.

Members of the Steering Committee:

Gerry Alessi
Concettina Caruso
Laura Devlin
Al DiGuido
Bill Mitchell
Yuliya Pokhodnya
Paul Sutera
Carol Wauchope
Ivanna Vintonyak
Mary Alice Limperopulos
Ukraine Aid International