Listen To Manahawkin Teen's Cello Cover of Ukrainian National Anthem

BARNEGAT-MANAHAWKIN, NJ – One young Manahawkin resident is using her musical gift to help the people of Ukraine.

Junior Miss Stafford 2021-22, 13-year-old Kealia Grace Smith, shared an arrangement of the Ukrainian National Anthem for four cellos in order to raise awareness and draw attention to donations for Ukrainian refugees.

“It really pains me to see innocent people, especially the little kids and pets, being forced to leave almost everything behind to get to safety. It's not fair that they have to go through all that,” Smith said.

“With how upset I was watching everything, I felt I needed to do something, so I turned to music,” Smith said. The video was posted March 6 and has already garnered a few thousand views on Facebook and YouTube.

As Junior Miss Stafford, Smith is no stranger to serving her community. By sharing her music, she hopes to bring some comfort to the Ukrainian community.

“I made the video to hopefully bring a little bit of comfort and hope to those who are impacted or nervous about the conflict in Ukraine,” Smith said, adding that she also wants to encourage people to donate, putting Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’s GoFundMe link to raise money for Ukraine in her post descriptions. “I want to make sure that they all have the food and supplies they need.”

Smith is a musician and actor, playing cello, piano, clarinet and singing in choir. She plays cello in Philadelphia Youth Orchestra's PYAO, the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra and is the principal cellist of both the Symphony in C Youth Orchestra in Haddonfield, NJ and the AllShore Orchestra.

In big or small ways, Smith encourages her community to do what they can to help change the world.

“I hope I inspire everyone reading to use their gift for good. No matter what it is, there are many ways you can use it to make a difference in your community, country, and even in the world,” Smith said. “If we all give back with our talents, we truly can make the world a better place.”