Press Release, Legacy Theatre CT

Branford’s Legacy Theatre and Yale-based non-profit Doctors United for Ukraine are pleased to announce that over $6,700 was raised for Ukrainian relief as part of their fundraiser performance, Darkness to Light: A Sharing of Poems and Songs from Ukraine, on March 11.

Darkness to Light: A Sharing of Poems and Songs from Ukraine consisted of Ukrainian poetry (read in translation) and songs by Ukraine's leading poets. Featuring local performers—non-Ukrainian and Ukrainian— including singers Kyle Picha and Gene Stenger, pianist Victor Markiw, and readers Anne Tarpey Flanders, Richard Flanders, Marika Kuzma, Lori Lowe, Mariah Sage, and Luke Williams, it was an incredible evening of uplifting and inspiring art.

Many of those in attendance had just arrived from Ukraine in the past year, and for them, hearing Ukrainian songs and poetry embraced by Americans was a very healing experience in the face of so much hardship.

Doctors United for Ukraine (DU4U) is a non-profit incorporation of Yale medical professionals with Ukrainian roots. Its mission is to deliver precision aid to foster the health and well-being of Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s war and its consequences. DU4U is able to address specific needs because they are in direct contact with fellow doctors in Ukrainian hospitals. Their focus is in three vital areas: critical care, women’s and infant health, and mental health. DU4U coordinates with and pays directly to companies and providers in Ukraine and just across the border in Poland.

The funds raised through Darkness to Light will be sufficient to deliver a portable ultrasound device to those on the front line, or to bring one more physician to Yale for training, both of which are high impact options. For more information on the organization, please visit dwighthall.org/doctors-united-ukraine/.

Donations are still being collected for this important cause and can be made by visiting dwighthall.org/doctors-united-ukraine/. Dwight Hall at Yale serves as a fiscal sponsor for this urgent campaign. Your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent allowable by law and your tax acknowledgment will come from Dwight Hall at Yale.