An Evening of Music and Giving

The Wichita Grand Opera is offering Wichitans the chance to hear amazing live music while helping the people of Ukraine in a very tangible way. The event, called “Aid for People of Ukraine,” is set for June 11 at the Wichita Country Club.

Dr. Dennis Ross, WGO president and CEO, said that guests will be treated to hors d'oeuvres, cocktails and wine, and a sit-down dinner, as well as classical music from the internationally acclaimed Orfeo Trio. All the while they’ll be supporting both the opera and the people of Ukraine via the local branch of Orphan

Grain Train (OGT), which is raising funds to send a shipment of goods to Ukrainians.

The Orfeo Trio, consisting of American pianist Julie Bees, Russian cellist Leonid Shukaev and Russian violinist Evgeny Zvonnikov, was formed in 2012 in Wichita, first performing as the official piano trio of Wichita State University’s College of Fine Arts, School of Music. The musicians will perform in the living

room area from 6:30 to 7 p.m. before guests move to the party room for the meal.

The Orfeo Trio is donating its performance so that all proceeds will go toward the evening’s causes, and the $250 ticket fee is 100 percent tax deductible. Ross said giving to OGT’s Wichita branch is one of the best ways to provide help to Ukrainians in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24. That’s because

OGT operates with extremely low administrative costs — only 1.8 cent of every dollar goes to administration and fundraising — and the long-running organization has shipping contacts in all parts of

the world.

The Wichita branch of OGT opened five years ago, and has collected donations of everything from clothing to medical supplies to quilts to sporting equipment to send to people in impoverished nations. The organization is in contact with groups around the world who help coordinate shipments of goods. With

help from OGT headquarters in Norfolk, Nebraska, transportation of items is secured, and the donations collected in Wichita make their way to faraway lands. A single shipment will include thousands of boxes. In April, a shipment of goods from OGT’s Wichita branch landed in the Republic of Georgia, some 6,300

miles away. Shipments from Wichita have gone to Latvia, the Congo in Africa, and several missions and schools on Native American reservations.

OGT Wichita branch manager John Evans said the local group helped assemble items for an emergency air shipment to Ukraine shortly after the invasion, which is an extremely expensive endeavor. The next shipments will be via ocean freight, a more economical yet still costly option. “We’ve fallen back into the

regular routine of shipping on ships, focusing on refugees in Eastern European nations,” Evans said.

Donations of very good used clothing; over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and aspirin; and medical supplies like walkers, crutches and wheelchairs can be dropped off at the OGT warehouse at 911 W. Maple St. in Wichita from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesdays and Saturdays. For sizable donations that require pickup or assistance, call Evans at 316.932.8703.

OGT also requests monetary donations for the shipping costs, which have increased greatly in the last two years. “We’d love to have 300 people at the event and really help the Orphan Grain Train, since getting these shipments to Ukraine is so expensive,” Ross said. “It’s going to be a wonderful night for a very worthy cause.”

Aid for People of Ukraine

Orfeo Trio, presented by Wichita Grand Opera

June 11, 6:30 p.m.

Wichita Country Club

Concert and dinner

For tickets, call 316.262.8054 or visit wichitagrandopera.org