An upcoming dinner and musical presentation in Ann Arbor is bringing together community members to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Organized by Eric Babe, a parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, the event seeks to raise funds for critical medical supplies for those on the front lines of the ongoing war.
“I’m just a parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Parish who decided to organize a fundraiser dinner to help Ukraine,” Babe said. “We had one dinner last August, and I am organizing another dinner at the end of April on Friday the 26th.”
Babe explained that the effort operates under his organization, A2 for Ukraine, which partners directly with humanitarian groups.
“I did form a business under which the fundraisers are organized, a DBA, A2 for Ukraine,” Babe said. “A2 for Ukraine is acting as a formal agent for the 501(c)(3) Blue / Yellow USA, the NGO for whom we are raising the funds.”
Inspiration rooted in faith
Babe said his motivation for organizing the fundraiser is deeply personal and rooted in his religious beliefs.
“My inspiration is mostly religious,” Babe said. “Pope John Paul II was a hero of mine when I was a young boy. His resistance to the Soviet domination of Poland and Ukraine helped to form my understanding of good and evil in the world. John Paul II’s resistance was both highly spiritual and highly practical. I found that inspiring decades ago, and it continues to inspire me now.”
Blending culture with firsthand accounts
The dinner is designed to offer both cultural experiences and direct insight into the realities of war. Attendees will hear from individuals with firsthand knowledge while also enjoying Ukrainian music and dance.
“The dance performances and folk music are going to be wonderful, but I think that the best things that we’re able to offer the people of Ann Arbor are first-hand accounts of what’s going on in Ukraine right now,” Babe said. “There is so much disinformation about the war in Ukraine. Rima, the combat medic under whose direction we are buying medical supplies, is fighting on the zero-line. She will be there to talk about her experiences and to take questions.”
Babe also highlighted the importance of informed perspectives on religious persecution.
“Our keynote speaker, Fr. Jason Charron, went to Ukraine in the early days of the full-scale invasion,” Babe said. “He is particularly knowledgeable about the persecution of the Church in Ukraine, a subject about which there is a great deal of misinformation deliberately sown by the Kremlin. I think of the balance between offering culture and offering knowledge to be something like the balance between appealing to both heart and mind.”
Cultural expression as resistance
In addition to raising funds, the event will showcase Ukrainian music and dance, which Babe described as both celebratory and symbolic.
“The invaders in Ukraine have been trying to destroy Ukrainian culture for hundreds of years,” Babe said. “People talk about how areas in eastern Ukraine are dominated by non-Ukrainian speakers. This only came about because a genocide of people was followed by a genocide of culture. The Ukrainian music and dance at our dinner will be beautiful and fun, but they are also, in a small way, an act of defiance against the genocide of the invaders.”
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He emphasized the local community’s role in providing support.
“I hope the celebration of Ukrainian culture at our dinner will be seen as a moment of solidarity in which the people of Ann Arbor can stand in support of the people and culture of Ukraine,” Babe said.
A message of “spiritual triumph”
Babe said he hopes the evening’s emotional tone will move beyond despair and instead focus on resilience and hope.
“G.K. Chesterton in Heretics, chapter II, ‘On the Negative Spirit,’ describes the ‘incurable morbidity of modern ethics,’ and recommends against it the adoption of a truer ethical spirit, one focused rather on vivid positive ideals,” Babe said. “Chesterton describes it as a focus on ‘spiritual triumph.’ I found this approach in the homilies of John Paul II during his visit to Poland… This is the emotional note that I’m striving to emulate.”
Direct impact on the front lines
Funds raised from the dinner will go directly toward purchasing medical supplies urgently needed in Ukraine.
“In many areas along the front-line in Ukraine, over 90% of the daily medical supplies needed by combat medics come from donations like the ones at our fundraiser dinner,” Babe said. “The money raised by the people of Ann Arbor is spent on life-saving staples like tourniquets, bandages, medicines, burn ointment and splints.”
He added that donations also support critical equipment.
“However, our partner, Blue/Yellow USA, also uses the money to buy critical pieces of equipment like portable ventilators and portable defibrillators,” Babe said. “The great thing about working with Rima Ziuraitis is that, because she’s on the zero-line, she knows what is really needed day-to-day by combat medics in Ukraine.”
Stories of lives saved
The impact of these donations is tangible, according to combat medic Rima Ziuraitis.
“The real impact of these fundraisers speaks in terms of the number of lives saved: hundreds,” Ziuraitis wrote. “They give me the ability to literally give the gift of life through supplying tactical medical supplies and being able to buy training supplies… It’s the ability to help pay for medicines and things like MRI scans for injured soldiers. It’s being able to say yes and bring relief when needed in the medical realm.”
Speakers bring diverse perspectives
The event will feature a range of speakers, each offering unique perspectives on the war and its impact. Ziuraitis is one of the speakers at the event.
Babe also described the keynote speaker’s background. “Fr. Jason Charron is our keynote speaker,” Babe said. “In the early days of the full-scale invasion, Fr. Charron traveled to Ukraine with one of his parishioners to rescue a group of orphans who were trapped in occupied territory. He speaks very eloquently on the struggles of the Ukrainian people and on the persecution of the Church in Ukraine.”
Additionally, local refugees will share their story. “Maks and Alla Kondratenko are Ukrainian refugees who are living in Ann Arbor,” Babe said. “They fled to the United States and have since rebuilt their company… they are a visible reminder that the fight of the people in Ukraine is also the fight of the people of Ann Arbor.”
A call for community support
For Babe, the importance of local engagement is rooted in a broader moral responsibility.
“I’m sure there are many wonderful political answers to this question, but for me the most important reason comes from the Gospel of Luke when the scribe asks Jesus, ‘Who is my neighbor?’” Babe said.
He also encouraged community involvement in spreading the word.
“We need help promoting our fundraiser dinner!” Babe said. “I will mail copies of our flyers to anyone who would like to distribute them, and readers might also send a link to our website to anyone they know who cares about Ukraine.
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
