The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, April 3, 2014 | 4 Concert sends message of support to Ukraine by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff Like many with family in Ukraine, Oakville resident Larysa Haluza watched the news in disbelief last month as Russia took over the European country's Crimea region. The annexation followed a referendum in Crimea, which has been condemned as illegal by the United Nations General Assembly because Russian troops had already seized the Black Sea peninsula when the vote took place. "We couldn't believe this. We were very disappointed, frustrated. We felt betrayed by the Russians," said Haluza. "All those years we lived next to each other as friends, as relatives. A lot of families have Russians and Ukrainians in their family and you never pay attention to who is who. We saw the Russians as our brothers and sisters." With no real way to protest the occupation here, the lead co-ordinator of the Oakville Ridna Shkola Ukrainian School, which provides Ukrainian language and cultural awareness education for children on Saturday mornings, met with other members of the local Ukrainian community and decided to show its support for their countrymen and women through a special event. That event took the form of a children's concert, which featured 45 youths, last Saturday at St. Joseph's Ukrainian Catholic Church. Students at the Oakville Ridna Shkola Ukrainian School, perform a concert at St. Joseph's Ukrainian Church Saturday. The event featured a prayer for those in the Ukraine and a salute to famous Ukrainian writer and national hero Taras Shevchenko. For more photos, visit www.insidehalton.com. | photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) The concert was dedicated to Taras Shevchenko, a great Ukrainian poet and writer who also championed his people's freedom from repressive Czarist Russia. In fact, a statue of Shevchen- ko used to stand in a park on the north side of Dundas Street until it was stolen by thieves, and upon recovery, placed in a Toronto museum. Saturday's concert made sense, Haluza said, as one act in it was dedicated to support the present-day struggle of Ukrainians who again find their freedom and independence at risk. "We added something to the program, which was a prayer for the people of Ukraine. Praying for their independence," said Haluza. "We just wanted to show that we remember them and we really support them." Haluza said she, and most of the more than 100 people who attended Saturday's concert, have family in the Ukraine. Haluza's family members live in the western part of the country where there remains much uncertainty about Russia's next move. "They worry a lot because they don't know what is going to happen the next day. This weekend everybody could not even sleep because they were afraid the Russian military would start again, invading Ukraine," she said. "There is a lot of fear now." While the Crimea referendum supposedly showed 95 per cent support among the population for becoming part of Russia, Haluza said her family has seen many refugees leaving their homes and businesses in the Crimea and making their way west. As Ukraine awaits the future, Haluza said now, more than ever, it is important for her and other co-ordinators at the Oakville Ridna Shkola Ukrainian School to continue their work to ensure that the heritage and culture of the European nation is passed on to the next generation. Voted the Best in Oakville We Invite you to find out why! Call today for your personal tour. We'd love to have you join us! Retirement Living 380 Sherin Drive, Oakville, Ontario (905) 847-1413 www.vistamere.ca At Its Best