ELORA – While locals find ways to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, four brothers and sisters have found their own way to help.
The Quilley siblings — 17-year-old Arlo, 16-year-old Jem and 12-year-old twins Tuuli and Romy — have organized a night of traditional music and dance at the Elora Legion Saturday evening as a fundraiser going towards the Canadian Red Cross and a GoFundme campaign to bring at-risk women and girls from Ukraine to Canada.
The children make up a band called Glowan, said their father Stephen Quilley in an interview where he spoke on their behalf.
Glowan plays traditional music, Quilley described it as “sort of Celtic, Northumbrian” with fiddles and pipes, and incorporates dance as well.
The band, along with other performers including Tony McManus, Anna Smilek, Brad Fedy and more, are coming out to support and entertain at the benefit show.
“Some other people are turning up to play some sets of traditional music,” Quilley said. “This is all the kids, it’s not me. They’ve booked the Elora Legion.”
Quilley said he believes his children wanted to help after seeing what the people of Ukraine are facing rather than the politics of the situation.
“They’re just watching the TV and looking at the pictures of the refugees and the people getting bombed and trapped in that theatre,” Quilley said.
“They play quite a lot and they just thought ‘why don’t we just book the legion and do a benefit and raise a bit of money.’ It’s something they can do and they enjoy playing and they’ve got a lot of friends to play as well.”
The event starts at 7 p.m. at the Elora Legion on Saturday. Entry is by donation which will be taken at the door.
