When Deb Olsen watched the news of the war in Ukraine, she felt pulled to take action. The drummer and leader of the band Steel Radiance decided to organize a concert to benefit the Ukraine War Refugee Aid Fund. The concert will be held on Saturday, June 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Shack, 662 S. Oak St., Manheim. Along with music from Steel Radiance, the show will feature a performance by Anna Kozyar, a Ukrainian refugee who recently resettled in the area.

Steel Radiance - which also includes lead singer Terri Brown, lead guitarist and vocalist Gabbie Bonet and bassist Lisa Rettew, with Pam Snyder occasionally filling in for Rettew - has been performing together for seven years. "The music we play is classic rock and blues," Olsen noted. "We're an all-female band, and we perform songs from the '60s, '70s and '80s, all cover songs."

The band was performing at a recent event in Lititz when Olsen was introduced to Kozyar. "She is from Kyiv, and she's living here with her uncle, and we invited her to sing with us," Olsen recalled. "She sang two songs, and it just broke my heart. In one of the songs, the lyrics were, 'I have no home.' Her mom was there, and I saw her crying, and I just thought, 'How we can we help?'"

The concert is free, but donations will be accepted for the fund through the Bethany Slavic Church in Ephrata. "It's a congregation mainly consisting of immigrants and refugees from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus," Olsen stated. The church's Ukraine War Refugee Aid Fund was created to help provide evacuation, temporary housing and other accommodations for refugees in Poland, Romania and other nations.

Olsen noted that while Kozyar's father had to remain in Ukraine to fight, the rest of the family is adjusting to life in Lancaster County. "When you hear about the war and what's going on from someone who has been there, it's just heartbreaking," Olsen said. She encourages people to come to the concert to not only raise funds for the refugees but also to meet Kozyar.

"She has a beautiful voice, but beyond that, she has a story to tell," Olsen stated. "People who come to the concert can hear some music, listen to someone who has been personally affected by the war and learn how they can help."

For more information on the concert, search for "Live Music in the Park with Steel Radiance" on Facebook.