Rory Dumelie is determined to do everything he can to fill a Whyte Ave pub to the rafters. The Bachelor of Commerce student is set on making as much money on February 7 as possible, but this isn’t about profits. It’s about relief efforts in Ukraine.

For months, Dumelie has been hustling to find a partner (The Buckingham on Whyte Ave), invite guests, put up posters on campus and Whyte Avenue and solicit donations to a silent auction. The third-year management major's passion for this cause has nothing to do with his heritage.

“I grew up surrounded by Ukrainian people, and I feel like, as Albertans, we have a tight connection to Ukraine,” he says. “I know that people here care about what is happening in Ukraine and want to do something to help, but they just might not know what.”

That’s exactly how Dumelie felt when he walked through the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre (URDC) doors. “As a citizen of the world, sitting back and watching Ukraine get bombed isn’t okay with me. I was ready to do whatever they told me I could to help.”

So he signed up for the SOCI 395 sociological field school with Dr. Michael Gulayets and spent time at URDC listening and learning from Ukrainian refugee students studying at MacEwan.

“Hearing their stories firsthand is nothing like reading a Twitter thread or a news article about the war,” he says. “This is a real war that is affecting real people. As we talked, the students’ worries about being abandoned – that the war has become a footnote in people’s minds – came through.”

Dumelie wanted to do what he could to ensure that didn’t happen, so he organized a benefit concert for United24, a global initiative to support Ukraine. Funds raised will help with relief efforts – medical supplies, food security and shelter for people affected by the war.

“I approached The Buckingham to pitch my idea, and they got my vision, knew how important supporting Ukraine is, gave us the venue and booked acts – all for free. And I got to work asking everyone I could think of to come to the event or donate something to our silent auction.”

Dumelie hopes that the concert, hosted by Ukrainian refugee students, will be packed. 

“I would love to fill the place, bring the house down and raise as much money as we can for relief efforts in Ukraine,” he says. “But it’s a Tuesday night, so I’m trying to temper my expectations.”

But not all of Dumelie’s eggs are in this one basket. This concert isn’t the end – he is committed to working to help Ukraine until the war is over.

“If you had told me two months ago that I would be doing all of this, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he says. “This experience has taught me much – as a future business professional and a person. I don’t want to be hyperfocused on making money; I want to make a positive change in the world. And I think sometimes we underestimate how much we, as individuals, can do and what working hard and talking to people can accomplish.”

The United24 Ukraine Fundraiser is on Tuesday, February 7 at The Buckingham. Doors open at 8 p.m.