DANVILLE, Pa. — Darya Shevchenko has lived in Danville for about three years, but she was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
"When I was growing up, I would spend my entire summer back in Ukraine with my grandmother and my friends, so three months out of the year I was over there," Shevchenko said.
When Russia invaded Ukraine last month, Shevchenko found it hard to function here while her friends in Ukraine were fighting for their lives. She decided to go to the Ukraine border and help her loved ones.
"I just bought tickets to Austria, drove over to Slovakia, and met the first one and then just basically sat in my rented car and waited for more to come."
When Shevchenko got back to Danville last week, she told her daughter's dance teacher Karen Gronsky what she was doing.
"These are real people, these are real children, these are her friends. This light came; it's real and don't close your eyes," said Gronsky, owner of the Karen Gronsky School of Dance.
Gronsky knows firsthand how the Danville community comes together in times of tragedy. Last year Gronsky's dance studio was destroyed by a fire.
Gronsky decided to host a benefit for Shevchenko's family called Dance to Make a Difference.
"We're going to dance a new genre of music every hour until it's over. People are donating food. They're talking about let's have raffles," Gronsky said.
The event will have unlimited dance classes and costs $25. All proceeds will go to Shevchenko's loved ones in Ukraine.
"Look at all of these people. We're an ocean away, and look at how many people care. It's not only heartwarming, it's overwhelming," Shevchenko said.
"We're helping people's morale who really need it in their life right now," Gronsky added.
The event will be held on April 9 at Karen Gronsky School of Dance in Danville.
See more videos on our area's connection to the Crisis in Ukraine.