A Thompson musician is using some of his own money and his most recent album to try to help out relief efforts in Ukraine, where an unprovoked invasion by Russia has killed hundreds of civilians and caused over a million Ukrainians to flee their country.
Mike Haggith, who released his most recent album Bridges in early November last year, recently announced on his website that he would be donating all proceeds from its sale this month to United Help Ukraine, along with $100 of his own money.
The decision to try to raise some money doesn’t come from any personal connection to Ukraine, but just his own principles, Haggith told the Thompson Citizen.
“I don't like to be too political when it comes to my music, but I'm quite anti-war and very anti-imperial,” he said. “Seeing civilian casualties and things like that, either on the world stage or on a stage closer to home, that just really doesn't sit well with me.”
Haggith says he felt like this was a small way he could help people on the other side of the world living through a nightmare.
“I’m a 30-year-old airline pilot in northern Canada,” he said. “What can I do against global superpowers and all of these things? At least I can encourage some people to come together, and we can at least make a small difference and feel good about that.”
To purchase a copy of Bridges on vinyl or CD, go to www.mikehaggith.com. Digital downloads can be bought through mikehaggith.bandcamp.com.
For those who want to help but aren’t interested in owning his album, Haggith put a list of six Ukrainian charities he believes are worthy of support on his website.
“I looked at a few different charities, and at the end of the day, I really just like United Help Ukraine’s focus more on the civilian aspects of their efforts. So, ultimately, that's why I ended up going with them.”
