Irondequoit Rotary Club hosts benefit for CCRF neonatal project in Poltava (06/13/04)

Irondequoit Rotary Club hosts benefit for CCRF neonatal project in Poltava

IRONDEQUOIT, N.Y. - On May 8, at St. Mary's Ukrainian Church Hall in Irondequoit, N.Y., the Irondequoit Rotary hosted its second international benefit dinner-dance for the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund's Poltava Maternity Hospital Neonatal Project.

The Irondequoit Rotary Club was founded in 1967 to improve the quality of life in Irondequoit by supporting a number of children's camps and programs. Their primary source of funding for local activities is their annual spaghetti dinner that draws crowds from the Rochester area and beyond.

Recently, the Irondequoit Rotary Club expanded its efforts in the international service area by sponsoring an annual dinner-dance with entertainment and food specialties representing some of the various ethnic groups enriching Irondequoit.

The funds raised by the May 8 event have been earmarked for the Poltava Maternity Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit to purchase multi-channel perfusion pumps, pulse oximeters, a ventilator and blood pressure monitors for newborns. The Poltava Maternity Hospital was able to reduce infant mortality from 17.3 percent in 1999 to 6.3 percent in 2003 due to the infusion of state-of-the-art equipment provided by the Rochester community and the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund (CCRF).

Chaired by Therese Corrigan-Bastuk of Eastman Kodak, the evening had an international theme and featured performances from a variety of groups and individuals, including the Drumcliffe Irish Dancers, a Turkish dance group, Matt Kroetz on his German zeither, Len Hawley and his Italian melodies, and the Yevshan and Dunay Ukrainian dance ensembles. As a special treat from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, professional dancers Taras and Wendy Denysenko impressed the crowd with their rendition of a number of Latin dances.

Throughout the evening, guests had an opportunity to socialize, dine and enjoy themselves at the gaming tables provided by St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Church. Members of the organizing committee sold 50/50 raffle tickets and tickets for door prizes. The atmosphere was jovial, with the tone set early on by the witty introductions and remarks by masters of ceremonies Les Kuzuba and Lydia Dzus.

Between performances, members of the coalition thanked the audience for attending and stressed the importance of coming together to raise funds for a worthy cause. Mrs. Corrigan-Bastuk introduced the local dignitaries and Jim Kozlowski, the president of the Irondequoit Rotary Club, talked about the Rotary's renewed commitment to international causes. Ann Kornylo, the president of the Irondequoit-Poltava Sister Cities, delivered remarks thanking everyone for their participation.

The speeches were followed by a brief presentation of awards from the Ukrainian Consul Ihor Sybiha, Lesia Telega and CCRF's Director of Procurement Lisa Milanytch. Ms. Milanytch spoke about her personal experiences in visiting hospitals in Ukraine and ended by stating that she was there to do three things: to remind the guests what a positive effect their support can have in the lives of ailing babies in Ukraine; to ask that they continue their support for the rest of the evening and in the future; and to commend all the people for dedicating their time and energy that results in changes for the better.

Consul Sybiha, Mrs. Telega and Ms. Milanytch recognized Mr. Kozlowski and Ms. Kornylo for their commitment to saving the lives of Ukrainian children, and Ms. Milanytch gave a special certificate of recognition to Myron Babiuk, president of the Rochester Chapter of CCRF, for his devoted leadership of the chapter.

The event was a huge success with sold-out seats to over 300 people. CCRF is soliciting additional funds for the purchase of medical equipment for the Poltava Maternity Hospital as well as other hospital partnerships. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to CCRF at 272 Old Short Hills Road, Short Hills, NJ 07078. For further information about CCRF activities in the Rochester area readers may contact Mr. Babiuk at (585) 458-2133.

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