EDITORIAL: New beginnings (08/29/04)

EDITORIAL

New beginnings

It's that time of year again. With the end of August our brains tell us the summer is over. Yes, the calendar tells us that summer has a little more than three more weeks to go, but everything around us tells us otherwise.

Our summer interns here at The Ukrainian Weekly (thank you for everything, Roxolana [Woloshyn] and Peter [Steciuk]!) and next door at Svoboda have gone back to school. The stories and photos about diverse summer camps have been arriving here at our editorial offices. The back-to-school sales on everything from school supplies to clothes to computers are on. And, "Ukrainian Week" in Wildwood is drawing to a close. How can this be? Where did summer vacation disappear?

Much as we hate to see summer end, we prefer to look on the bright side. For, after every ending, there is a new beginning. That, perhaps, is how we all should look upon the imminent arrival of September.

Indeed, September ushers in a new beginning. After all, it's not just the school year that commences. It seems that all our community activities start after the summer hiatus: youth organizations' meetings, dance lessons, sports practices. Even our adult activities are restarted at this time of year as our community organizations resume their work.

September, then, is a time for all of us to become reinvolved in our communities. It is also a good time for us to take stock of our community involvement and to take a clear-eyed look at what needs to be done in our community life.

Ask yourself: Am I contributing to the life of our Ukrainian American or Ukrainian Canadian community? Have I volunteered in some manner to help my parish, my school, my club? Have I supported the groups that are important to me, my children, my family, my community, my nation?

Hopefully, the answer to those questions is "yes." And, if you did say "yes," then September is also a good time for a reassessment of your involvement.

Again, ask yourself: Am I contributing as best I can to my chosen organizations/institutions in terms of my talents? Have I devoted enough time to working on worthwhile volunteer projects? Have I donated enough money to support the groups and projects I hold dear?

And, add to this a very important question for those of us who are parents: What example am I setting for my children as regards our Ukrainian community life? Surely, if you want your children to be involved, you must show them the way. Community involvement means much more than dropping your kids off at one activity or another.

So, as September approaches, it behooves us to set aside some time and give some thought to our community life - a most precious commodity that needs nourishment in order to survive and thrive.

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