2004: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

The UNA celebrates its 110th anniversary

One hundred ten - that is the anniversary observed by the Ukrainian National Association in 2004. The UNA, which was founded on February 22, 1894, began the anniversary year with a greeting to its members and a statement addressed to the Ukrainian community at large published on the front pages of its two newspapers, Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly.

"The founding ideals of the Ukrainian National Association - to help the ailing; to pay benefits after members' deaths so their families could be assured of a brighter future; to promote enlightenment among our people through the means of publications; to educate our youth and people with regard to their heritage; to preserve the culture, language and traditions of our native land; and to be a representative voice in the American political arena in order to help our countrymen both here and in Ukraine - have proved to be the guiding principles that remain relevant for our community today,"

"110 years - a milestone! And, as such, a time for reflection. 110 years filled with achievements, successes, development and growth," wrote the UNA's Executive Committee. "In the next decade we would like to ensure the UNA's role as the most recognized and effective Ukrainian organization in the United States. We want to redefine ourselves as the central hub organization for all Ukrainian Americans interested in preserving their culture and heritage. We strongly believe that the UNA, with its well-developed infrastructure and expansive and diverse membership, is in the best position to unify our disconnected diaspora community. Our publications provide a well-developed communications network. Building on this as a foundation, the UNA can be the conduit that ties together the widely dispersed community through a new global and electronic communications network. As such, we will continue adhering to the UNA's original purpose: preserving our unique culture heritage, extending charity and maintaining fellowship."

For its part, The Ukrainian Weekly marked the historic landmark by preparing a special issue on the anniversary date and publishing special features highlighting the UNA's 110 years of service to the community throughout the year. And, the design of the "Ukrainian National Association Forum" section in our paper was altered to reflect the anniversary. During 2004 and into the beginning of 2005 The Weekly published "Highlights from the UNA's 110-year anniversary" and excerpts of Dr. Myron B. Kuropas' comprehensive history of the UNA under the heading " 'Ukrainian-American Citadel': from the pages of UNA history." The histories of several UNA branches were also highlighted under the heading "Spotlight on UNA branches."

A Ukrainian-language edition of Dr. Kuropas' book was released in 2004, and the official book launch was held at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Warren, Mich., on October 2 under the sponsorship of three Detroit organizations: the Ukrainian National Association's Detroit District Committee, the Shevchenko Scientific Society and the Ukrainian Graduates of Detroit and Windsor. The evening marked the 110th anniversary of the Ukrainian National Association.

Svoboda released the 2004 Almanac of the Ukrainian National Association, which was dedicated first and foremost to the 110th anniversary of the establishment of the largest and oldest Ukrainian fraternal organization. The book's first section was devoted to the UNA and included an article by UNA President Stefan Kaczaraj, as well as anniversary greetings from the New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey and the editorial staffs of Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly. The almanac's editor was Petro Chasto of the Svoboda staff.

The oldest work of Ukrainian prose fiction written and set in Canada was made available in March in an English translation by Jars Balan of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. Titled "Ruthenian Easter - and a French Catholic Priest," the short story was authored on May 8, 1897, by the Rev. Nestor Dmytriw, editor of Svoboda, during his historic tour of Ukrainian pioneer settlements in western Canada. Published 12 days later at Mount Carmel, Pa., in the newspaper Svoboda, the story depicts an attempt by immigrants to celebrate a traditional Easter in Calgary while making their way to homesteads in the Kalyna Country region of east central Alberta. The translation appeared in the March-April issue of Alberta Views, a Calgary-based magazine devoted to provincial affairs and the arts. "Ruthenian Easter" was the first installment of a series of anecdotal sketches that appeared in a series called "Scenes from Canada." The Rev. Dmytriw (1863-1925) was a Greek-Catholic priest who was the first Ukrainian clergyman to travel to Canada. He celebrated the first Ukrainian liturgy in Canada in Terebowla, now Valley Spring, Manitoba.

The biggest news of 2004 regarding the UNA concerned its renewed membership in the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, with which it had severed its ties back in 1980. At its 2003 annual meeting the UNA General Assembly had voted to restore the UNA's decades-long relationship with the UCCA on the same basis and status as had been established during its original membership. A UNA statement released after this important vote noted: "It is our sincere hope that this step will serve as an incentive for others to seek common ground on which to build mutual cooperation for the good of our community. For, let us remember, only with unity comes strength." The statement also underscored: "Only from a position of strength and cooperation can we, as a community, have a powerful, united voice in the public arena. As such, the Ukrainian National Association, mindful of the fact it represents a body of over 45,000 members of diverse and varied viewpoints, believes it is essential to foster a cooperative and unifying spirit within our community."

Thus, the UNA's delegates headed to Philadelphia for the 19th Congress of Ukrainian Americans - the quadrennial convention of the UCCA - on September 24-26.

There the UNA's delegates played an active role in the proceedings and three representatives of the UNA were elected to positions on the UCCA National Executive Board. President Kaczaraj was elected first vice-president, a position that also made him, ex officio, the chairman of the UCCA National Council; Treasurer Roma Lisovich was elected a vice-president; and Honorary Member of the General Assembly Kuropas was voted to serve as a member at large.

UNA'ers also succeeded in having the UCCA amend its by-laws. Three amendments were adopted: the first stipulates that the post of first vice-president on the National Executive Board be reserved for a representative of the largest, both in terms of membership and branches, central national organization within the UCCA system; the second provided that a central or national organization has the right to send additional delegates to the Congress of Ukrainians in America based on the number of its members (an organization is entitled to one delegate for the first 5,000 or less members; two delegates for up to 10,000 members; and additional delegates for each additional or partial 5,000 members); and the third amendment stipulated that each national central organization with 2,000 or more members and with a minimum of five branches is entitled to the seat of a vice-president on the National Executive Board.

The congress also drafted a resolution that dealt with the renewed relationship between the UCCA and the UNA. It read: "The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America acknowledges the steps taken by the Ukrainian National Association at its convention in May 2002 in Chicago to undertake the process of renewing its relationship with the UCCA and acknowledges the decision by the UNA General Assembly in November 2003 to vote unanimously to re-establish its membership with the UCCA. The 19th Congress of the UCCA further appreciates the contribution of the UNA and appreciates the good faith efforts made so far which have led to the participation of the UNA in the 19th Congress of the UCCA. The Congress also acknowledges that further refinement of outstanding issues must take place, which will serve to strengthen the relationship and will serve as a means by which to unify Ukrainian American organizations in our community under one central umbrella organization."

The UNA Executive Committee released a statement about the UCCA conclave, noting: "As mandated by the UNA Convention of May 2002 and the General Assembly decision of November 2003 to renew our relationship with the UCCA, the Ukrainian National Association is pleased to have participated in the 19th Congress of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America on September 24-26 in Philadelphia. The Ukrainian National Association is pleased also to have taken this historic step toward bringing about unity in our Ukrainian American community. We look forward to continuing the development of an umbrella organization that serves to represent the multiple constituencies in our community."

The 2004 annual meeting of the UNA General Assembly took place on November 19-21 at Soyuzivka. Addressing the sessions, President Kaczaraj summarized his written report, expanded on the financial status of the UNA and reassured the General Assembly members that the UNA is slowly moving in the right direction. He reminded all that the fraternal industry has been suffering in the last decade due to the recession, and many fraternals did not survive. The UNA had not only survived, but slowly is recovering. He emphasized the importance of a qualified sales force to increase UNA insurance sales.

Treasurer Lisovich strongly emphasized working together toward the UNA's success, as well as the success of Soyuzivka and the UNA's publications. She encouraged every secretary and district chairman, and all members of the board to participate in this grand effort, and explained that the UNA's strategy is to become more visible in the community, regain its integral role and again become the motivating force of the community. A close partnership with the community serves the UNA well, it was once and is now a successful strategy, she said. The treasurer reported that the financial figures were a little disappointing for the first nine months of 2004. She noted, however, that for the year ending December 2003 - for the first time in a decade - there was a surplus increase. However, this year, due to contributing factors that surplus will not appear, she added. The slow economic recovery has made consumer demand for insurance and annuity products lower. Therefore, premium income decreased from $3,722,000 in 2003 to $3,042,000 in 2004.

National Secretary Christine E. Kozak reported on the membership status of the UNA, noting a slow upturn in sales of policies - 54 more policies were sold in the first nine months of 2004 than in 2003 for the same time frame for a total face amount of $5,230,062. The UNA annuity product, she said, had been doing rather well, with a total of 76 annuities sold in nine months of 2004 for premiums collected of $1,428,849. Ms. Kozak pointed out that the slow upswing in sales is credited to the professional sales force hired by Western Catholic Union that is working primarily in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida.

Besides reviewing all facets of UNA activity, the General Assembly set the date of the 36th UNA Convention for May 24-28, 2006, at Soyuzivka.

Other news related to the General Assembly included the naming of Gloria Horbaty of New Haven. Conn., as a UNA advisor. Ms. Horbaty, who comes from a long-standing active UNA family and has been the secretary of Branch 414, since 1998, replaced Advisor Barbara Bachynsky, who has served on the General Assembly board since 1998 but resigned in 2004. The announcement of her appointment appeared in The Weekly on October 10.

Meanwhile, at the Home Office, Oksana Trytjak, previously the UNA's special projects and fraternal activities coordinator, was tapped on September 1 for the new position of national organizer. The role of the national organizer was described in a UNA news release published on October 3 as "working on a national level to increase awareness of the UNA within the Ukrainian community." Among the projects undertaken by Ms. Trytjak: coordination of the UNA's mailing of Christmas cards and New Year's greetings to Ukrainian American men and women serving in U.S. armed forces around the globe.

Also during 2004, the UNA Auditing Committee conducted two reviews of UNA operations: on May 24-27 and on November 16-18. The Auditing Committee reviewed the implementation of resolutions of the 35th Convention of the UNA, the activity of the financial and organizing departments, UNA publications, and the administrative and financial state of the UNA resort Soyuzivka, among other matters.

Meanwhile, the full Executive Committee of the UNA - that is the three execs who work full-time at the Home Office, president, national secretary and treasurer; plus the UNA's vice-presidents and its director for Canada - met thrice: on March 26, July 9 and September 17.

In terms of fraternal benefits to UNA members, there were a few developments during 2004. First, new UNA member benefit was launched on April 12, as announced by National Secretary Christine E. Kozak: "This is an extremely exciting time for the UNA. In honor of the UNA's 110th anniversary, and as always, keeping the UNA's membership in mind, we are proud to announce the ScriptSave Prescription Drug Discount Card." The discount card that is accepted in over 33,000 participating pharmacies in the United States; it not only offers instant savings on prescriptions, it also offers savings on vision care, hearing care, diabetes supplies and health aids. The ScriptSave program was free to all members who chose to enroll by simply contacting the UNA Home Office.

Later in the year, in September, the UNA rolled out its Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Plan. The plan is available to UNA members for $3,000 or $5,000 of coverage. Members between the ages of 35 and 90 who already have an active premium-paying policy, a single-premium policy, a paid-up policy or an annuity, are eligible to purchase the Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Plan regardless of their past or current health status. National Secretary Kozak explained that the "Guaranteed Issue Whole Life Plan is a way for the UNA to show appreciation to its members for their continued support during the past 110 years, by offering a no-questions-asked policy."

Also in September, UNA executive officers approved a new member benefit for UNA annuity holders: along with the 10 percent free withdrawal offered by the UNA, the UNA would now provide free withdrawals of funds for terminal illness, nursing home confinement and medical expenses.

At the UNA's upstate New York resort, Soyuzivka, there was news about new activities, especially in the form of new camps for children and teens. The resort inaugurated an Exploration Day Camp, a supervised day camp for children age 7-10; Adventure Camp, a sleepover camp geared for youths age 13-16 that focused on outdoor activities; and Discovery Camp, a new sleepover program modeled after the Adventure Camp but geared for children age 8-12. Overseeing Soyuzivka's camps, as well as a host of activities for the resort's guests, was Walter Nalywayko, who began working with the resort as its activities director during Memorial Day weekend of 2003.

The Ukrainian Weekly's "Soyuzivka Scrapbook" feature attempted to keep up with all the goings on and new developments at the resort via photos and brief news items.

In April the Brooklyn Ukrainian Group (BUG) gathered 13 volunteers to rake the grounds, clean out the hiking trails and haul away old appliances at Soyuzivka. "They saved me $10,000," Soyuzivka's general manager, Nestor Paslawsky, said. Maya Lew, the organizer of BUG's clean-up campaign, commented on what motivated the group: "Anyone who has even one fond memory of Soyuzivka does not want to lose the resort and wants to see it succeed. Volunteering our time helps to lighten some of their workload while hopefully saving money for the UNA, and gives us the opportunity to feel as though we're an active part of Soyuzivka's continued success. It's a win-win situation."

Members of other groups, such as Plast and SUM, cleared new hiking trails. Other Soyuzivka benefactors took a more traditional route, purchasing benches (a $2,000 donation recognizes the donor with a plaque on the bench) or bricks (a $250 donation recognizes the donor with an inscription on the brick).

Meanwhile, the UNA announced long-term plans to build condo townhouses on the resort's property. The sale of the townhouses will allow the UNA to put money back into Soyuzivka and will serve as a hub for the community. The townhouses will be sold in groups of 40, with the first phase to be built near the Kyiv villa, the second behind the Ukrainian Catholic Church, and the third down the hill from the resort.

In other news during 2004, former Ukrainian National Association sales agent Joseph Binczak, who pleaded guilty to stealing from the association, was sentenced on January 7 to three years in state prison. The judge also imposed a condition of restitution, requiring Mr. Binczak to pay approximately $570,000 to the UNA. As Mr. Binczak currently had no assets, according to the state prosecutor's office, the UNA said it would continue to pursue Mr. Binczak and any of his future assets through actions in civil court.

It was in November of 2002 that the UNA had informed its members that the State of New Jersey had brought criminal charges against Mr. Binczak, accusing him of theft, forging signatures and falsifying documents in a scheme to fraudulently obtain funds from the annuity accounts of seven UNA members. In September 2003, Mr. Binczak voluntarily pleaded guilty to charges of theft by deception and awaited sentencing.

UNA President Kaczaraj commented on the sentencing: "The UNA is pleased that this case is coming to an end. Nonetheless, we remain stunned by Mr. Binczak's deep violation of our community's trust. For almost two years the UNA quietly cooperated with New Jersey state authorities to gather evidence about these acts of theft that occurred between 1996 and 2000. No Ukrainian National Association policyholder suffered any financial loss, since the UNA made full and immediate restitution to our victimized members."

Other developments at the UNA included the following:

• Local and regional officers, along with employees of the Ukrainian National Association, attended a special seminar on annuities held at the UNA Corporate Headquarters on Saturday, January 31. The daylong seminar featured Robert Mitchell, a certified senior advisor (CSA), who covered the technical aspects of the annuities and IRAs, as well as presented ideas on how to market annuities. The seminar was designed to give participants answers to all those questions they face when selling annuities. Attendees included UNAers from Connecticut, New Jersey and New York state, including the metro New York City area, as well as regions upstate and in the western part of the state.
  
  
• The February 29 (yes the 29th - it was a leap year) included a four-page pull-out section on the UNA's 2003-2004 scholarship program and the 123 students who received a total of $23,550 in scholarship awards for that academic year. (Look for the 2004-2005 scholarship winners in a special section to be released in early 2005.)
  
  
• The "Insurance Matters" column by UNA Advisor Joseph Hawryluk, a New York State licensed insurance agent, was introduced to readers of the "Ukrainian National Association Forum" on April 4.
  
  
• In June the UNA nominated Anna Chopek, honorary member of the Ukrainian National Association's General Assembly, for the 2004 Fraternalist of the Year Award to be presented by the National Fraternal Congress of America. Ms. Chopek, who turned 92 in 2004, was a UNA supreme advisor from 1958 to 1978; she has been an honorary member of the General Assembly since 1978. In addition, she is president of the UNA Seniors, a post she has held since 1996. UNA National Secretary Christine E. Kozak wrote in her nomination letter that Ms. Chopek "is a woman deserving of the title [of Fraternalist of the Year] for her constant activity in the community and fraternal association for over 60 years." The NFCA website, which carried news of Ms. Chopek's nomination, noted that the UNA was the first member-society to submit a nomination for the 2004 award.
  
  
• The 30th Conference of UNA Seniors was held at Soyuzivka on June 13-18. Anna Chopek, who had led the organization since 1996, stepped down, and Oksana Trytjak was elected in her stead. The new president pledged to increase membership in the organization.
  
  
• On June 18-20 the UNA hosted American families who had adopted children from Ukraine at an Adoptive Families Weekend at Soyuzivka. The retreat had several goals, but foremost it was meant to help American parents learn more about the culture and traditions of their Ukrainian children, according to officials from the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, Ukraine's Consulate General in New York and the UNA, who together organized the inaugural event. "We saw that some American families have no information about Ukraine, but we also saw that they want to know [about the country]," Ukraine's vice consul in New York, Andrii Nadzhos said. Martha Lysko, first vice-president of the UNA, said some 30 families, for a total of 120 people, attended the event.
  
  
• On November 3 the UNA announced a new joint project with the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund. Representatives of the two organizations met on November 3 at the UNA Corporate Headquarters to ratify the agreement, launching a nationwide campaign to sign up new members who would designate CCRF as a beneficiary of their life insurance policy. "For 110 years, the Ukrainian National Association has worked for the benefit of the Ukrainian community throughout North America and around the world," said UNA National Organizer Trytjak. "With this in mind, the UNA has begun a program of gift-giving to various organizations through our UNA insurance gift giving program." This program was initiated with the approval of UNA executives and the president of the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, Dr. Zenon Matkiwsky. The UNA Gift-Giving Program was officially launched at CCRF's National Convention on November 20 as part of a gala fund-raising banquet celebrating the 15th anniversary of the fund's first medical shipment to Ukraine.
  
  
• The UNA designed a similar charitable program to support the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine's elite national university. That new program was announced at a ceremony attended by UNA President Kaczaraj, National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy president Dr. Viacheslav Briukhovetsky and Kyiv Mohyla Foundation president Ihor Wyslotsky at the Ukrainian Institute of America on November 5. The program provides the opportunity to purchase a life insurance policy, name the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation as the beneficiary for the benefit of the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, and deduct the full amount of premium payment from income taxes.
  
  
• In early December, with Ukraine headed for the third round of its presidential election, the UNA issued an appeal to its members and the community at large to support the participants of the Orange Revolution who were demonstrating for fairness and justice in Ukraine. The UNA sought donations to help the cause of free and fair elections through its Ukrainian National Foundation.
  
  
• In late December UNA President Kaczaraj of New Jersey and UNA Director for Canada Al Kachkowski of Saskatchewan were among the thousands of election monitors sent from various parts of the world to observe the December 26 election. In addition, the Executive Committee of the Ukrainian National Association decided to donate $5,000 in support of young election observers who would be traveling to Ukraine as part of the group organized by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. The funds, $500 each to help defray costs of airfare, were to be distributed to 10 young activists who are members of the UNA and active in Ukrainian community life. In a letter to the UCCA, UNA Treasurer Lisovich underscored: "We commend them for their ardent passion and their efforts in ensuring that the democratic process in Ukraine is upheld. We are especially proud that many of these young activists are also UNA members. ... We are proud of our young people and commend them for their commitment and support of Ukraine in its fight for democracy."

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 16, 2005, No. 2, Vol. LXXIII

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