Self Reliance New York donates $50,000 to Plast's Vovcha Tropa camp (04/10/05)

Self Reliance New York donates $50,000 to Plast's Vovcha Tropa camp

by Sonia Slobodian Bokalo

NEW YORK - Bohdan Kekish, president of Self Reliance Federal Credit Union - New York, along with Bohdan Kurchak, treasurer and CFO, and Paul Liteplo, manager of member services, bestowed the princely sum of $50,000 upon Yurij Huk, president of the board of directors of the Vovcha Tropa Plast Camp.

The donation will be used toward the camp's building fund for an an open-air pavilion that will be used by campers during group activities and will protect them from both rain and sun. The presentation was made on January 29.

Self Reliance has a history of being a very generous benefactor to Ukrainian youth organizations and has made donations to Vovcha Tropa in the past. Its generous donations speak volumes about the board of directors' understanding of the role of Self Reliance as a community leader and of the credit union's commitment to the future of the Ukrainian American community in the U.S.

Vovcha Tropa recently began a fund-raising campaign spearheaded by Andrij Kozak whose goal is to raise $200,000 in order to build the pavilion and to expand and renovate existing facilities.

Plans include swimming pool repairs, building a dining area for the yunaky (older boys') camp, resurfacing and redoing the existing sports field, as well as restoring the exterior of the main administration building.

A two-year project to renovate all campers' cottages is nearing completion and will be completed before the 2005 camping season. Even though many parents and friends of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization volunteered their labor for this project, the cost exceeded $40,000. Vovcha Tropa, as every aging facility, needs constant repairs and improvements so that it can continue to serve Plast youths in a manner that is consistent with state requirements and with specific needs of current campers, Mr. Huk noted.

He added that it is the hope of the Vovcha Tropa board that other institutions and individuals will follow the example of Self Reliance New York and will contribute generously to its improvement.

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