EDITORIAL: The UNA's 112th anniversary (02/19/06)

EDITORIAL

The UNA's 112th anniversary

On February 22 the Ukrainian National Association will celebrate the 112th anniversary of its founding and 112 years of service.

The UNA's history is a proud and illustrious one. It was the UNA that provided leadership in the formative years of the Ukrainian American community, at a time when immigrants from Ukrainian lands found themselves in a strange new world where no one cared for their welfare. "Batko Soyuz" was the moniker earned by the UNA in recognition of its paternal role in the life of the Ukrainian community. Through the decades the UNA has played a key role in every facet of our community's life: education, culture, history, political affairs, sports, the arts. Its subsidiaries - first Svoboda, then The Ukrainian Weekly and later Soyuzivka - also have been vital to our community's well-being. These subsidiaries, we should point out, also happen to be the most noteworthy of the diverse fraternal benefits sponsored by the UNA.

We approached the UNA's three full-time Executive Committee members for their thoughts on the occasion of the UNA's 112th birthday. Their answers revealed a focus on the future of the UNA and a firm belief that it will continue to play a pivotal role in our lives.

UNA President Stefan Kaczaraj pointed to the "historic moment" that will take place later this year when the UNA convenes its 36th Convention. "I'm extremely pleased that for the first time in its 112-year-old history the UNA's convention will take place on our piece of Ukraine's Karpaty in the Catskill region of New York state, at our estate, Soyuzivka." [Readers will recall that the breathtaking views at and around Soyuzivka are reminiscent of western Ukraine's Carpathian Mountains.] "This year a portion of the costs of our convention will go toward supporting our own estate instead of profiting various other businesses," added Mr. Kaczaraj, while expressing his appreciation for the importance our community attaches to Soyuzivka.

UNA National Secretary Christine E. Kozak expressed her conviction that the 112-year-old UNA, which has a proud track record of service to our community, "needs to be here for the next generation." However, for that to be possible, she added, "We need the support of the Ukrainian community, by way of purchasing major insurance policies." Simply put: in order to continue working for our community, the UNA needs our community's patronage. "It is the community component of our work that makes the UNA so much more than an insurance company," she explained.

UNA Treasurer Roma Lisovich looked ahead from the perspective of the present. "The UNA today is meeting new challenges, and in the next five years we will see very large changes for the UNA - positive ones - as we enter a growth mode that will ensure the organization's future," she stated. "The impetus for growth will be provided by membership," she continued. "We have a good product to sell, and we need to sell it with the concept that membership in the UNA is a means by which to preserve your Ukrainian heritage."

Thus, all three executive officers expressed the truism that the community needs the UNA and the UNA needs the community. It is a time-tested relationship that has benefited all Ukrainians - a relationship that should be celebrated, and strengthened, as the Ukrainian National Association turns 112.

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