THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM (08/13/06)

THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM

Annual UNA Seniors Conference held at Soyuzivka, elects leadership

by Oksana Trytjak

KERHONKSON, N.Y. - On June 11, on a late Sunday afternoon, registration for the annual UNA Seniors Conference began in the library of the UNA estate, Soyuzivka, here in Kerhonkson, N.Y. Upon registration, each participant received information relating to seniors' issues, UNA products, Soyuzivka and the Soyuzivka Heritage Foundation. They also received information about an upcoming UNA fund-raising cruise on the "Miracle" Carnival Cruise Lines to the Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya from Tampa, Fla., as well as copies of the UNA publications Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly.

Most participants arrived late on Sunday evening just in time to register and enjoy some wine and cheese, meet old friends and listen to light music by Stefan Ben. As everyone got reacquainted, requests to have a sing-along began. Rostyslav Wasylenko accompanied everyone on his mandolin. Marijka Pidluska, an Ellenville, N.Y., resident, joined in with her lovely voice and entertained all with her poetry and humorous anecdotes. Thus, the conference began on a light and happy note.

On Monday morning the official portion of the meeting began with 65 participants attending. Most of the attendees hailed from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. But there were some who came from as far as Florida, California and Ontario. It was a wonderful and diverse group, and many of the people spoke both Ukrainian and English. By the end of the week there were 72 attendees at the conference.

The meeting began with the participants singing the Ukrainian, Canadian and American national anthems. Oksana Trytjak, UNA Seniors president, welcomed everyone. Ihor Hayda, vice-president, was elected chairman and led the conference for the duration of the meetings.

Elections were held and the following members were elected unanimously: Ms. Trytjak, president; Mr. Hayda, vice-president; and Ija Wasylenko, treasurer. Olia Paprocki, who elected not to run, was thanked for her dedication and hard work as a treasurer for over a decade.

The week was also filled with many interesting speakers. On Monday afternoon, the first speaker, Damian Kolodij, a young cinematographer from New Jersey, showed his movie "The Orange Chronicles," which is about the Orange Revolution. He had spent months traveling in Ukraine before, during and after the Orange Revolution and dedicated his film to the memory of his grandparents, who would have been very proud of this documentary.

On Tuesday morning, Roma Hadzewycz, editor-in-chief of The Ukrainian Weekly, spoke about The Ukrainian Weekly and publications in general. Participants had many questions, which Ms. Hadzewycz was eager to answer.

The afternoon speaker was Dr. Bohdan Vitvitsky, a prominent New Jersey lawyer, writer, teacher, lecturer and community activist. He shed light on the question "What should we think about what is going on in Ukraine? Are things going well? Or badly?" This was a subject dear to all, and Dr. Vitvitsky spent quite some time explaining and answering many questions.

Wednesday morning brought yet another speaker Dr. Yaroslaw Stawnychy, a well-known New Jersey dentist. Dr. Stawnychy talked about various aspects of dental health, from serious health concerns to the cosmetic procedures available today. These topics were particularly interesting for seniors.

Nestor Paslawsky, manager of Soyuzivka, was eager to welcome the seniors and spoke about the many projects on the premises. There were many questions regarding the estate and positive commentary on the work that was done in the last couple of years. Mr. Paslawsky answered all questions and invited all to visit the resort more often and enjoy its various amenities.

The afternoon guest speaker was Roma Lisovich, UNA treasurer, who was re-elected to her position during the 36th UNA Convention held at Soyuzivka. She focused her presentation on the new Soyuzivka Heritage Foundation, explaining how the foundation will work and why it is important to support both the Heritage Foundation and the Ukrainian National Association.

On Thursday morning, the speaker was the vice-president of the UNA Seniors, Mr. Hayda. Drawing on his extensive background in the field of nutrition, he provided the participants with many answers to their questions about nutrition, health and diet.

The afternoon speaker was Dr. Bohdar Woroch, a prominent cardiologist from New Jersey, who was invited to speak again this year by popular request. He gave a brief overview of a typical trip to the cardiologist.

His presentation, "The complete Cardiovascular Evaluation," explained many aspects of a visit that sometimes is not entirely clear to the patient. Dr. Woroch also spent time answering questions.

On Friday morning, Christine Kozak, UNA national secretary, also re-elected to her position at the 36th Convention, visited the seniors and informed the attendees about the various products the UNA has to offer.

On Thursday evening, during the traditional banquet, most participants wore Ukrainian "vyshyvky," or Ukrainian embroidered clothing, making the event very festive.

The newly re-elected UNA president, Stefan Kaczaraj, visited the seniors and welcomed everybody to the conference. The guest speaker during the banquet was Mr. Wasylenko, who entertained guests with humorous anecdotes and a wonderful recitation of a famous poem, "Kameniari," by Ivan Franko. A recipient of the prestigious title "Outstanding Artist of Ukraine," Mr. Wasylenko not only performed but also wrote and sang a special song dedicated to the UNA Seniors.

All the seniors laughed, sang, danced and enjoyed themselves that evening. A musical interlude by Olya Fryz and Andrij Stasiw brought even more joy to the evening. Ms. Fryz has performed many times on the Soyuzivka stage, entertaining both adult and young audiences. Mr. Stasiw, a gifted pianist, accompanied Ms. Fryz during the evening. For the dancers in the crowd, Stefan Ben and his Vidlunnia Band coaxed couples to dance.

During the week there was an exhibit of Dr. Yurij Trytjak's photographs in the Main House lobby. On Wednesday evening, participants enjoyed a Polish film "With Fire and Sword," set during the Kozak uprisings starring Ukrainian actor Bohdan Stupka. At the request of many of the conference participants, Yurij Soltys and Nicholas Nenadkevich agreed to manage the bingo evening. It was a fun evening. During another evening, an auction was held under the direction of Dr. Soltys and his assistant, Maria Bilinsky. There were also sing-alongs during the evenings when wine and cheese was served. And last but certainly not least, there was the traditional raffle, with the first prize being a weekend at Soyuzivka, won by Geraldine Nadberezny, a guest from California. Almost $1,000 was raised during these events and the participants voted to donate $1,000 to the Soyuzivka Heritage Fund.

The UNA Seniors spent a fun-filled week at Soyuzivka. The entertainment was first rate, the lectures very informative and often humorous, and the chance to meet both new and old friends was priceless. Every meal was a delight, prepared by Soyuzivka's outstanding chef, Andrij Sonevytsky, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. The only complaint was that "we eat too often, and they serve us too much" (even though many of the meals were buffet style)!

The six-day stay at this beautiful Ukrainian resort (including room and board), came down to as little as $345 for double occupancy. Everybody who could not make it to the Seniors Week this June is encouraged to make plans for next year. Next year's event will be held on June 10-15, 2007. All seniors are welcome, and groups are encouraged to attend.

Iraq veteran and UNA member welcomed home to New Jersey

The Ukrainian National Association welcomes home Capt. Mark D. Popowicz, a member of UNA Branch 234. Capt. Popowicz served two tours of duty in Iraq and recently returned safely to New Jersey. He is seen above while on duty in Iraq.

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