Clifton Ukrainians attend ceremony at City Hall (09/17/06)

THE 15th ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE

Clifton Ukrainians attend ceremony at City Hall

CLIFTON, N.J. - About 75 people - including various local and state politicians - attended a flag-raising ceremony at Clifton City Hall on August 24 to mark the 15th year of Ukraine's independence. Among those in attendance was Self Reliance (NJ) Federal Credit Union President Mike Celuch. He is pictured above with 21-month-old Anastasia Tymtsiv (center) and Avalina Michel. Anastasia was born with several heart defects and Mr. Celuch and members of the Clifton Rotary Club arranged for her and her mother to come to the U.S. earlier this summer as part of the Gift of Life program. Anastasia underwent successful heart surgery at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson and will soon return to Ukraine. With three local churches serving the greater Clifton area, the community has nearly 2,000 people of Ukrainian descent who live and work nearby. The unidentified foursome seen below was among the approximately 75 people who attended the ceremony, including clergy, politicians, long-established citizens and newly arrived immigrants. The American and Ukrainian national anthems were sung, and a reception was held inside City Hall.

- Tom Hawrylko

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