Ukrainian Gift of Life celebrates anniversary (09/23/01)

Ukrainian Gift of Life celebrates anniversary

ORADELL, N.J. - Trustees, advisory board members, volunteers and benefactors celebrated the fourth anniversary of Ukrainian Gift of Life Inc. (UGOL) here at the historic Blauvelt Mansion. Also in attendance were Iryna Boretsky and her 2-year-old son, Vitaly, one of 63 children brought to America for heart surgery through the organization's efforts.

The guest speaker, Ukraine's vice-consul in New York City, George Shevchenko, expressed his personal gratitude and that of all Ukrainian people for the UGOL's "generous and charitable work for the children of Ukraine." He underscored that without this program children like Vitaly would die because of current economic conditions in Ukraine. Although there is a continuing need to bring children with complex defects to the United States, he noted that the organization's aid for surgeries that can be done in Ukraine comes at a time when Ukraine needs assistance to administer care to its people.

Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Church was welcomed as a new member of the advisory board of Ukrainian Gift of Life. UGOL President George Kuzma related the archbishop's personal support for the "Operation Child Cardio-Care" (OCCC) program that permits people of the diaspora to sponsor surgeries that have had a high success rate performed by competent medical professionals in Ukraine.

"So many people were generous to me when I was appointed metropolitan, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share this generosity with a child who is in need," explained Archbishop Soroka. With those words, he personally donated $1000 to purchase the consumables for the surgery in Ukraine of a child with a congenital heart defect.

Like the 25 other individuals, and church and school groups that have sponsored children since January 2000, Archbishop Soroka will receive the name of a specific child (at least 30 children are awaiting such an opportunity at any given time). Photographs of the child, letters from the child's family and information from the hospital (e.g., diagnosis, scheduled date of surgery and ongoing reports) will follow.

UGOL's newly initiated Heart and Spirit Award (a decorative wooden plate, hand-carved in Ukraine, with an appropriately inscribed metal plate) was presented to some of those who had demonstrated exceptional support for the organization's mission to facilitate and accelerate self-sufficiency in the area of pediatric cardiology in Ukraine.

Among the award recipients were Hal and Judy Kawalek, who hosted several children and their mothers in America and also sponsored a child's surgery in Ukraine, bestowing the $1,000 to each other as a Christmas gift in the midst of their own health and financial problems.

Other recipients were Lydia Welyczkowski, who introduced seven new translators to the list of volunteers; David Breen, who donated the cost of reproducing diagnostic videos and 1,000 copies of a WB11 documentary about UGOL; David and Lyne Feeney, who opened their homes for production of the video while they hosted the featured child; Peter Tymchenko, who secured equipment needed at the surgical hospital in Lviv; and Holy Cross Ukrainian Catholic Church in Astoria, N.Y., and St. Vladimir Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Philadelphia, for support of OCCC.

All who attended received a copy of the documentary, "Journey to Heal a Child's Heart," the story of Ukrainian Gift of Life. Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the documentary for viewing by potential OCCC sponsors or in making a tax-deductible contribution to UGOL may contact: Ukrainian Gift of Life Inc., 233 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ 07452; telephone, (201) 652-4762; e-mail, [email protected].

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