LETTER TO THE EDITOR (11/10/96)

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Ukrainian veterans need our assistance

Dear Editor:

The Social Service of Ukrainian War Veterans (SSUWV) is an organization that each year in the month of November campaigns among the Ukrainian community to solicit funds. These funds are distributed both in the United States and in Ukraine to the veterans of World War II, soldiers of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the 1st Division of the Ukrainian National Army.

Through generous donations from our Ukrainian community and during 43 years of our existence, we were able to help many disabled Ukrainian veterans, who depend on this financial aid because no one else helps them.

This, in turn, brings us to the point we would like to stress; our political immigration of the late 1940s and 1950s to this land of opportunity worked very hard, in most cases as common laborers. At the same time, they very generously donated their money to build our churches, social clubs and sports complexes, while also supporting our organization (SSUWV). They educated their children to become professionals. Now many of our benefactors have passed away, and the sources of our revenues are beginning to dry up.

This brings to mind a very good question: What has happened to our young Ukrainian American generation? With very few exceptions, they have grown apart from our Ukrainian community, and their contributions to the needs of that community are almost nil.

Our younger generation encompasses the children of our political emigrants. Therefore, the SSUWV appeals to that younger generation of Ukrainian Americans to donate generously to our November campaign, because it is likely that some of their parents, grandparents or relatives, veterans of the fight for Ukraine's freedom and liberty, are the very people we are helping.

Our address is: Social Service Ukrainian War Veterans, 700 Cedar Road, Room 122-A, Jenkintown, PA 19046.

Jaroslaw Kaczaj
Jenkintown, Pa.

The writer is secretary of the Social Service of Ukrainian War Veterans.