LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (06/22/97)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Soyuzivka needs your support

Dear Editor:

Back in May 1995, there were some individuals who were shocked and disappointed in the decision of the Ukrainian National Association's General Assembly to close the UNA Washington Office. Many people commented that if they had known of the possibility of the closing, they would have done something about it. It is with that warning in mind, that I want to make people aware that Soyuzivka, too, could be closed.

At our last General Assembly meeting in November 1996, President Ulana Diachuk commented that declining membership in the Ukrainian National Association has hurt the organization financially and, therefore, it is harder to maintain current fraternal benefits such as Soyuzivka. Many people do not realize that Soyuzivka is owned and operated by the Ukrainian National Association.

The UNA operates Soyuzivka as a fraternal benefit for its members. You can think of the UNA as the insurance company version of a Ukrainian credit union. The UNA also publishes Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly. The reason all three are benefits is that none of them are self-sustaining and all require substantial subsidies from the UNA. The UNA is a non-profit fraternal organization and the profits it makes are funneled back into the community by subsidizing Soyuzivka, Svoboda, The Weekly, students scholarships, cultural events, etc.

This has worked in the past because we had a large membership that bought policies and joined the organization. However, over the years, some of our older members have passed away and we have not replaced them with enough young members. As our membership base decreases, we have less profits to spend on fraternal activities. This is the reason we had to close the Washington Office.

There are several ways to ensure the survival of Soyuzivka, The Weekly and other benefits:

1) Join the UNA. There are many different insurance policies from which to choose. If you are already a member, increase your coverage. To get more information, you can call the UNA at (201) 451-2200, or look at the UNA website at www.tryzub.com/UNA.

2) Encourage your friends and family to join the UNA.

3) Visit Soyuzivka, and subscribe to The Ukrainian Weekly and Svoboda.

If we do not reverse the trend of declining membership, it is just a matter of time before Soyuzivka will be closed. Our community has the ability to assure that Soyuzivka stays open for future generations.

Stefko M. Kuropas
Schaumburg, Ill.

The writer is an advisor of the Ukrainian National Assembly and a former summer worker at Soyuzivka (1983-1986).

Ukraine's players out of uniform

Dear Editor:

A few weeks ago, I saw the standings for the World Cup preliminaries in soccer. Ukraine was in first place in its division, surprisingly ahead of even the Germans. This information is dated by at least two weeks, and the Germans have a few games in hand, but Ukraine's apparent success in this sphere is of interest. The team might indeed qualify for finals in France in 1998.

What makes the above all the more surprising is that Ukraine's best players are not in uniform for their own national team; they are playing for Russia. This is a repeat of what happened in the 1994 tournament, before which the players from the former Soviet team were allowed to declare which of the successor republics they would play for. This is a particular gripe of mine from 1994, and that of many others. Somehow this continues - more than five years after independence.

Victor Lapychak
Somerville, N.J.

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