THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM (03/08/98)

THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM

DISTRICT MEETING

Northern New Jersey

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - The Northern New Jersey District Committee of the Ukrainian National Association held its annual elections meeting here at the association's corporate headquarters building on Sunday, February 15, with 36 district and branch officers, as well as members of the UNA General Assembly in attendance.

The meeting was opened by the district chairman, Eugene Oscislawski, who welcomed all present and introduced members of the UNA General Assembly in attendance, including President Ulana Diachuk, Secretary Martha Lysko, Acting Treasurer Stefan Kaczaraj, Advisors Roma Hadzewycz and Andrew Keybida, and honorary member of the General Assembly Walter Sochan.

The district chairman proclaimed a moment of silence in memory of deceased secretaries of the district, among them Maria Savchak of Branch 25, who was known also for her active involvement in the Ukrainian National Women's League of America.

The following presidium was elected to conduct the meeting: Mr. Oscislawski, chairman; Marc Datzkiwsky, English-language secretary; and Stephan Welhasch, Ukrainian-language secretary. Selected to serve on the nominating committee were: Andre Worobec, Maria Oscislawski and Dana Jasinsky.

The minutes from the district's previous meeting, its organizing meeting held on November 14, 1997, were read by Mr. Datzkiwsky.

Mr. Oscislawski then delivered a brief report on the activity of the district, which was created last year when the Newark, Jersey City and Passaic districts merged into one Northern New Jersey District of the UNA and now encompasses 21 branches. The highlight of the district's activity was a bus trip to Soyuzivka for the Fathers' Day celebration held at the UNA resort. The district's most active branches were 70, 76, 172 and 234, reported Mr. Oscislawski, adding that the district had succeeded in fulfilling its 1997 quota by 102 percent, enrolling 112 members for $3,037,408 of life insurance coverage.

The treasurer's report was read by Lon Staruch, who noted that the district has a balance of $2,523.61.

Speaking on behalf of the district's auditing committee, Mrs. Jasinsky noted that all the district's records were in order and proposed a vote of confidence for the outgoing board. This was unanimously approved by meeting participants.

In her address, UNA President Diachuk added that the district will soon receive an organizing reward of $570 due to its good results in the 1997 membership campaign. Mrs. Diachuk continued her remarks by acknowledging the district's organizers and appealing to all organizers and members to work toward obtaining licenses, which will enable them to increase their sales of insurance.

The organizers who enrolled five or more members during the past year were: Mr. Worobec, Mr. Staruch, John Danilack, Mr. Oscislawski and Julian Kotlar; 11 other organizers enrolled between one and four members each.

The UNA president then spoke briefly about the upcoming mergers of two other fraternal organizations - the Ukrainian National Aid Association of America and the Ukrainian Fraternal Association - with the UNA. The proposed agreements of merger with each must be published in the UNA's official publications 60 days before the UNA convention, which is slated for May 15-19 in Toronto. The UNAAA, Mrs. Diachuk noted, has 5,000 insurance certificates and $6 million in assets; the UFA has 14,000 certificates and assets of $11 million.

She then enumerated the stipulations that the UFA has in order for the merger to go through, including a change in the name of the newly merged entity to Ukrainian National Fraternal Association. She concluded her remarks by emphasizing that the UNA Executive Committee supports both mergers as well as the name change.

Secretary Lysko then addressed the meeting, beginning her remarks with a welcome to the new branch secretaries in the district: Oksana Trytjak of Branch 25 and Stephan Kosonocky of Branch 172. She appealed to all branches to submit updated lists of their branch officers, their addresses and their phone numbers (with their new area codes), and asked them to indicate who receives Svoboda and/or The Ukrainian Weekly. She underlined that branch officers should receive at least one of the UNA's official publications in order to keep informed about their organization. In addition, she reminded branches that filled out credentials of delegates to the UNA convention and their alternates must be sent to the UNA Home Office.

Mrs. Lysko also explained the new pre-convention membership campaign, whereby organizers who enroll between 11 and 15 new members with a minimum of $1,300 in total annual premiums will be honored with the Hetman Award and $500; those who enroll six to 10 members for $700 in annual premiums - Otaman Award and $250; and those who enroll one to five members for $300 in annual premiums - Kozak Award and $100.

Finally, the secretary reminded all present of the application deadlines for the 1998-1999 UNA scholarship awards: March 31 for completed application forms; May 1 for all other required documents.

Mr. Kaczaraj reported on the finances of the Ukrainian National Urban Renewal Corp. Income in 1997 was $3,054,000, while expenses were $2,822,206. The gain on the sale of the UNA's building in Jersey City, N.J., was $5,027,428. Net income for 1997 (which also includes investment income) was $5,262,987. The corporation's assets as of December 31, 1997, totaled $6,655,000.

Advisor Hadzewycz spoke briefly on the proposal to adopt the name Ukrainian National Fraternal Association, pointing out that the UNA General Assembly meeting in November 1997 had agreed to the name change, but only by a small margin (12-9, with one abstention), because there are concerns that the UNA will lose its name recognition among the public and in government circles. Reacting to a question posed by Mr. Staruch regarding the costs of the name change, she added that this will be a major undertaking as it involves insurance departments of every state and province where the UNA does business, in addition to more mundane items such as stationery. President Diachuk responded to those queries by stating that "we don't know" what the name change will cost the UNA.

Mrs. Hadzewycz continued by asking whether the UNA executives had conveyed to the UFA the General Assembly's concern that the name change may not be approved by the required two-thirds majority at the UNA convention and therefore the merger could fall through. The Assembly had directed UNA executives to ask the UFA to agree to the merger even if the name change is not adopted. Mrs. Diachuk replied that this matter had been raised with the UFA leadership and that she is awaiting a response.

The discussion then turned to the matter of the UFA's resort, Verkhovyna, with Ms. Hadzewycz asking whether advertisements that had appeared in The Ukrainian Weekly and Svoboda for an entity calling itself "The Highlands" had any connection with Verkhovyna. She also asked who is behind this venture, as the ad listed an unknown address in Morris Plains, N.J., and an 800 number.

Mrs. Diachuk answered that Verkhovyna is a part of the Ukrainian community's assets and that in order to secure the future of the Verkhovyna estate a group of concerned Ukrainian Americans got together to present an alternative for that resort: seniors' housing. The UNA allowed that group to run advertisements in its publications in order to determine whether there is a need and an interest in such a development at Verkhovyna. Mrs. Diachuk noted that more than 60 people had expressed interest in such seniors' housing and that the group is now looking for financing.

"The UFA is supportive of these efforts, as far as I know," she said, adding, "if we merge, this (Verkhovyna) will be our problem." The resort is listed by the UFA as having a value of $905,000 and, according to Pennsylvania law, is an admitted asset. However, New Jersey, where the UNA is chartered, does not allow this (or Soyuzivka) as an admitted asset, Mrs. Diachuk explained.

Other topics of discussion at the meeting included the availability of rooms at Soyuzivka, inaccessibility of UNA personnel due to the Home Office's new automated phone system, the design of the UNA's Christmas cards, the UNA scholarship program's notification system, and the UNA's relations with Ukrainian credit unions, or more precisely, how it came to pass that the UNA will soon be renting space in its new headquarters building in Parsippany to the Newark, N.J., Self Reliance, when there already is one Ukrainian credit union, Self Reliance New Jersey, in the immediate area, some three miles away on Route 10 in Whippany.

Following the discussion period, Mr. Worobec, speaking on behalf of the nominating committee, proposed the following slate of district officers for 1998: Mr. Oscislawski, chairman; Mr. Kotlar, first vice-chairman; Mr. Worobec, second vice-chairman; Mr. Datzkiwsky, secretary; Mr. Staruch, treasurer; Mr. Kosonocky, Ukrainian-language press; Ms. Hadzewycz, English-language press; Ms. Trytjak, events; Mmes. Oscislawski and Jasinsky, organizing; Daria Semegen, Halyna Bilyk and Maria Haluszczak, members at large; Gregory Klymenko, Mr. Welhasch and Ivan Pelech (chairman), auditing committee. The entire slate was unanimously elected.

The last item on the agenda was a plan of activity for the coming year. Among the proposed activities were: a bus trip to Soyuzivka for Fathers' Day; an author's evening for Dr. Myron B. Kuropas spotlighting his centennial history of the UNA; an evening for newly arrived immigrants from Ukraine to offer them advice on immigration matters, employment and insurance; and a meeting of professional organizers and branch secretaries of the district for the purpose of exchanging ideas and advice.

1997 Champions of the UNA

Sincere thanks and gratitude to the champions of the 1997 organizing drive for their outstanding results. Their determined efforts have added 262 new members to our Branches. The following are the 1997 champions:

Name
Members
Organized

Branch
District

Michael Turko
35

63
Pittsburgh

Lon Staruch
29

172
N. New Jersey

William Pastuszek
26

231
Philadelphia

Leon Hardink
19

206
Woonsocket

Nicholas Diakiwsky
17

161
Pittsburgh

Miron Pilipiak
16

496
Various

Stephanie Hawryluk
15

88
Albany

Stefan Hawrysz
15

83
Philadelphia

Eugene Oscislawski
14

234
N. New Jersey

Joseph Chabon
12

242
Shamokin

Stefko Kuropas
12

176
Chicago

Christine Gerbehy
11

269
Perth Amboy

Walter Krywulych
11

266
Albany

Barbara Bachynsky
10

184
New York

Frank Kozemchak
10

113
Pittsburgh

Vira Krywyj
10

174
Detroit

Name	Members Organized	Branch	District
Michael Turko	35	63	Pittsburgh
Lon Staruch	29	172	N. New Jersey
William Pastuszek	26	231	Philadelphia
Leon Hardink	19	206	Woonsocket
Nicholas Diakiwsky	17	161	Pittsburgh
Miron Pilipiak	16	496	Various
Stephanie Hawryluk	15	88	Albany
Stefan Hawrysz	15	83	Philadelphia
Eugene Oscislawski	14	234	N. New Jersey
Joseph Chabon	12	242	Shamokin
Stefko Kuropas	12	176	Chicago
Christine Gerbehy	11	269	Perth Amboy
Walter Krywulych	11	266	Albany
Barbara Bachynsky	10	184	New York
Frank Kozemchak	10	113	Pittsburgh
Vira Krywyj	10	174	Detroit