Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization begins fall activities across the country (10/22/00)

Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization begins fall activities across the country

by Roman Juzeniw

NEW YORK - Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization's 22 branches (or stanytsi) in the United States commenced regular scouting activities in September, following a summer that saw over 700 members participate in Plast camps.

According to Andreas Boyko, head of the Hartford branch, that city began its Plast activities in early September and later that month held a successful banquet and dance to mark its 50th anniversary. The Hartford stanytsia will also have a potato roast on October 22 for Plast members and their families.

Margaret Nycz, head of the Newark branch, mentioned that besides regularly scheduled meetings, participation in Plast and Ukrainian community events, and the annual debutante ball (to be held on February 3, 2001), the Newark branch will be doing several good deeds this autumn by collecting scout uniforms and insignia for Plast members and winter coats and clothing for orphanages in Ukraine.

The Plast group in Passaic, headed by Daria Temnycky, will be working on similar humanitarian deeds. The Passaic branch also organizes an annual St. Nicholas presentation for the entire Passaic/Clifton community.

The Cleveland stanytsia, headed by Mykola Holian, is planning the "Lystopadove Sviato," marking the historic events of November 1, 1918, in Ukraine, to be held at the Pysany Kamin campsite and preparing for participation in the annual "Orlykiada" held at Soyuzivka in November. Mr. Holian stated that the branch's counselors have been enthusiastic in their counseling activities with Cleveland's youth.

The Buffalo stanytsia, headed by Jaroslaw Pryshlak, is planning its branch's 50th anniversary on October 21, which will include a banquet, dance and Plast themed-program.

New York Plast members will holding a banquet on December 16 to mark the 50th anniversary of their branch. They will also schedule a commemorative event in the Plast building on Second Avenue.

In Portland, Oregon, home to the newest Plast group in the United States, branch leader, or stanychnyi, Andre Andrukhiv, said the scouts are planning regular nature hikes in the fall.

In Los Angeles, where there are close to 50 Plast members, according to Stanychnyi Irynej Prokopovych, two to three regularly scheduled Plast meetings are held every month. This Christmas season, the group will visit homes with a traditional Ukrainian "vertep," and the children will act out a play using puppets. The group plans a "Sviato Vesny" on Memorial Day every year and actively participates in the community's Shevchenko Day and other events.

The National Plast Command, headed by Borys Pawluk, has scheduled two ambitious events this fall: A Plast Leader's Conference and a special celebration of Plast's 50th anniversary in the United states.

The Plast Leader's Conference will be held on October 14-15 in East Hanover, N.J. The conference will include sessions on Plast organizational functions at the local level, Plast ceremonies, counseling issues, camping issues, and a roundtable discussion with the participation of the attending branch leaders.

Sunday, November 19, is the date of the special celebration dubbed "The Golden Flame" - part of a campaign to join with the Ukrainian community in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Plast in the United States. This event will be held at Clifton High School in Clifton, N.J., at 3 p.m. Lydia Krushelnytsky and Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky, both noted Ukrainian artists and educators, are coordinating the Plast members' efforts in this commemoration.

In November, the United States Plast organization will also send delegates to the International Plast Congress which will be held in Kyiv.

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