Phone-a-thon a success at The Ukrainian Museum (06/24/01)

Phone-a-thon a success at The Ukrainian Museum

by Marta Baczynsky

NEW YORK - "Where are our young people?" is a question frequently heard at various public events in our community. It is true that at some events, especially at those of a more serious nature, one is hard-pressed to find a young face.

Not so at The Ukrainian Museum on Saturday, June 9!

Positively oblivious to the balmy summer day and tempting beach weather, a group of young individuals - mostly college students gathered at the museum to take part in a phone-a-thon. The event, organized by the museum's Building Fund-Raising Committee chaired by Rostislav Milanytch, was designed to raise funds via the telephone to support the new building project.

The involvement of young people in this high profile fund-raising activity is of great significance to the museum. It speaks of the mounting interest of the young generation in the welfare of the institution and emphasizes their desire to see the building project realized.

It was very gratifying to feel the energy and enthusiasm that dominated the room that day. Quick learners all, the young men and women took to the phones following a brief, but comprehensive orientation session, and began earnest telephone conversations with people on their designated lists, asking them for donations to the Building Fund.

The most persuasive point in their solicitation for donations was the Challenge Grant, which volunteers introduced into each telephone conversation. In December of last year the museum received a $1 million Challenge Grant from Eugene and Daymel Shklar. Designed to match dollar for dollar any donation received by the museum during 2001, the grant is a remarkable fund-raising vehicle with short-and long-term benefits to the institution.

The function of the grant is twofold. First, the money raised by means of the grant will supplement the Building Fund; second, with the matching funds of the grant, the donors will open the Eugene and Daymel Shklar Endowment Fund at the museum, the income from which will support the institution's ongoing programs in the future.

During the several hours that the phone-a-thon was active, the determined young volunteers raised more than $8,000. Several donors also included matching gift applications from their places of business, which doubled their gifts. As the Challenge Grant matches all these donations, the overall benefit to the museum is more than $24,000.

Why did these young people give up a carefree summer Saturday to help the museum? Their answers varied from the very serious to the jocular, but all said they wanted to do something beneficial for The Ukrainian Museum and their community. Some said that volunteering made them feel good about themselves, others spoke about the importance of being a contributing member of the community. One young man brought a bit of humor to the serious conversation by saying, "I came to help 'cause I heard there were girls here."

The Ukrainian Museum expressed gratitude to the following young individuals for doing a wonderful job in this fund-raising project: Christina Baranetsky, Victoria Baranetsky, Adrian Berezovsky, Natalie Bonacorsa, Adrienne Burachinsky, Askold Chemych, Danylo Liteplo, Alexa Milanytch, Lisa Milanytch, Andrew Olesnycky, Adrian Olesnycky and Natalka Trojan.

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