Newly elected UNA executives hold first meeting (10/06/02)

THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM

Newly elected UNA executives hold first meeting

by Christine E. Kozak
UNA National Secretary

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - The newly elected Executive Committee of the Ukrainian National Association met on Monday, September 9, at the UNA Home Office, for their first quarterly meeting. In attendance were members of the Executive Committee: Stefan Kaczaraj, president: Martha Lysko, first vice-president; Eugene Iwanciw, second vice-president; Al Kachkowski, director for Canada; Christine Kozak, national secretary; and Roma Lisovich, treasurer. Also present was Zenon Holubec, chairman of the auditing committee. President Kaczaraj chaired the meeting.

Opening the meeting, Mr. Kaczaraj welcomed the new Executive Committee members, wishing them all the best in the next four years. In keeping with the theme of the UNA's 2002 convention in Chicago, Mr. Kaczaraj spoke of the necessity for teamwork.

Ms. Lisovich, treasurer, presented a detailed comparison of UNA income and expenses between the first six months of 2002 and the first six months of 2001. The UNA posted a decrease in net premium income, however, the income from annuities increased due to the excellent interest rates UNA is paying on first year monies. Soyuzivka, Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly posted decreases to their bottom line and need to focus on decreasing their deficits, she said.

The good news was the Ukrainian National Urban Renewal Corp. posted an increase in net income of $14,331, and has 4,000 square feet of space available for leasing. Efforts will intensify to increase revenues from insurance product sales, while intensively pursuing a deficit-reduction program for the papers and our resort.

Due to the volatility of the market, the UNA did suffer financial losses. These losses however, could have been astronomical had not the UNA had foresight to remain conservative and invest only 5 percent in common stocks with the majority of investments in bonds.

Ms. Kozak, national secretary, reported that for the first six-month period of this year 223 new applications were approved and issued for a total insurance amount of $4,635,000 and premium amount of $74,441.61. The top three producers for the first half of 2002 were: Lubov Streletsky, secretary of Branch 10, with a total of 12 policies issued for $197,000.00 of insurance; Nicholas Fil, Branch 13, 11 policies issued for an insurance amount of $600,000 Christine Brodyn a UNA Home Office employee, professional agent and secretary of branch 27, who sold 10 policies for a total of $150,000.

Ms. Kozak expressed congratulations and sincere thanks to those top producers and ALL secretaries and organizers who work hard to both conserve and increase membership in the UNA.

Six new secretaries came on board: Irene Sarachmon, Branch 206; Susan Soldan, Branch 441; Michael Kuropas, Branch 22; Maria Lischak, Branch 15; Vladimir Kaploun, Branch 260; and Paul Bilecky, Branch 257.

Mr. Kachkowski, director for Canada, submitted an action plan he believes would revitalize UNA's Canadian membership. Mr. Kachkowski spoke of the myriad challenges he is facing, but stressed his commitment to act in whatever capacity is necessary to bring Canadian citizens into the UNA's membership ranks.

Mr. Iwanciw, second vice-president, voiced his apprehension regarding the status of Soyuzivka, saying that he feels the UNA resort is a priority. In the interest of Soyuzivka, Mr. Iwanciw visited the resort to speak to members, guests and employees, gathering opinions, ideas and comments from parties who care about Soyuzivka's future.

Mr. Iwanciw continues to represent the UNA at various functions in Washington whether at the Embassy of Ukraine on Capitol Hill, and, since UNA is a member of the Central and East European Coalition, he attends its weekly meetings.

Mrs. Lysko, first vice-president, reported that her main focus in the next four years will be to build a base from which the UNA can expand its membership, increase visibility in the community and draw new members. Mrs. Lysko, as well as other UNA executives, attended a meeting with Ihor Wyslotsky, president of the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America.

At the initiation of UNA Special Projects Coordinator Oksana Trytjak, Mr. Wyslotsky proposed a joint project between the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy in Kyiv (NUKMA) and UNA. This project will give the UNA and NUKMA the possibility of working together by encouraging potential gift givers to purchase UNA insurance policies and designating the Academy as the beneficiary of their death benefits. The premiums paid by UNA members will be tax-deductible. A meeting was scheduled with Dr. Viacheslav Briukhovetsky, however, due to his sudden illness the meeting was postponed.

One mechanism needed to increase membership in the UNA is a professional sales force. Mrs. Lysko attended a meeting between UNA executives and Western Catholic Union representatives, National Secretary Paul Grawe and Vice-President Robert Mitchell of sales, who have been successful in recruiting agents for their organization. With their guidance and expertise, the UNA hopes to mirror the level of success as achieved by this fraternal.

Mr. Kaczaraj began the president's report by announcing that $18,050 in scholarships had been awarded to UNA members. The scholarships are divided into four categories, and the UNA awarded the following: 33 scholarships for $125; 19 scholarships for $150; 21 scholarships $175 and 17 scholarships for $200. In the special scholarships category, awarded were Galandiuk Scholarship, (one for $2,000); the Jarosewycz Scholarship (one for $1,000) and the Blackstone Scholarship (two for $500.00 each).

As expected, Soyuzivka was the major topic of discussion as President Kaczaraj outlined a multi-level plan for the UNA resort. Even with the renovation plans and the planned improvements, the UNA is not guaranteed that Soyuzivka will emerge prosperous. The one and only true barometer will be the test of time, he underscored, the occupancy rates and the support Soyuzivka receives from the Ukrainian community at large.

With the October 2003 deadline looming it will take the tireless efforts of our entire community to pool our resources, knowledge and wherewithal in order to preserve what we inherited from our fathers and what we must pass along to the next generations of Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans who feel at home at Soyuzivka, Mr. Kaczaraj commented.

The UNA Executive Committee unanimously approved two directors for the UNURC: Advisor Eugene Oscislawski, who remains as a director, and Advisor Vasyl Luchkiw.

The UNURC will be installing a security system, replacing carpets and implementing other small upgrades that are planned for the year's end at the UNA Corporate Headquarters.

Due to the complaints received from General Assembly members that they have no specific job descriptions, the following have been proposed to form standing committees: Fraternal Committee - Second Vice-President Iwanciw, chair; Organizing Committee - National Secretary Kozak and First Vice-President Lysko, co-chairs; Financial Committee - Treasurer Lisovich and President Kaczaraj, co-chairs; and Canadian Committee - Advisor Myron Groch, chair.

At the annual meeting of the General Assembly, slated for November 22-23, members of the assembly will be asked to join one of the standing committees to help develop ideas, objectives and goals that can be met during their four-year term in office.

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