THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM (04/06/03)

THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FORUM

Northern New Jersey District holds annual meeting

by Roma Hadzewycz

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - The Northern New Jersey District Committee of the Ukrainian National Association, which encompasses 19 branches, held its annual meeting here at the UNA Corporate Headquarters on Friday, March 7.

The meeting was brought to order by UNA Advisor Eugene Oscislawski, the district chairman, who welcomed branch representatives, district officers and members of the UNA General Assembly: President Stefan Kaczaraj, National Secretary Christine E. Kozak and Treasurer Roma Lisovich.

Mr. Oscislawski opened the meeting and called for a moment of silence in honor of leading UNA and Northern New Jersey District activists who had passed away during the past year. Andre Worobec was elected to chair the meeting, while Lon Staruch was elected to record the minutes. Sophia Derzko read the minutes of the last annual meeting, which were adopted with minor changes.

A three-member nominations committee was the elected; its members were Daria Semegen, Roma Hadzewycz and Julian Kotlar.

The district chairman delivered a report on the district's overall activity during the last year, highlighting such events at the Father's Day trip to Soyuzivka and New Jersey's celebration of Ukrainian Independence Day, which was held at the invitation of Gov. James McGreevey at the governor's residence, Drumthwacket.

He also noted the district's organizing achievements in 2002: 85 new members enrolled for insurance coverage of $2,593,997, for an average policy face value of $30,517. In fact, he said, though the district came in second in the 2002 organizing campaign, in terms of meeting its quota for new members, in terms of both the number of members enrolled and the total value of insurance written the district was in first place.

The auditing committee report was delivered by Stefan Welhasch, speaking for himself and colleague Christine Brodyn, who proposed a vote of confidence for the outing board of district officers.

The UNA's national secretary then took advantage of the meeting to present a check for $170 as the district's organizing reward for 2002. She also presented an award to the district's top organizer, and the UNA's No. 2 organizer overall, Ms. Brodyn, who enrolled 17 new members insured for $249,000 during the past year.

The Nominations Committee then returned to deliver its report, recommending the following slate of district officers for 2003-2004: Mr. Oscislawski, chairman; Mr. Kotlar, vice-chairman; Nina Bilchuk, secretary; Walter Honcharyk, treasurer; Ms. Hadzewycz (The Ukrainian Weekly editor-in-chief), English-language press liaison; Irene Jarosewich (Svoboda editor-in-chief), Ukrainian-language press liaison; Christine Woch, organizing director; Maria Oscislawski, coordinator; Daria Semegen, Mr. Staruch and Maria Haluszczak, members-at-large; Ms. Brodyn, Mr. Welhasch and Lydia Ciapka, auditing committee. Wolodymyr Bilyk and John Chomko remain as honorary district chairmen. The slate was elected unanimously.

A discussion ensued about how organizing quotas are determined, with local UNA'ers arguing that these quotas should be lowered in order to be both more realistic and achievable. The Northern New Jersey District agreed that its quota for 2003 should be set at 100 new members.

The UNA president spoke briefly about the UNA's financial status, noting that the association has fewer members and, therefore, less income. Mr. Kaczaraj noted that losses continue at Soyuzivka, that investment income is down due to market trends, and that the deficits of the UNA's two newspapers increased in 2002, though their expenses went down. The best news came from the Ukrainian National Urban Renewal Corp., i.e., the UNA's Corporate Headquarters building, which saw an increase in income from rentals during 2002.

UNA Treasurer Lisovich picked up on the topic of Soyuzivka, noting that a new management team has been put in place at the resort and that during the springtime rooms will be refurbished and the dining room in the Main House will be renovated. As well, she noted that a group of Plast members has taken the lead in organizing the effort to mark hiking trails at Soyuzivka. She underscored that it is most important to market Soyuzivka as a venue for all sorts of events and groups: conferences, weddings, family reunions, etc. She added that there is great potential also in the non-Ukrainian market.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the district's plan of activity for 2003 was discussed. Thus far it encompasses a "Yalynka" Christmas program for children, a bus trip to Soyuzivka, participation in local festivals to promote the UNA, as well as several fund-raising events.

INSURANCE MATTERS

Why today's women need life insurance protection

by Christine E. Kozak
UNA National Secretary

Women need life insurance protection for the same reasons men do: to provide for their loved ones. Why, then, is it that women in our society are underinsured, or worse yet, uninsured?

According to the Life Insurance Marketing Association, women who have their own life insurance coverage usually own half as much as men. Furthermore, 60 percent of women don't own individual life insurance protection (they may be covered under group insurance plans), and 36 percent don't have any life insurance coverage at all.

Let's look at some of the reasons that women should purchase life insurance policies, or upgrade the ones they have.

In today's world, it takes two incomes to support a family. Just as the family needs two incomes, the family needs two substantial life insurance policies - one for each breadwinner. After all, what life insurance does is replace the income lost to a family when a breadwinner dies. The benefit paid by a life insurance policy can be crucial in paying an outstanding mortgage loan, funding a college education for a child, or paying off credit card or other debts.

Now, just because a spouse does not work outside the home does not mean the spouse does not work. A stay-at-home wife or mother is in charge of many important functions in the family. If she should die, her husband must then pay for someone else to take care of the children, transport them to school and various activities, and take charge of the household. A life insurance policy can help cover such previously unforeseen expenses for a family.

Single women, too, need life insurance. In many cases a single woman is the sole breadwinner for a family. What, then, happens if she should die? Who will take care of her family's financial needs?

Even single women without families should consider the benefits of a life insurance policy. They need life insurance to pay for the costs of any debts or funeral expenses, which otherwise would burden their relatives.

Women's needs also go beyond life insurance. Today's women need to look at the options available to ensure a secure retirement; no longer should they depend solely on Social Security benefits or the pension plans of their spouses. Remember, too, that just as there is a gender gap in salaries, there is a gender gap in Social Security benefits as these are based on the salary earned by a person when he or she was working.

In addition, statistics show that women receive only 54 percent of the pension income that men do. That is because women are, on average, part of the workforce for 11 years less than men because it is women who tend to take time off from their careers and jobs to care for children or aging parents. The result: they have saved less for their own retirement. Now add to that the fact that women live longer than men - an average of seven years more - therefore, they need to plan for a longer period of retirement.

The UNA offers annuity plans that can give its members peace of mind. A UNA annuity provides a source of guaranteed income for a woman's retirement years. And, these annuities can be used in the same way as an IRA - an individual retirement account.

The Ukrainian National Association's professional advisers can help members tailor an annuity to their needs today, and their needs for the future. An additional fact to consider is that the UNA does not charge a front-end load fee, or annual administration fees, so all your money is working for you. Annuity owners receive an annual report on the status of their plan, and they can withdraw a portion of all of their investment at any time after the first year. (Depending on the annuity, surrender charges may apply.)

In addition, the UNA now offers one-, two- and three-year short-term annuities to answer the needs of members who wish to invest their funds for a short period of time in a vehicle that offers a higher interest rate than savings accounts or CDs. These short-term annuities offer 3.75 percent, 4 percent and 4.25 percent annual percentage rates, respectively. They have no surrender charges.

To sum up, in today's economy, a UNA annuity is a wise investment as it pays significantly more than traditional savings plans. It is also a safe investment as the UNA reserves funds for every dollar of an annuity.

The Ukrainian National Association is an institution that today's women can trust for advice on life insurance, as well as their retirement and investment options. In fact, two-thirds of the executive officers at the UNA Home Office are women - something to consider when you don't know whom to call for assistance on such crucial decisions.

For more information, readers may call (973) 292-9800. The UNA is happy to be able to meet the needs of today's women.

| Home Page |