THE NEWS FROM HERE

This week's installment of "The News from Here" features an array of stories. First is the inspiring story of a retiree and his friend who are trying to rally their Ukrainian community to help a young woman who became a victim of violence in Lviv. Next is a story about a Georgia Ukrainian and his understanding of the meaning of freedom. The third story tells of a young author's effort to expand Ukrainian experiences into the mainstream through literature. To wrap up, our final story shows how Ukrainian influence can be found in an unlikely place.

CHICAGO: Chicagoans help Lviv gunshot victim

The Ukrainian newspaper Ekspres reported last year that three bullets became lodged in the body of Iryna Varenycia, a 23-year-old graduate of medical school, on July 15, 2002, when she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in Lviv. This tragic event paralyzed Ms. Varenycia, who seems destined to spend her life in a wheelchair. But not if Roman Zajac and Zenoviy Kurys can help it. The two have decided to raise funds for the young woman and bring her to Chicago for surgery and medical care.

Mr. Zajac, 74, is a retired structural engineer and a widower. He is also the president of Branch 472 of the Ukrainian National Association, known as the "Plastovyi Viddil" because it is affiliated with the local Plast group. Mr. Zajac himself is a member of the Chervona Kalyna Plast Fraternity.

Though he is retired, Mr. Zajac holds a full-time volunteer position as director of the local Social Services Bureau at Ss. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church, which functions with the cooperation of the local Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.

"This [work with the bureau] keeps me active and healthy. I have no time to get sick," said Mr. Zajac, who runs the one-man bureau.

The bureau assists seniors by taking them to doctors and bringing them food. New immigrants benefit from the bureau's services which help them complete paperwork to extend their visas and assist them with all sorts of other forms. Immigrants are assisted in finding jobs and are provided with translators both in court and for paperwork.

Mr. Zajac learned of Ms. Varenycia's case through a friend, Zenoviy Kurys, who is originally from Lviv and now lives in Chicago. Mr. Kurys' daughter Oksana was a classmate of Ms. Varenycia's in medical school in Lviv. After hearing about the young woman's tragic situation, Mr. Zajac consulted with local physicians and specialists to see if there was any hope of helping Iryna.

Mr. Zajac said: "I want to give the child a chance. We have to try. Though there is no hope of helping Iryna in Ukraine, there is hope here in the United States." He added, "I believe you should never say never."

Bank accounts have been opened in Chicago for Iryna Varenycia, and people are being asked to donate to the following:

Checks may also be sent to: Iryna Varenycia Fund, c/o Ukrainian Cultural Center, 2247 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622.

Mr. Zajac argues that Ukrainians must help Ms. Varenycia "so that she, as a young physician, would be able to help others." To that end, Mr. Zajac has prepared leaflets that have been posted in local institutions, like the credit unions where those accounts have been opened to help a promising young woman from Lviv.

CORNELIA, Ga.: A Ukrainian American's insight into freedom

Andrew Demus, a master woodworker was featured in The Northeast Georgian, a local newspaper in Cornelia, Ga., on March 11, which focused on his American patriotism and its roots. According to columnist Bob Justus, Mr. Demus, who survived both the Soviet and the Nazi regimes, worked as a slave laborer in Hitler's Nazi Germany during World War II. He learned woodworking from his father, and uses this skill to make others happy; he sends wooden model cars and planes to children who are sick or injured, like victims of Columbine.

Mr. Demus was born in 1926 in a Ukrainian village north of the Black Sea. During World War II Mr. Demus' mother was shot because she refused to give a German soldier her chickens. His father, who helped Jews and others find safety during the German occupation, met a similar fate, though at the hands of the Soviets: he was executed for giving food to a German soldier, despite the fact that he was forced to do it.

Mr. Demus, meanwhile, was sent to Germany as a slave laborer. After he was freed he went to work in a field kitchen for the Americans when the 7th Tank (Armored) Division of Gen. George Patton's 3rd Army advanced near Mannheim. He then went to Erlangen and joined the 9th Air Force. Mr. Demus' next job led him to a supply room at Bruck, Germany, where he worked for SSgt Trayce A. Gilstrap of Alto, Georgia. In 1949 Mr. Demus emigrated to England and became an interpreter. Then, in 1959, he finally arrived in New York.

The Northeast Georgian columnist interviewed Mr. Demus because he wanted to get a perspective on why Americans want "peace at any price." Mr. Demus responded that this was because many people do not know what it is like to exist under the rule of a dictator. Mr. Demus added that he believes everything possible must be done to defend the United States and its freedom.

ST. PAUL, Alberta: Young Ukrainian Canadian writes book

Because Lisa Grekul, a Ukrainian Canadian, felt that there was a lack of Ukrainian Canadian literature, she wrote "Kalyna's Song." While in a Canadian literature class at the University of Alberta, Ms. Grekul said she did not see enough of the Ukrainian Canadian heritage of Western Canada. Ms. Grekul at first believed this was because there were no authors who wrote on the subject, but later she learned that was not the case. She came to believe that literature about Ukrainian Canadians exists, but is not taught because it seemingly does not appeal to a universal audience.

As Marc Horton, books editor for The Journal, discovered in his interview with Ms. Grekul, Colleen Lutzak, the main character in "Kalyna's Song," and its author share many similarities. Colleen is an excellent student, a fine musician and an independent thinker growing up in St. Paul. She, also like Ms. Grekul, is a member of a closely knit family proud of its ethnic roots. Like Ms. Grekul, Colleen attends the United World College in Swaziland at the age of 17, an experience that changes her forever.

Ms. Grekul is currently working on her Ph.D. thesis on Ukrainian Canadian literature at the University of British Columbia. "Kalyna's Song" is published by Coteau Books, is 385 pages in length, and can be purchased for $19.95.

MADISON, N.J.: A part of Ukraine on exhibit

On display in an exhibit titled "New Jersey Folk: Celebrating Our Diversity" is a Ukrainian costume formerly owned by Taissa Meleshko, currently of Apopka, Fla., The Weekly learned from New Jerseyan Odarka Stockert. Madison's Museum of Early Trades and Crafts is home to the display of the DP era Ukrainian costume, made of surplus army materials. In addition, the exhibit showcases pysanky and valuables owned by immigrants of various ethnic backgrounds that have been brought to the U.S. from countries all over the world.

Through this exhibit, which has been funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Madison Museum aims to portray the lives of immigrants. Ukrainian artifacts, as well as Armenian, African-American, Dutch, English, Indian, Italian, Latino, Norwegian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish and Turkish, can be seen at the exhibit, which runs through January 11, 2004. For further information contact the museum at (973) 377-2982.

- Compiled by Roxolana Woloszyn

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, August 31, 2003, No. 35, Vol. LXXI

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