New UNA General Assembly holds first meeting (09/24/06)

New UNA General Assembly holds first meeting

by Roma Hadzewycz

KERHONKSON, N.Y. - The Ukrainian National Association's new General Assembly, which was elected at the fraternal organization's 36th Regular Convention in May and took office on July 1, held its first meeting here at the UNA estate, Soyuzivka, on Saturday and Sunday, September 16-17.

Participating in the meeting were: UNA President Stefan Kaczaraj, First Vice-President Zenon Holubec, Second Vice-President Michael Koziupa, Director for Canada Myron Groch, National Secretary Christine Kozak, Treasurer Roma Lisovich, Auditors Slavko Tysiak and Wasyl Szeremeta; and Advisors Maya Lew, Gloria Horbaty, Nicholas Fil, Eugene Oscislawski, Olya Czerkas, Al Kachkowski, Bohdan Kukuruza and Eugene Serba, as well as Editors-in-Chief Irene Jarosewich of Svoboda and Roma Hadzewycz of The Ukrainian Weekly. Soyuzivka Manager Nestor Paslawsky participated in sessions during which the UNA estate was discussed.

The agenda was concise, as this was a special meeting of the General Assembly held during a convention year. (Regular annual meetings of the General Assembly are held in non-convention years and have a more extensive agenda, with all members of the General Assembly, editors-in-chief of the UNA's newspapers and the manager of Soyuzivka delivering reports.)

Reports were delivered at the special meeting by the UNA Home Office's three full-time executive officers, President Kaczaraj, National Secretary Kozak and Treasurer Lisovich.

Mr. Kaczaraj reported on the UNA's overall status over the first six months of 2006. Noting that "The key to success is building revenue," he went on to spell out several plans for the coming months whereby the UNA will increase its investment yield, promote sales of insurance and annuities, and reduce costs.

He also noted that resources will be allocated to develop a larger professional sales force and reported that the UNA has hired a new investment advisor.

At Soyuzivka, Mr. Kaczaraj said, we have a strategy to better utilize its facilities and properties that will result in additional sources of revenue and reduction of costs.

The national secretary focused her remarks on organizing efforts, reporting that in the first six months of 2006, 191 policies were sold for a face amount of $1.862 million. She reported that recruiting a professional sales force remains a priority at the Home Office.

Ms. Kozak also spoke about the UNA's newest product, the Coverdell Education Savings Account, which is expected to be popular with members who want to save for their children's education.

She noted that marketing is the key to future growth in the sale of life insurance and annuity products, and called on fellow members of the General Assembly to help get the UNA name out among the Ukrainian community.

The treasurer's report came in the form of two PowerPoint presentations: one on the UNA's investments and the other on the Soyuzivka Heritage Foundation.

Ms. Lisovich said the UNA's total investment portfolio is nearly $43 million and noted that the goal for 2006-2007 is to boost the UNA's bottom line by $500,000 by increasing the investment yield.

Speaking of the Soyuzivka Heritage Foundation, she pointed out that since April, when membership in the foundation was announced, $45,000 in membership fees has been collected. Furthermore, total donations to the foundation in the first half of 2006 were $100,000.

The special meeting of the General Assembly established the following standing committees, which are to function for the full four-year term of the General Assembly (2006-2010):

Financial Committee: Mr. Serba, Ms. Lisovich, Mr. Holubec, Mr. Koziupa and Mr. Groch;

Organizing Committee: Mr. Kozak, Ms. Horbaty, Ms. Lew, Mr. Kukuruza and Mr. Fil;

Fraternal Committee: Ms. Czerkas, Ms. Horbaty and Mr. Oscislawski;

Canadian Affairs Committee: Mr. Groch, Ms. Lew, Mr. Serba, Mr. Kachkowski, Ms. Czerkas and Mr. Kaczaraj;

Publications Committee: Honorary Members of the General Assembly Taras Szmagala Sr. and Myron Kuropas, Mr. Holubec and Mr. Koziupa.

Soyuzivka Committee: Ms. Lew, Ms. Czerkas, Mr. Fil, Mr. Kachkowski, Ms. Horbaty and Ms. Lisovich.

Members of the Auditing Committee, who do not serve on standing committees due to their duties as auditors, reserve the right to participate in the committees' meetings and communications.

During their meeting on Sunday, September 17, UNA executive officers, auditors and advisors discussed the reports presented by three of the standing committees that had had a chance to meet: Canadian Affairs, Organizing and Fraternal.

As well, they approved the UNA budget for 2007, which foresees improvement in the UNA's bottom line thanks to increases in investment yields and sales of insurance and annuities, as well as new efficiencies at the Home Office.

In keeping with tradition, the General Assembly's meeting was opened on Saturday morning, September 16, with a brief ceremony honoring Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine's most renowned poet, who is the patron of the UNA, the singing of the national anthems of the United States, Canada and Ukraine, as well as Shevchenko's "Zapovit" (testament), a prayer led by Canadian Director Groch and welcoming remarks by the UNA president.

A moment of silence was observed in memory of the UNA activists who had passed away since the beginning of the year: former Supreme President Joseph Lesawyer, Second Vice-President Eugene Iwanciw, former Supreme Vice-Presidentess Genevieve Zerebniak, former Advisor Andrew Keybida, and Branch Secretaries Roman Forostyna, Paul Fuga, Roman Prypchan and Vasyl Kolodchin.

After the conclusion of the special meeting of the UNA General Assembly, President Kaczaraj commented: "We have a good group of advisors who can help us promote the UNA." His optimism was shared by his fellow Home Office executives, who said they were impressed with the willingness of the new General Assembly to get together and work for the good of the UNA, while looking at creative new approaches to promote the 112-year-old fraternal organization.

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