The following appeal was issued by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America on April 3.
For 77 years, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) has served as the nation’s largest representative body of Americans of Ukrainian descent. Since its founding in 1940, the UCCA has represented the interests of our community and supported Ukraine’s fledging democracy.
With new leadership elected during last year’s XXII Congress of Ukrainians in America, as well as the return of prominent national organizations as members, the UCCA is better equipped than ever to create a greater understanding of and stronger advocacy for Ukraine, especially during these perilous times. The UCCA has also forged new relationships with diverse ethnic communities and strengthened old ones, and has continued an ongoing dialogue with elected officials and leading policy makers, while diligently working to advocate a variety of issues. These steps are crucial to our work, especially given that Ukraine continues to valiantly defend its independence and territorial integrity against Russian-sponsored terrorists.
2017 is of particular importance to the UCCA, as we will mark the 40th anniversary of its public affairs office – the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS) – the sole full-time representative of the Ukrainian American community in our nation’s capital. This year also marks the historic 50th anniversary of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), of which the UCCA was a founding member and continues to be an active participant.
The UCCA has never wavered in its commitment to represent the interests of our community and to support democracy in Ukraine – these pillars of our mission remain as relevant today as they were when the UCCA was founded. In our 77th year of service to our community, we vow to continue to work hard to ensure that Ukraine’s interests, and those of the Ukrainian American community, are safeguarded now and in the future. We promise to continue our efforts on behalf of the Ukrainian people to maintain Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of ongoing Russian aggression.
However, the UCCA can only do this with your assistance! The work of the UCCA is almost entirely dependent on the financial support of its members. Therefore, we ask that you send in your annual membership dues to the Ukrainian National Fund (UNF). Without your much-needed financial support, the significant and timely work of the UCCA cannot be successfully accomplished.
All donations to the UCCA and its Ukrainian National Fund are tax-deductible, should be submitted through local UCCA branches or to the UCCA National Office: UCCA, 203 Second Ave., New York, NY 10003.