JENKINTOWN, Pa. – An enthusiastic fun-loving group of seniors, who enjoy exploring new things and places to stimulate their minds, hold monthly meetings here at the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center located on 700 Cedar Road. The meetings are often accompanied by fascinating programs and delicious lunches.
On Wednesday, June 19, members of the Ukrainian American Senior Citizen Association (UASCA) held their last meeting before the summer break with a picnic-like luncheon in the Club Room. They had the opportunity to watch an interesting one-hour documentary film titled “Music of Survival,” which told the story of the original seventeen members of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus and how they were forcibly transported out of Ukraine in 1942 by the Nazis and kept in labor camps in Germany.
The Bandurist Chorus survived World War II as a musical ensemble and ultimately emigrated to the United States in 1949. (The Bandurists actually trace their roots to Kyiv in 1918 as the “Kobzar Choir” and faced many hardships under the Russians and later the Soviet government.) Their music and the bandura, the 60-stringed musical instrument native to Ukraine, became the symbols of Ukrainian patriotism and nationalism.
The film served as an impetus for seniors to attend the concert being held in Philadelphia at Temple University featuring the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus of North America on Sunday, June 23, celebrating 100 years of playing and singing the music of Ukraine.
During the meeting, several upcoming trips were discussed. Next up was a visit to the Hershey Botanical Gardens. On the agenda was a tour of the indoor tropical Butterfly Atrium with exotic orchids, beautiful gardens (built by Milton Hershey expressing his love to his wife) and the famous Hershey Chocolate World to learn about the production of chocolate, followed by shopping and an elaborate buffet lunch at the charming Hershey Circular Restaurant. The seniors learned that Hershey Park is not just about amusement rides for youngsters.
On Tuesday, September 17, a fall excursion is being planned to Ellis Island, a small island in New York Harbor where more than 12 million immigrants were admitted to the United States from 1892 to 1954 when it closed. Attendees will tour the museum and visit the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom and democracy with a height of 305 feet. It was a sculpture given from the people of France to the people of the U.S.
The last trip of 2019 will be to Lancaster, Pa., on Thursday, December 12, to see the American Music Theater’s Christmas production of “Joy to the World.”
Seniors are encouraged to participate in as many trips as they can. All trips are partially funded with grants from the Ukrainian Community Foundation of Philadelphia and the Ukrainian Selfreliance Federal Credit Union.
The president of UASCA is Osip Roshko, and members of the Program Committee who organize the trips are Nila Pawluk (chair), Borys Pawluk, Myrosia Hill, Anna Marie Litynskyj, Anna Makuch, Petrusia Sawchak, Larysa Stebly, Oksana B. Tarasiuk and Ivan Yaworsky.