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North Port, Florida. A closing prayer was offered by Rev. Mykhajlo Borysenko of St. Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in North Port. Sunday morning began with Divine Liturgy celebrated in both the Ukrainian Catholic and the Ukrainian Orthodox rites. Guests and delegates then filed into the conference room to continue with scheduled meetings. At the beginning of the session, UNWLA President Iryna Kurowyckyj was presented with an engraved crystal gavel - a gift from members of the convention committee. Once procedural formalities were completed, delegates were requested to discuss three proposed changes to the UNWLA bylaws. Branch 73 of Fairfield County, Connecticut had proposed that delegates consider whether annual branch meetings were needed and whether branch officers could be elected for two or three year terms with meeting schedules restructured accordingly. Several delegates voiced their objections to this proposal and the majority voted to leave the bylaw unchanged. Branch 98 of Kerhonckson, NY proposed that the UNWLA convention be held every four years instead of every three years. It was also suggested that UNWLA members with family responsibilities found it difficult to convene during the Memorial Day Weekend. While several delegates supported the proposed change to hold the convention every four years, most opposed the change and voted against it. It was then proposed the Executive Board should consider changing the schedule of future conventions so that they would not conflict with the Memorial Day holiday. The third bylaws change proposal was submitted by Honorary President Anna Krawczuk, who contended that the word "National" does not truly reflect the nature of the organization, is not an accurate translation form the organization's Ukrainian name, and often creates misconceptions about the organiza tion's purpose. The proposed change was strongly opposed by delegates who objected on the basis of tradition and expense, and it was voted down. Several "cosmetic" changes dealing primarily with legal or financial language were voted upon and passed. Another "language" question had to do with the inclusion of the editor of Our Life in the bylaws dealing with UNWLA office staff, with a particular objection by editor-in-chief Irena Chaban to the location and wording of the contract clause. It was deemed that this question would be addressed by the Executive Committee, which would then offer its recommendations on this matter. Next on the agenda was a panel on organiza tional matters, chaired by Vice President Sophia Hewryk. The first panelist was Roma Hayda (President, Branch 73, New England) who spoke on the theme of "The UNWLA and Tomorrow." Ms. Hayda focused on the importance of reviewing the organization's vision and goals as a step toward understanding what changes were needed to adapt to the needs of UNWLA members and the community they serve. Marianna Zajac (President, Central New York Regional Council) reported on Summit 2002, a meeting recently held by Ukrainian-American community leaders for the purpose of addressing and finding solutions to the pandemic crisis of dwindling membership. With respect to the UNWLA, Ms. Zajac suggested that we focus less on bonding and more on bridging — that is, move away from the comfort zone of "people just like me" and move toward a more inclusive and more beneficial personal and organizational vision. The final panelist to speak was Christine Izhak (Vice President, Philadelphia Regional Council) who focused on Philadelphia's recent successes in attracting new members to the UNWLA and on the importance of branches supporting other branches in a spirit of mutual cooperation. The final session of the morning was a presentation by Dr. Christina Durbak on air pollutants and their harmful effects, particularly on children and the elderly. Dr. Durbak's disconcerting statistics showed that we have become complacent about this issue and that we need to act quickly if air quality in our environment is ever to improve. At the close of the morning session, guests and delegates gathered for a festive lunch break during which UNWLA members who had served the organization for twenty-five years or more were awarded special certificates of recognition. Branches with outstanding records of service were also awarded certificates of merit. Special awards were presented to branches whose contributions to Social Welfare projects, educational endeavors, and to the Scholarship program were also presented. One of the highlights of the luncheon was a speech by founding UNWLA member Mary Beck, whose infectious humor made everyone laugh and whose emotional description of Ukraine's beauty and Ukraine's tragedies evoked empathetic tears. In her speech, Mrs. Beck saluted the Ukrainian woman as the undervalued and unappreciated warrior with the wisdom and the strength to be mother, teacher, and organizer, capable of overcoming any obstacles. At the end of her speech, guests and delegates saluted the organization's Grand Dame with a heartfelt "Monhaya Lita." The afternoon session began with a pre sentation by Valentyna Borysenko, winner of the 18 “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ-СЕРПЕНЬ 2002 Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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