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OUR LIFE Monthly, published by Ukrainian National Women’s League of America Vol. LX MAY 2003 Editor: TAMARA STADNYCHENKO FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT On behalf of the Executive Committee and the National Board of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, I would like to begin this month's message by saluting Branch 95 and Marianna Zajac, chair of the recently held conference “The World of the 21st Century Woman.” It was indeed a very special occasion that Branch 95 organized for us. The conference addressed global problems, such as health and the environment, and organizational issues, such as membership. The speakers pro vided solutions to some of these problems and provided, as well, insights and questions that will prepare us to deal better with other problems and challenges. At the conference, I was asked to talk about being president of the National Council of Women USA and president of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America. I would like to summarize some points from my address, which included an overview of how we are perceived by NCW leaders and members and how our organi zations differ. Our American counterparts envy our work and respect and admire us for the programs that we establish. One that we are very proud of is the Ukrainian Museum in New York City; another is Our Life, our monthly maga zine, which has been published for almost 60 years. In this respect, we have achieved something that the NCW has not. NCW bulletins are published once or twice a year, and while they contain information that is interesting and instructive, they are published too sporadically to make a continuous impact on readers. In contrast, Our Life is an important historical document, a bilingual chronicle of our achievements that is distributed throughout the world and read by countless women every month. The NCW is an organization of 39 organizations. The members of this group are varied, ranging from “Women in Construction” to "Women in Medicine." What unites them is a concern for women’s issues: health, human rights, environment, equal pay for equal work and many other areas that touch upon women’s well being. The UNWLA is also a strong and powerful organization; however, we do not always use our strength fully. One of the things that prevents us from realizing our potential is that there are many in our community of Ukrainian women who are not interested in joining our organization. Some feel they are too sophisticated for a woman's or ganization; some feel they are too busy; some feel there is nothing to be gained through membership. It is their loss, but it is also ours. And whether we like it or not, it is we who must extend an invitation to these women and show them that our organization, with its proud history, is indeed worth belonging to. One of the programs that came into existence during my NCW presidency was “Corporate Awards.” It was the first time in the history of the NCW that we were awarding not the individual woman, but corporations that made a difference in women’s lives. The judges were prominent people in American society and we had no prob lem attracting them to the program. As president of the UNWLA, I wonder what we would have to do to make For tune Five Hundred executives eager to participate in our programs. Perhaps all that is needed is confidence in our abilities and members who have the vision and desire to make it so. On November 14, 1994, a banquet was held at the UN to honor eight corporations for creating uniquely positive working environment for women. The master of ceremonies was Lynn Sherr from the television show "20/20," the author of a biography on Susan B. Anthony. The guests at the event included important international dignitaries, prominent individuals from many walks of life, CEOs from Fortune Five Hundred companies and rep resentatives of important organizations. Ours among them. And I wonder what it is that makes an international body like the UN recognize the UNWLA as an important organization that should be represented at such functions, when members of our own community seem unaware of what we have to offer. Perhaps all that is needed here is a concerted effort to make such people more aware of what we do and more aware of how we are perceived by the НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ТРАВЕНЬ 2003 13
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