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Olha Ovchar and byna Kurowyckyj Another happy event for all the Ukrainians living in the United States was the visit of Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko and his lovely wife Kateryna. I had the honor of serving as one of the co-chairs on the welcoming committee, which organized two special events for this momentous visit. The first of these was a gathering at the monument of Taras Shevchenko in Washington, D.C. The second was a gala banquet at Washington's Omni Shoreham Hotel. I also attended a luncheon honoring Ukraine's First Lady. Held at the Cosmos Club, the luncheon was chaired by Melanne Verveer, who currently serves as president of Vital Voices Global Partnership. I also received an invitation to a reception honoring President Yushchenko, which was sponsored by Senator John McCain, Chairman of The International Republican Institute, and Dr. Made leine K. Albright, Chairman of the National Democratic Institute. There is a saying that joy and tragedy come in pairs. As we celebrated wonderful cultural achieve ments in New York City and the dramatic political successes of Ukraine's new president in Washington, D.C., we were reminded that life's joyous events are often matched by tragic events that bring great sorrow. When the tragedy involves a child, it is somehow sadder and more difficult to accept. Recently, two little girls were left alone in a house in a village near Kharkiv. When a fire broke out, the elder of the two sisters, Nastya, tried unsuccessfully to put it out. Realizing that she could not, she grabbed her younger sibling and ran to a neighbor's house for help. Her heroic efforts to put out the fire exacted a heavy price. Badly burned, she fainted from pain and exhaustion soon after reaching the neighbor's house. Because there was no telephone in the house, emergency medical assistance was delayed. In the ambulance, little Nastya apologized to her mother for waking her little sister. Nastya stayed briefly at a hospital in Kharkiv and was then taken to another hospital Kyiv. Her bums were severe and required special medical intervention unavailable at either hospital. Eventually, news of her tragic ordeal came to the attention of President Viktor Yushchenko and the First Lady, who immediately sought the assistance of specialists in the United States. Nastya was taken to Boston's Shriners Hospital for treatment for her bums. Not long after, I was contact by the embassy of Ukraine and asked whether the UNWLA would be willing to coordinate fundraising efforts that would assist Nastya and her mother while they were in the United States. I agreed and immediately got in touch with Dionysia Brochynsky, the president of the New England Regional Council, to ask what immediate assistance the UNWLA's branch in Boston could give the family. Large and small donations for Nastya started pouring in. When these donations reached $5,000, I asked Consul General Serhiy Pohoreltsev to tell us where the funds were to be sent or delivered. The Honor able Consul General suggested that his wife Svitliana and I go to the hospital and personally deliver the 14 “НАШ Е Ж ИТТЯ”, ТРАВЕНЬ 2005 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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