Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
UNWLA 100
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
24 WWW. UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2012 « Be the Spark » : The Newest “Good Works” Mission of Branch 75 Members of UNWLA Branch 75 in Maplewood, NJ. With spirited enthusiasm, UNW LA Branch 75 in Maplewood, NJ, embraced the cha l- lenge received from the New Jersey UNWLA R e- gional Council — to join in a collaborative effort and jumpstart the newest social welfare initiative of the Ukrainian Women’s League, “Assistance and Carin g for the Elderly” in Ukraine. T he branch initiative was s pearheaded by member Ivanka Olesnycky, who shared with fellow me m- bers a poem, “Bud’ i skroyu , ” translated into En g- lish as "Be the Spark." This poem became the source o f inspiration for the members — and their mantra for the project: “Be the spark — and light up your own life, Be the spark, and light the path for others, Be the spark of love and purpose, Be the spark — and aspire to light the bonfire, Be the spark...” Last fall Ivanka, together with the branch’s social welfare chair, Dr . Irene Sawchyn - Doll, presented to the members on the sad state of affairs of Ukraine’s e lderly, an often neglected group among its populat ion. The latest social we l- fare project of the UNWLA National Headqua r- ter s aims to provide needed assistance to selecte d nursing homes in various regions ( oblasts ) of Ukraine. Nursing homes are a new concept in Ukraine, but the few th at are available are now overflowing and underfinanced. The current ec o- nomic crisis exacerb ates an already severe shor t- age of care - giving fac ilities and lack of gover n- ment financial support. A lot of the e lderly, esp e- cially the poor and the handicapped, many wit h- out families to care for them, have found the m- selves in dire straits. At best, it is a meager exi s- tence. Their cry for help was deaf ening. Our members w ere so touched by these stories that they decided to take charge of the project initiative, joining eff orts with our regional council. The first step was to contact the regional social welfare chair, Luba Huraleczko, who we l- comed th e offer of assistance. Regional President, Olia Lukiw (also our branch member) , encou r- aged the women of B ranch 75 to tak e on a leade r- ship role in this collaborative effort. “We live in a country of plenty,” she exclaimed, “ and we have an obligation to lend a hand — to be the “spark of help” for the less fortunate.” With these encouraging words as their inspiration, our women swept into action. Firstly, our branch coordinated their efforts with the R e- gional Council, which had been assigned a nur s- ing home by the UNWLA National Council Social Welfare Chair, Irene Rudyk. A correspondence began between Branch 75 and the Tyvrivskyj R e- gional Geriatric Facility and Nursing Home in the oblast of Vinny tsia. Two hundre d and fifty elderly and infirm people live in this facility. Most are invalids without children and lack the financial means to obtain even the most elementary of care. The facility lacks many products that would help make life easier for the caregivers and the care recipients alike. D isability aids, elderly care pro d- ucts, medicine , and even the most basic of su p- plies, such as the disposable incontinence pro d- ucts , are sorely lacking. In the case of this facility, wheelchairs were the most pressing need. By November, the fundraising dr ive was in full force — enthusiastic ally supported by every member. In a very short ti me, donations began pouring in. By Dece mber — just in time for Christmas — enough funds were raised t o purchase 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.
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
