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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИПЕНЬ-СЕРПЕНЬ 2017 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 9 Speech Delivered by Newly Reelected UNWLA President Marianna Zajac at XXXI UNWLA Convention Banquet May 27, 2017 Good evening and welcome to all our dear guests. It is with great pride that I stand before you as the newly reelected President of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America. Thank you to our delegates for giving me the honor of continuing to lead our dynamic and glorious organization. During the past three years, I was very proud to represent the UNWLA at congressional meetings, at various conferences, at human rights demonstrations, at the United Nations, at various community events, and, most importantly, in Ukraine. I felt a great sense of responsibility and obligation while doing so, but I also got a clear sense that the results of the UNWLA’s diligent hard work and commitment have been extremely effective, very important, and have touched the lives of scores of “ordinary” people. It is evi- dent that the UNWLA's work is highly respected in the United States and in Ukraine. As you know, the UNWLA celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2015: 90 years of devotion to the diaspora through cultural, educational, and charitable projects; 90 years of assistance and moral support to Ukrainians in Ukraine; 90 years of advocacy for human rights—human rights, the very principle on which the country we call home, the United States of America, was built. Allow me to thank the true heroes of this anniversary, those women who 92 years ago laid the strong foundations for the then new organization in 1925. We remember those who have departed of this world but who have left their own distinct chapter in our history, their distinct mark as good and loyal citizens. I sincerely welcome our Honorary Presidents, Anna Krawczuk and Iryna Kurowyckyj, our Honorary Members, and all our delegates and guests. Because of your dedication and love for our organization each of you is here this weekend at the XXXI Convention of the Ukrainian National Wom- en’s League of America. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the UNWLA, our organization funded the publication of an academic collection on the life and work of Natalia Kobrynska, a Ukrainian writer, feminist, and activist. The title of the book (loosely translated) is "She Traveled Not Only on the Road of the Spirit of the Times, But Also Ahead of Those Times.” Allow me to apply this same principle—that is, to act with the spirit of the times but to, simultaneously, look forward to the possibilities of the future—to the work and projects of the UNWLA. Since that Sunday of the XXX Convention, May 25th, 2014, when we all wept together as we lis- tened to the performance of our two UNWLA members singing a deeply touching "Plyve Kacha po Ty- syni," a tribute to the Heavenly Hundred—the focus of the UNWLA has been related to events in Ukraine. At that same Sunday luncheon, we were informed by a telephone call from Ukraine that candi- date Petro Poroshenko had won the presidential election. We all hoped that this was the first step toward a brighter life for our beloved Ukrainians, but thus far, this has not necessarily been the case. Shortly af- ter the election results were announced, we, together with all the diaspora organizations, expanded and intensified our activities: informing our government officials and American citizens about the situation in Ukraine, about the aggression of Russia, about the fact that as a result of this aggression, Ukraine has lost the lives of over 10,000, that there are scores of wounded warriors in Ukraine, and that the plight of the families of military personnel and hundreds of thousands of displaced persons is felt on a daily basis. Without a doubt, the focus of our work during the last three years has been to assist the victims of both the Euromaidan Revolution and the war in Eastern Ukraine, which followed. In addition to our ma- jor projects, such as "Aid to Victims of the War of Dignity," or through the “Adopt the Family of a Hero of Ukraine" initiative, each branch of the UNWLA, in its own particular way, has devoted some of its work toward this effort. Our donors have been very generous in supporting these worthy initiatives. The effec- tiveness of such activities in the recent past and the reason for their success is underscored by the slogan of this convention: OUR MEMBERSHIP IS OUR STRENGTH! I must say that this time has been both historic and full of challenges. The UNWLA took on the responsibility of being an advocate of Ukraine here in the United States of America and, at the same time, the responsibility of developing and implementing humanitarian support to Ukraine. Our Social Welfare Committee decided from the onset to provide financial assistance to the wounded and the fami- lies of the dead: directly, face to face. We were able to complete this monumental assignment only be- cause of the unlimited support and help of Dr. Maria Furtak, who has become the representative of the
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