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30 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ВЕРЕСЕНЬ 2017 UNWLA Branch 98 Events and Activities April 2017 through June 2017 by Irene Krawczuk, Branch 98 Secretary UNWLA Branch 98 (Holmdel/Middletown, N.J.) engaged in a number of activities and events in 2017, beginning with participation in the New Jer- sey Regional Council’s Den’ Soyuzianky on April 30. This annual event is an opportunity for mem- bers of all New Jersey branches to socialize, wel- come new members, and share updates on UN- WLA national issues as well as on activities of in- dividual branches. Three of our members attended this event: Nadia Jaworiw, Halyna Lojko, and Na- talia Pawlenko. Others contributed baked goods and displayed a poster featuring Branch 98 events, members, and the UNWLA Scholarship Program. The national UNWLA Scholarship Program office is in Matawan, New Jersey, and is staffed mostly by Branch 98 volunteers; Branch 98 and a number of individual branch members are also scholarship sponsors. On May 6, 2017, Branch 98 sponsored an exciting cultural program at the Middletown Arts Center in Middletown, N.J. The program featured a screening of the documentary film Music of Survival created by Orest Sushko. The event was designed as a fundraiser and was made possible by a generous donation from the Ukrainian National Federal Credit Union of Perth Amboy, N.J. After welcoming remarks by Branch 98 President Nadia Jaworiw , Natalia Pawlenko introduced Oksana Telepko and her sister Halya Leskiw, twin sisters who performed three emotionally stirring songs on their banduras. Both are graduates of the music conservatory in Lviv, Ukraine, and have traveled and performed in Ukraine, Europe, and the United States of America. Their musical performance, at times accompanied by lovely harmonizing vocals, received a warm round of applause and served as a fitting introduction to the film that followed. Film producer Orest Sushko, who traveled from Canada to New Jersey to introduce Music of Survival, was next on the program. Mr. Sushko has a proud familial history related to the bandura. His father was the first Canadian member of the Bandurist Chorus, and his grandfather, Pavlo Ste- powy, was a master craftsman of banduras; one of his creations is in the permanent collection of the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa. Both men were the inspiration for Mr. Sushko’s film. The filmmaker’s mother, Orysia Sushko, who is well known in Canadian and American circles, cur- rently serves as president of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations (WFUWO). Music of Survival tells the painful but inspiring story of the original 17 members of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus. Their story is set against a stark backdrop: the ravages of World War II, labor camps where the bandurists endured the loss of family, starvation, death, and were prohib- ited from performing their music. Their story and their music eventually rose above these historical degradations. With the war’s end, the bandurists revived their damaged (but not lost) art, and thus the tradition of the Bandurist Chorus continued. Their moving story is told through interviews with surviving members, archival footage, and narra- tion of events. The audience responded to the film with robust applause. The program continued with an informal discussion as Mr. Sushko addressed a number of questions from attendees. Branch 98 was happy to learn that this well-attended event also succeeded in attracting three new members: Larysa Burke, Myroslawa Cahn, and Luba Kasian whom we have heartily welcomed. During Memorial Day weekend in May three members of our branch attended the UN- WLA XXXI Convention in Tampa, Florida: Anna Krawczuk (Honorary UNWLA President) and branch delegates M.Orysia Jacus and Natalia Pawlenko. Branch 98 was recognized with two awards, one for excellent management of our fi- nances and timely reporting, and the other for our support of the UNWLA Scholarship Program, which is celebrating its 50 th anniversary in 2017. Luba Bilowchtchuk, M. Orysia Jacus, and Nadia Jaworiw, UNWLA Scholarship Program Commit- tee members from Branch 98, received individual citations for their volunteerism and dedication. Another Branch 98 member, Victoria Mischenko, was recognized for preparing the UNWLA Scholar- ship Program exhibit displayed during the conven- tion. In addition, two of our members were elected to the UNWLA National Board for the next three years: Anna Krawczuk as Chair of the Scholarship Program and Natalia Pawlenko as UNWLA Na- tional Art and Museum Chair.
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