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14 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 2019 day for local Girl Scouts tro o ps complete with a special merit badge cr eated for the event. Another community participation event (which ran for sev- eral years) was decorating and donating a Ukrain- ian themed Christmas tree for auction to support a local hospital. B ranch 95 also partnered with ARTS Mid Hudson, a local arm of th e New York State Council for the Arts , by present ing p ysanky demos and classes, cultural food and children’s events . In connection with this we even appear ed on local TV stations. We also created Ukrainian - themed crafts for local Christmas crafts fairs. O ur little branch even tackled HUGE pro- jects, like helping the victims of Ch o rnobyl after the Soviet Union had collapsed and inter national aid was allowed. To raise money for this purpose , branch members organized a Medieval Banquet at a local hotel . F eatu ring Medieval Ukrainian foods and décor , t he event also included a fashion show of Ukrainian clothing ranging from the Neolithic age to the present , a speaker who expounded on the horrors o f the aftermath of the Ch o rnobyl dis- aster , a silent auction of artw ork by two Ukrainian artists, and a Ukrainian d ance troupe that brought the house down. The event was sold out and was heralded as a huge success via coverage by the local newspapers. The next big branch project was the year - long planning and hosting of t he UNWLA National Convention in Albany with our sister branches from Cohoes and Watervliet. B ranch 95 created T - shirts for easy identification as one of the hosting branches and also collected and compiled “Hearts & Heritage” artwork that was turned into a poster that was sold at the event. My mother and I helped with many of these events , contribut ing her crafting skills and my artistic talents to the se endeavors , and both of us have been very proud of our involvement with the group . She and I created murals of a Medieval chorus from one of Lesia Orlan’s books as a back- drop for the Ch o rnobyl benefit. I also created a wa- tercolor for the silent auction and displays on his- toric ethnic attire. For the convention I de signed the artwork for the posters and the T - shirts , and worked with several other branch members on hand paint ing the c onvention logo on a backdrop for the speaker’s podium. Now devoted and enthusiastic Branch 95 members, mom and I he lped develop the decora- tions used for some of the Ukrainian themed Christmas trees : one adorned with i cons and p ysanky, one embellished with a sunflower motif, and a blue and white one featuring snowflakes and doves. We also created a series of colorful di splays used in our cultural events feature and highlight various aspects of Ukrainian history, traditions and art forms. As a cumulative result, w e now have displays on regional and historic attire ; r egional d ances, p ysanky, traditional Ukrainian b reads, v arenyky, i cons, gerdans, embroidery ; our Try - pillian heritage ; Easter and Christmas traditions ; our Ukrainian community in the United States and in Ukraine and who we are as a nation. Each pro- ject presented a learning experience as we re- searched the topics and created the displays. Our branch continues to be involved with the community as well as with UNWLA events. We have hosted a Women’s Weekend, a Spa Weekend, several regional meeti ngs, and Holodomor com- me morations and have celebrated our 20 th and 25 th anniversaries as a UNWLA branch . We also support the Ukrainian Museum in New York City and the UNWLA’s humanitarian efforts to aid Ukraine in its struggle to become a truly inde pend- e nt democracy. We have presented c hurch and community events as well like dinners and brunches. We have even helped with the big annual Ukrainian Festival hosted by the Soyuzivka Herit- age Center. My one regret is that my Ukrainian is not as fluent as I wou ld like it to be ; fortunately, the UNWLA’s magazine Our Life is a bilingual pub li- cation, allowing me to contribut e articles on the many activities our branch creates, hosts, and par- ticipates in as a thank you to our branch sisters. Our Life also helped Mo m and me to heal when the editors published the commemorative article I wrote on my beloved f ather after his passing. In closing, I must emphasize that m y m other and I truly feel that we have a sisterhood of dear friends through our branch. We have become close to them over the years , sharing in each other’s joys and sorrows and len ding moral and emotional support to each other in time of need. The UNWLA has given us this sisterhood as well as a second chance to learn and to become truly im- mersed in and fulfilled by our rich heritage, his- tory, traditions and values . W e are forever gratef ul. ____________________________________ ___________ There are two ways of spreading light : T o be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. − Edith Wharton
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