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34 OUR LIFE • March-April 2023 IN MEMORIAM During the early years, Branch 75 made a commitment to senior cit - izens in our community. Social ser - vices became very important, and members gave of themselves to help the elderly. Members would drive the elderly to medical ap - pointments and food shopping, and even opened a store front of - fering any type of help. During this time, members decid - ed to prepare and deliver Easter baskets to the elderly. On Holy Saturday, members would gather at St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Newark, NJ, to assemble the Easter baskets. The parish priest would bless the bas - kets in the morning, and members would deliver them to the homes of the elderly. And yes, Olia volun - teered to bake the babkas for the baskets. This tradition lasted for 40 years, and every year without hesitation Olia would volunteer. She was our babka lady. During her membership in our or - ganization, Olia was not afraid to take on responsibility. She held various posts, including President several times, as well as Vice Pres - ident. Her favorite post, and the one she enjoyed most, was being the Scholarship Chair. The branch would sponsor students from different parts of Ukraine. Olia made sure there was constant communication between her and the students. She would write let - ters, and when the students wrote back, Olia showed such excite - ment in reading their letters dur - ing our meetings. She also made sure that these children were al - ways sent care packages, wheth - er on holidays or birthdays. In preparing these packages, Olia always put in something special from herself, but she never admitted to anyone what she was doing. Her friends knew, and it was because of this type of kindness that she was so loved. On the entertaining side, the branch decided that we needed zabavas with a live show for the community. That became a tradition. Olia, of course, helped with staging and was also a performer. In fact, she was the star performer in most of our productions and also helped with anything else that was needed. Olia never complained about the time-consuming rehearsals that took her away from her family, from her small children at home. She just did what she volunteered to do with a smile. Olia’s greatest accomplishment was being elected President of the UNWLA New Jersey Regional Council. During her presidency, the NJ Re - gional Council was responsible for holding the UNWLA national con - vention in May 2011. Everything was dependent on Olia’s leadership. Because of her dedication and infectious smile, other Soyuz members were always willing to volunteer and help and even looked forward to working alongside Olia. She had a real commitment and passion for Soyuz. I once dubbed her Miss Soyuz. If I had been able to crown her, I would have. Olia was unafraid of responsibility. When the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Whippany, NJ, was organizing a fundraising festival, the organizing committee reached out to Soyuz to take on the responsibility of pro - curing and selling baked goods during the festival. Of course, Olia vol - unteered to organize and run this fundraiser. With her leadership and commitment, the bakery raised around $6,000. Whatever Olia asked, members could not say No. She was extremely committed to our organization, and she proved this throughout her life. When Olia passed away on October 7, 2022, our community and Branch 75 lost a very special woman who was committed not only to our organ - ization but also to her family: her husband Ihor, her children, and her grandchildren. Rest in peace, our dear friend. You will be remembered by everyone whose life you touched with your smile, your warmth, and your positiv - ity, even throughout your illness. Our deepest condolences to Ihor, her children, and her grandchildren Viktoria, Mako, Liliana, and Amelia, but know that your wife, mother, and grandmother left behind a legacy, and that she will forever be re - membered for her commitment, passion, and hard work on behalf of our organization. In loving memory, Bozenna Polanskyj , Branch 75, Maplewood, NJ
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