The XXVIth UNWLA Convention Banquet was held on Saturday, May 25, 2002. At the banquet, guests were warmly greeted by Tetiana Silecka, president of the Convention Committee. Mistress of Ceremonies for the program was Roxolana Yarymowych who entertained everyone with a short history of Florida, including the story of Ponce de Leon, the Spanish explorer who came to Florida to seek the Fountain of Youth. According to Ms. Yarymowych, the Fountain of Youth was not discovered until Ukrainians came and settled in La Calabana -- North Port.

Honorary President Anna Krawczuk was then called upon to recognize the new National Board and lead them in taking their oath of office. Newly re-elected President Iryna Kurowyckyj thanked delegates for giving her the opportunity of serving the organization for another term and shared with everyone her joy that the UNWLA had become a family tradition. Three of the newly elected National Board members are children or grandchildren of UNWLA leaders. The president then spoke about continuing the important work begun under her previous tenure. She also introduced to banquet guests the author of Lysty Tak Dovho Ydut' and the winner of the Kovaliv Prize for Literature -- Dr. Valentyna Borysenko. At the request of the president, Honorary President Anna Krawczuk led those assembled in toasting the 75^th anniversary of the UNWLA and the XXVIth UNWLA Convention.

During the banquet, congratulatory letters from dignitaries across the country and around the world were read. Letters were received from Patriarch Lubomyr, Patrirch Filaret, Archbishop Antoniy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolital Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Philadelphia, Archbishop Robert Moskal of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Parma, President George W Bush, President Leonid Kuchma, the World Congress of Ukrainians, the Ukrainian American Coordinating Committee, the Ukrainian Congress Committee, the National Council of Women, Governor Jeb Bush of Florida, Mayor of Sarasota Caroline Mason, UNA President Ulana Diachuk, President of the Ukrainian National Women's League of Ukraine Lilia Hryhorovich, Honorary President Atena Pashko, President of the Ukrainian Museum in New York City Olha Hnateyko, the Ukrainian American Veterans, and many other organizations too numerous to mention here.

A congratulatory statement from the WFUWO was delivered by Oksana Sokolyk, who invited everyone to the WFUWO's 8^th conference, to be hosted in Toronto this year. President Sokolyk presented President Kurowyckyj with Zi Skhodu Na Zakhid (From East to West -- Memoirs of an Ostarbeiter), a book by Antonina Demchyna, recently published by the WFUWO. Author Svitlana Kocherha read a warm message from Ukraine's former Prime Minister Viktor Yuschenko and presented President Kurowyckyj with a gift from the Verkhovna Rada -- a medal commemorating ten years of Ukrainian independence.

Next came the formal presentation of the Petro and Lesia Kovaliv Prize for Literature to author Dr. Valentyna Borysenko for her book Traditsii I zhyttyedialnist' etnosu . The award recipient, a professor at Kyiv University, commented on the students she works with, "They have a cultural vacuum … it is frightening … My book is something that I hope will fill that vacuum and help them know who they are."

A musical program followed. The featured artists of the evening were mezzo-soprano Kalyna Cholhan-Boychuk, accompanied by Lubow Dobrovolska-Ingram, and the UNWLA Branch 56 Choir of North Port, Florida. A closing prayer was offered by Rev. Mykhajlo Borysenko of St. Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in North Port.

Sunday morning began with Divine Liturgy celebrated in both the Ukrainian Catholic and the Ukrainian Orthodox rites. Guests and delegates then filed into the conference room to continue with scheduled meetings. At the beginning of the session, UNWLA President Iryna Kurowyckyj was presented with an engraved crystal gavel -- a gift from members of the convention committee.

Once procedural formalities were completed, delegates were requested to discuss three proposed changes to the UNWLA bylaws. Branch 73 of Fairfield County, Connecticut had proposed that delegates consider whether annual branch meetings were needed and whether branch officers could be elected for two or three year terms with meeting schedules restructured accordingly. Several delegates voiced their objections to this proposal and the majority voted to leave the bylaw unchanged.

Branch 98 of Kerhonckson, NY proposed that the UNWLA convention be held every four years instead of every three years. It was also suggested that UNWLA members with family responsibilities found it difficult to convene during the Memorial Day Weekend. While several delegates supported the proposed change to hold the convention every four years, most opposed the change and voted to against it. It was then proposed the Executive Board should consider changing the schedule of future conventions so that they would not conflict with the Memorial Day holiday.

The third bylaws change proposal was submitted by Honorary President Anna Krawczuk, who contended that the word "National" does not truly reflect the nature of the organization, is not an accurate translation form the organization's Ukrainian name, and often creates misconceptions about the organization's purpose. The proposed change was strongly opposed by delegates who objected on the basis of tradition and expense, and it was voted down.

Several "cosmetic" changes dealing primarily with legal or financial language were voted upon and passed. Another "language" question had to do with the inclusion of the editor of Our Life in the bylaws dealing with UNWLA office staff, with a particular objection by editor-in-chief Irena Chaban to the location and wording of the contract clause. It was deemed that this question would be addressed by the Executive Committee, which would then offer its recommendations on this matter.

Next on the agenda was a panel on organizational matters, chaired by Vice president Sophia Hewryk. The first panelist was Roma Hayda (President, Branch 73, New England) who spoke on the theme of "The UNWLA and tomorrow." Ms. Hayda focused on the importance of reviewing the organization's vision and goals as a step toward understanding what changes were needed to adapt to the needs of UNWLA members and the community they serve. Marianna Zajac (President, Central New York Regional Council) reported on Summit 2002, a meeting recently held by Ukrainian-American community leaders for the purpose of addressing and finding solutions to the pandemic crisis of dwindling membership. With respect to the UNWLA, Ms. Zajac suggested that we focus less on bonding and more on bridging -- that is, move away from the comfort zone of "people just like me" and move toward a more inclusive and more beneficial personal and organizational vision. The final panelist to speak was Christine Izhak (Vice president, Philadelphia Regional Council) who focused on Philadelphia's recent successes in attracting new members to the UNWLA and on the importance of branches supporting other branches in a spirit of mutual cooperation.

The final session of the morning was a presentation by Dr. Christina Durbak on air pollutants and their harmful effects, particularly on children and the elderly. Dr. Durbak's disconcerting statistics showed that we have become complacent about this issue and that we need to act quickly if air quality in our environment is ever to improve.

At the close of the morning session, guests and delegates gathered for a festive lunch break during which UNWLA members who had served the organization for twenty-five years or more were awarded special certificates of recognition. Branches with outstanding records of service were also awarded certificates of merit. Special awards were presented to branches whose contributions to Social Welfare projects, educational endeavors, and to the Scholarship program were also presented.

One of the highlights of the luncheon was a speech by founding UNWLA member Mary Beck, whose infectious humor made everyone laugh and whose emotional description of Ukraine's beauty and Ukraine's tragedies evoked empathetic tears. In her speech, Mrs. Beck saluted the Ukrainian woman as the undervalued and unappreciated warrior with the wisdom and the strength to be mother, teacher, and organizer, capable of overcoming any obstacles. At the end of her speech, guests and delegates saluted the organization's Grand Dame with a heartfelt "Monhaya Lita."

The afternoon session began with a presentation by Valentyna Borysenko, winner of the Kovaliv Prize, who spoke on "Knowledge of Ukrainian Culture--National Self-Preservation." Professor Borysenko reported that ten years after gaining independence, Ukraine continues to suffer from an insidious russification process. She cited examples of how Russian-language television, books, magazines and newspapers, still permeate the visual and auditory landscape, and how this effects the self-esteem of young Ukrainians. A major problem in the country, according to Dr. Borysenko, is the attempts of the Russian minority to paint Ukraine as a poly-ethnic society where minority rights are routinely abused and repressed. Despite these problems, Dr. Borysenko stated that the future was not entirely bleak. "I work with youth," she said. "I see changes in the last five years. They are beginning to see themselves and feel themselves Ukrainian."

Late afternoon was filled with concurrent seminars and presentations by the Chairs of the Social Welfare Committee, the Scholarship Committee, and the Culture/Museum Committee. There was also a panel presented by Press Chair Anna Maksymowych and the editors of Our Life.

For Sunday evening, the convention committee had planned an excursion to the Ukrainian Village in North Port, home of Branch 56. Delegates and guests traveled by bus to St. Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Church for light refreshments and an opportunity to view the church, the library, and the gift shop. The next stop was St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church where everyone was treated to a delicious chicken dinner while enjoying an artistic program that combined local and visiting talent. After a warm welcome by Maria Navarynska, everyone settled down to a program of songs performed by Trio Pisnia (Branch 29 of Chicago) and Melodia (Branch 56) accompanied by Roma Steckiw Long on the bandura. Humorous vignettes of Diaspora life were expertly presented by Natalia Hewko (President of Detroit Regional Council). There was also a lottery with many happy winners. A special surprise was the impromptu performance of Oksana Likhovid who played and sang a song she had composed as a tribute to Ukraine. President of Branch 127 of New York, Ms. Likhovid is a member of the "fourth wave" that many in the Ukrainian community are beginning to recognize as the great hope of our organizations. At the close of the festive visit to North Port everyone joined in singing "Ukraino, O Luba Nen'ko" and in thanking our hosts for their hospitality.

Monday's activities opened with concurrent seminars by Archives Chair Olha Trytyak and Education Chair Kateryna Iwasyshyn. Ms. Trytyak spoke about the progress being made in transferring UNWLA archives to the Immigration History Research Center in Minnesota where they will be catalogued and safeguarded as valuable resources for historians, authors, scholars, genealogists and other research specialists interested in the wealth of ethnic history in the United States. Ms. Iwanyszyn spoke about changing trends in education and how new methodology can be adapted and applied to teaching Ukrainian children raised in this country.

Later that morning, a financial panel on "Why the UNWLA Must Adhere to IRS Laws" was presented by Nadia Cwiach and attorney Oksana Xenos. This was followed by a session during which convention resolutions were voted upon and formally accepted. (Additional information about the resolutions will be published separately).

President Iryna Kurowyckyj delivered an acceptance speech reflecting her commitment to continue serving the UNWLA with passion and integrity. Afterwards, delegates addressed miscellaneous matters and questions and the XXVIth UNWLA Convention was formally adjourned. The weekend ended with a farewell luncheon during which the convention committee was saluted for its magnificent work in organizing the convention in such pleasant and hospitable surroundings. A special tribute was also given to Mr. Yaroslaw Kurowyckyj, as First Gentleman, for his staunch support of all UNWLA endeavors.