UCHI_About Us
About Us [about.html] Support Programs Materials FAQ Links Events óêð About Us President | UCHI Board of Directors | UCHI Interns | President’s Report Address: 610 Bouquet Street - Carnegie, PA 15106; telefon: (412) 327 - 8111 E-mail: shaluszczak@uchi.us The logo for the Ukrainian Cultural and Humanitarian Institute consists of its acronym “UCHI” atop its fully-written name and a sunburst over the “I”. The acronym and name are presented in blue with the sunburst in yellow, approximating the colors of the flag of Ukraine. A sunburst was chosen to represent three ideas: 1) a bright and sunny future for the country of Ukraine and long-lasting warm relations with the USA; 2) the sunflower – a well-recognized natural and cultural symbol evident throughout the country of Ukraine; and 3) the light of increased understanding and knowledge between the US and Ukraine. President Stephen Haluszczak The President of the UCHI is Stephen Haluszczak , who was the local director of the US State Department training program Community Connections in Pittsburgh, PA. Mr. Haluszczak worked with 19 groups of professionals from Ukraine over six years, planning training programs for local government officials, business people, social service workers, environmentalists, journalists, health care officials, and members of the legal community. He is past president of the Pittsburgh-Donets'k Sister Cities Committee, and is the assistant manager at the Ukrainian Selfreliance of Western Pennsylvania Federal Credit Union. UCHI Board of Directors Changes This past year has seen a few changes in the make up of the board of directors of the UCHI. Members Kathy Waleko and Tristan Hays have left the board, and Nataliya Tokar and Mary Hume-Whitney have joined. Kathy was an original board member when UCHI was founded in early 2002. Tristan has moved his family to Las Vegas. Nataliya was born in L’viv and has been in the US since 1998. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and works at the Ukrainian Selfreliance of Western Pennsylvania Federal Credit Union. Mary is Development and Education Outreach Coordinator at EarthForce, an environmental NGO, which provides environmental education opportunities for children. UCHI Board Secretary Irene Horajsky served as UCHI’s Program Manager during late 2004 and early 2005, working to find home hosts for participants of the Open World Training Program, as well as setting up the program schedules and interpreting. She will soon be opening “Roxolana’s Garden” on Western Avenue in Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood. Roxolana’s Garden will serve Ukrainian food and Chicago-style beef sandwiches. It will be open for breakfast and lunch weekdays. (412) 965 – 7695. The Board is currently made up of eight members: Stephen Haluszczak, President; Irene Horajsky, Secretary; Members Jaropolk Lassowsky, Victor Onufrey, Ray Reaves, Nataliya Tokar, Sydir M. Tymiak., and Mary Hume-Whitney. Secretary/Treasurer Irene Horajsky Is the proprietor of Interpreting by Irene and has worked with eight groups of Ukrainian professionals, who have taken part in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State’s Community Connections Program. She is a doctoral candidate in the field of Ukrainian literature. Member Ray Reaves is a Planning Consultant and former Head of the Allegheny County Planning Department. He visited Ukraine twice on World Bank-funded projects, and has worked with the Community Connections program since 1997 in various ways. Member Victor G. Onufrey, M.D. is an Oncologist at Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. He is a member of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology; the American College of Radiology; and the American Society of clinical Oncology. He serves on the editorial board of the Ukrainian Journal of Radiology; has published article in radiation oncology journals in the USA and Ukraine; and he has made presentations on the theme of radiation oncology throughout the US and Ukraine. Member Jaropolk Lassowsky is an Associate Professor of Music at Clarion University in Pennsylvania. He was born in Ukraine, leaving during World War II. He is a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in New York City, the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, and the Association for the Study of Nationalities. Member Sydir Michael Tymiak has been a life-long activist in the Ukrainian-American community in Western Pennsylvania. He was the founder of the Ukrainian Selfreliance of Western Pennsylvania Federal Credit Union and leads efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine through the Tri-State Children of Chornobyl Relief Committee. Member Nataliya Tokar was born in L’viv and has been in the US since 1998. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and works at the Ukrainian Selfreliance of Western Pennsylvania Federal Credit Union. Member Mary Hume-Whitney is Development and Education Outreach Coordinator at EarthForce, an environmental NGO, which provides environmental education opportunities for children. UCHI Intern Natalia Zitter Natalia Zitter grew up in Philadelphia and has just completed her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh, with a major in History and a minor in Italian Language. As part of her certificate program through the University’s Center for Russian and East European Studies (REES), Natalia completed a 140-hour internship at UCHI. Throughout her college career, Natalia has developed her language skills, speaking Ukrainian and Italian fluently, and obtaining a working knowledge of French and Portugese. Other areas of study include History and Islamic Civilization. Continuing her interest in Islamic Studies, Natalia traveled to Sarajevo, Bosnia/Herzegovina in May for a two-week intensive study program sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh. Afterwards, she practiced her language skills during a six-day cultural excursion to Florence, Italy. Natalia was an active member of the Ukrainain Students’ Organization at the University of Pittsburgh, planning cultural excursions and a Ukrainian film symposium, and she has been active in the Ukrainian scouting organization “Plast” throughout her life. Natalia’s duties at UCHI were broad-based, and the major projects she was involved with were the development of its Ukrainian Immigrant Welcome Packet and planning UCHI’s third annual “Evening of Ukrainian Classical Music and Dance”. Natalia also assisted with database management, website updates, and general office administration. Natalia has been a great asset to UCHI, and she has been hired as Program Assistant for the Summer of 2005. She will be returning to Philadelphia in September, and we wish her well in her career. President’s Report The year 2004 was a year of great accomplishments for the Ukrainian Cultural and Humanitarian Institute (UCHI). During this pivotal third year of its existence, UCHI achieved its goal of serving all three of its constituencies by receiving its first contract to host US State Department visitors from Ukraine. And it has established an endowment fund, which will ensure the continuation of the UCHI’s services for years to come. In January of 2004, UCHI began the first phase of its Ukrainian Immigrant Training Program with a program of English as a Second Language instruction. This weekly class registered eight students during its eleven-week pilot program. The Spring/Summer session lasted from mid-May until mid-July, and the Autumn session began on September 8. Ukrainian-language immigrant orientation packets are being composed and will be available for distribution by the end of summer, 2005. The UCHI's first project to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine has just begun. The “Kherson Civic Orchestra Humanitarian Aid Project” will support the orchestra by providing musical instruments, translations of musical compositions, and other equipment for this struggling group. Third, the “Evening of Ukrainian Classical Music” is not just an event to raise funds; it is a unique cultural event, which showcases the great accomplishments made by the people of Ukraine in the field of classical music. It presents a facet of Ukrainian culture that has for too long been under-appreciated. In August of 2004, I had the distinct pleasure to lead a group of college-aged students on a trip to two orphanages in Ukraine on a humanitarian aid project sponsored by the Children of Chornobyl’ Relief Fund (CCRF) and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA (UOC). Our group of seven students, our spiritual leader, and myself traveled to two “Children’s Homes” – the first in Znam`yanka (Kirovohrad oblast’ in central Ukraine) and the second in Zaluchchya (Ivano-Frankivs’k oblast’ in Western Ukraine), staying five days in each home. We carried out various physical improvement projects, but the main focus of our trip was to spend time with the children living in the homes. It was a true honor to have been asked to lead this group, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. If you would like to read more about our group’s experiences, please visit the UOC’s website at www.uocofusa.org/news/OCTOBER-2004.pdf . © Ukrainian Cultural and Humanitarian Institute, 2002 -2005 Webmaster