Substantive reports were delivered by the three full-time executive officers of the UNA: President Stefan Kaczaraj, National Secretary Christine Kozak and Treasurer Roma Lisovich. All other General Assembly members, as well as the editor-in-chief of the UNA’s official publications, Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly, had the opportunity to deliver addenda to their written reports.

Four committees were established to work during the sessions: Organizing/Fraternal, Soyuzivka, Publications and Financial. In a departure from the usual format, the committees did not meet separately in smaller groups, but during plenary sessions of the General Assembly that promoted brainstorming and out-of-the-box creativity in a collegial atmosphere. The result was a fruitful strategic planning session for the UNA and its subsidiary operations that laid the groundwork for the months and years ahead.

As a democracy, we place great faith in our elected representatives to accomplish the difficult task of governing.  We trust that they are aware that their actions have far-reaching consequences.  While the debt-ceiling limit is making the news, it is bringing much-needed focus to our failed budget process.  We are hopeful this will cause voters to understand and make a priority of controlling and ultimately eliminating our deficit.  It seems to be on more minds than ever.  That’s not a bad thing.

Your policy is backed by an investment portfolio that is broadly diversified.  This served us well in 2008; this discipline will serve us well again.  Our exposure directly to the US Treasury is minimal and our regular review of cash flows puts us in the enviable position of being able to weather liquidity freezes as occurred beginning in 2008.  No one can say with certainty the outcome of the ripple effect the financial world would experience given a default (technical or otherwise) of the US Treasury.  Clearly, the impact would be significant.

We will be monitoring the events surrounding this situation for the duration.  If you wish to provide us with an email address, we’d be pleased to provide updates as we receive them.

Thanks for your trust and your confidence.  We’re on it.

“The UNA continues to head in the right direction,” noted President Stefan Kaczaraj, pointing to increasing sales of insurance products and higher incomes from investments, plus a significant increase in the UNA’s assets during the first nine months of 2010.

The most noticeable herald of the updated look for the UNA is its revised logo.  While staying true to the roots of the organization and not discarding any of the vital elements that have defined the UNA for over 100 years, the new version of the logo is simplified, with cleaner lines and an updated feel.  To be consistent, the UNA has also amended its official letterhead, business cards, and all other corporate materials.

The next major development was the total revision of the UNA website.  This site has been under construction for awhile.  Besides incorporating the new look, the primary purpose of the renovation was to simplify the navigation, allowing users easy access to pertinent information.  In addition, most of the information is provided in English and Ukrainian.

This website is designed to be constantly updated with relevant information.  Therefore, please be sure to visit frequently to view the evolution of this site with the inclusion of new material and updates.