NP-UN Western Bureau.
Nine honored with Hetman Awards
Nine members of Alberta’s Ukrainian community were presented with Hetman Awards at the annual banquet held at the Ukrainian Youth Unity Complex in Edmonton December 3.
Greetings were delivered by Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, MLA for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, and Parliamentary Secretary for Ukrainian Refugee Settlement, on behalf of the Government of Alberta, Karen Principe, Councillor for Ward Tastawiyiniwak, on behalf of the City of Edmonton, and Consul General Oleksandr Danyleiko on behalf of the Government of Ukraine.
The program also featured a presentation by Sand Artist Svitlana Melobenska and a performance by singer Ihor Bohdan.
The Hetman Awards were established by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Alberta Provincial Council in 1998 to recognize significant volunteer achievements of outstanding Ukrainian Albertans. The Annual Hetman Awards are dedicated to the celebration of all volunteers who have chosen to give their time, effort and expertise in order to keep our Ukrainian Canadian community in Alberta strong, vibrant and active.
Awards were presented in four categories — Outstanding Leadership, Professional Achievement, Exemplary Volunteer and Posthumous.
The honorees are as follows:
Outstanding Leadership Awards
Catherine Bacinski’s involvement with the Ukrainian choir community started close to 35 years ago when she joined the Edmonton CYMK choir as a teenager. Her love of singing then took her to join the Verkhovyna choir where she met and married the love of her life, Josip, and where they continue to sing together to this day. Once her daughters came along, Catherine was committed and actively involved in all their activities as a tireless volunteer in the Ukrainian Community.
Her go-to proverb, “Where there is a will – there is a way,” launches her to action. Catherine’s “no nonsense and let’s get to work” approach has been vital to the Verkhovyna Ukrainian Song and Dance Ensemble, the Verkhovyna Choir, St. Josaphat’s Sadochok, Edmonton Catholic Schools Ukrainian Bilingual Dance Academy Parent Advisory, League of Ukrainian Canadians (LUC), Ukrainian Youth Unity Council (UYUC), Volya Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Verkhovyna School of Ukrainian Dance, and the Verkhovyna Ukrainian Song & Dance Ensemble Parent Advisory Committee. Catherine is fiercely proud of her Ukrainian heritage and willingly shares her love, passion, and enthusiasm. As a lifelong learner, Catherine is willing to take risks, take direction, and learn from others. Her positive attitude and sense of humour are infectious and an asset to the Ukrainian organizations as an outstanding leader.
Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz is a 1st born Ukrainian Canadian, who is actively engaged in the Ukrainian Canadian Community. She is a longtime active member of the League of Ukrainian Canadian Women (Edmonton Branch) having served in various executive positions, a lifetime member of Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM), Alberta Council of Ukrainian Arts, Ukrainian Shumka Dancer, Ukrainian Canadian Congress Provincial and National, and Ukrainian World Congress.
Olesia has served on a number of community committees and advisory boards, and brings energy, knowledge and innovative ideas to every organization she is involved with. She works tirelessly on attracting and motivating new members to join our community organizations. Olesia strongly believes that we all, united and strong, can build a better future for our community in Canada, and help Ukraine especially at this difficult time. Her exemplary leadership and volunteer skills show others that she is a true role model and everybody can be successful in their own ventures. For her active role within the Ukrainian Canadian community she was recently sanctioned against travelling to Russia.
Nataliya Melysh joined Ukrainian Youth Association (CYM) shortly after arriving in Calgary from Ukraine in 1996. We immediately felt her contagious enthusiasm and passion for supporting Ukrainian youth. This made her an integral part of the revitalization of our organization, which at that time consisted mostly of adult members. Along with other parents, she restarted the weekly youth programming. Since then, her involvement and leadership in the organization grew, as did her impact on the organization and our community in Calgary.
She continued to teach weekly classes, and took on various roles on the executive, including treasurer, secretary, head instructor and director of programming. In these roles, she wrote and organized various concerts, plays, songs, and commemorative productions where our youth presented, introduced our organization to old and lost Ukrainian traditions, and integrated her talents in embroidery, beading and special Ukrainian art methods into an art program for youth, which continue to be used locally and nationally.
Tamara Vorotilenko has the ability to recognize a need and has a commitment to getting things done, which has led to a lifetime of volunteer activities. She currently devotes her time to various community organizations through the Edmonton Region. Her volunteer and leadership accomplishments made and continue to make a significant difference to the lives of many in the community.
In 1998, the family immigrated to Canada and settled in Edmonton, Alberta. In 1999, Tamara joined Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada. For many years she held various positions on the Boards of UWO and UNF (Secretary, Chairman of the Auditing Committee, Financial Adviser, Vice-President, etc.). In 2009 she was elected as President of UWO Edmonton branch, which she held for 4 years (2009-2012). In 2019, the members of the organization again entrusted her with this honorary position (2019-2020). Tamara worked as one of the developing members of the Ukrainian Children’s Theatre-Studio Dzherelo and has inspired the new generation. They will have the knowledge to go forward and continue with the work started before them, ensuring the continuation of Ukrainian traditions and language.
Professional Achievement Awards
Olia Myc’s pedagogical career has been dedicated to the development and sustainability of Ukrainian language education in the province. She worked as an elementary school teacher and taught Grades 5 and 5/6 at the Ukrainian Bilingual Programs in Fr. Kenneth Kearns School and St. Theresa Catholic School, Sherwood Park. Olia also acted as an Artistic Director of the Ukrainian Children’s Drama Theater “Dzherelo” at the Ukrainian National Federation, Edmonton Branch. Currently, she teaches grades 3 and 3/4 at the Ukrainian Bilingual Program in St. Matthew Elementary School, Edmonton. In the local Ukrainian community, she is well known as the Principal of the Ukrainian Saturday School Ridna Shkola at St. George’s Catholic Church in Edmonton. She is also the recipient of the 2019-2020 Best Teacher of the Ukrainian Language Abroad award.
As Principal of the Ivan Franko School of Ukrainian Studies since 2004,Liliya Sukhy has been an inspiration to both students and teachers. She has encompassed what can be called a caring, initiative-taking, and empowering leader. Whether it be through student concerts, walkathons, fundraising efforts, or simply sharing school photos with families, Liliya brings together the community that is the Ivan Franko School.
Her enterprising qualities led to the creation of an entire separate stream of distance learning for students living outside of Edmonton and who cannot attend in person. The program runs in parallel with regular learning, and involves the hiring of additional teachers. Now in its second year, this distance initiative ties in students from across the province and country. As a visionary, Sukhy expanded programming and brought in new students at precisely a time many of our community organizations face huge challenges.
Exemplary Volunteer Award
Rod Shaigec is a third generation Canadian, born on the family farm in the hamlet of Carvel. His grandparents immigrated to Carvel from Lviv Oblast in the early 1900s. They, along with other members of the Carvel community, built the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church and the Carvel Hall.
From an early age, Rod was immersed in Ukrainian community activities and has remained active as a member of, and volunteer with, the church and the hall. Over the past 20 years, he has assumed various executive roles with the Carvel Ukrainian Cultural Society (CUCS). Established in 1924, the CUCS strives to maintain and advance Ukrainian culture, arts, and language, while serving the community. Rod is regularly involved in maintenance activities at both the church and hall, including upkeep of the six acres of grounds and cemetery. Rod and other volunteers also spearheaded an expansion and modernization of the hall, and Rod has stepped in to fill the roles of Santa Claus and Sviatyji Mykolaj at hall events during the festive season.
Ivan Vorotilenko was born in Kharkiv and immigrated to Canada with his family in 1998. In the first few years after arriving in Canada, the whole family joined the Ukrainian National Federation (UNF) and the Ukrainian Women’s Organization (UWO), and took an active role in them and the Ukrainian community of Edmonton at large. In 2001, Ivan joined the UNF and participated in the revival of the Ukrainian National Youth Federation (UNYF) and the theatrical group “Suzirya,” with which he took part in poetry nights, artistic performances, and Malankas from 2008-2020.
Ivan travelled to Ukraine as an international election observer in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2014, representing UCC and CANADEM. He never attended Ukrainian schools having lived mostly outside of Ukraine before coming to Canada, but having joined the Ukrainian community in Edmonton, he learned the language on his own and attained a level of fluency. Ivan served as secretary for the UNF from 2004-2005, and has been a member of the UNF building management committee since 2006.
Posthumous Award
Phyllis Basaraba was a second generation Ukrainian Canadian, who learned to read, write, and speak Ukrainian while visiting her Baba and Dido on the farm during the summers. Despite a tragic helicopter accident leaving her a paraplegic at the age of 31, she never let her wheelchair slow her down.
In 1989, Phyllis contacted lost relatives in Western Ukraine, and embarked upon her first trip to Ukraine in 1990 alone in a wheelchair. She made an additional 17 trips to Ukraine, bringing suitcases and boxes of supplies. Thanks to her skills as an elections officer and fluency in Ukrainian, Phyllis was recruited by the United Nations to travel to Kyiv as an elections scrutineer for Ukraine’s first presidential elections in1991. She was delighted by the honour, and attended the following two Ukrainian elections under the guidance of Prime Minister Joe Clark, and then as the head attaché in Kyiv for Prime Minister John Turner.
In 2002, Phyllis finished her Master of Arts in Ukrainian Linguistics at the University of Alberta. She subsequently published a book on Ukrainian folklore and traditions, which is now used in universities worldwide.
Five awarded Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Medal
Five members of Alberta’s Ukrainian community were honored with the Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Medal during the Hetman Awards Banquet in Edmonton December 3.
The commemorative medal has been created to mark the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada.
It will be awarded to 7,000 Albertans throughout 2022 in recognition of significant contributions to the province.
The Platinum Jubilee Medal program is continuing as planned despite the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and will conclude on February 5, 2023.
The five honorees are as follows:
Nadia Cyncar has been described as “a walking, talking, cultural institution.” She has worked tirelessly for more than 70 years in our community organizations. Be it creating and maintaining the library & archives of the Edmonton branch of Plast Ukrainian Youth Association, or designing and creating the costumes for operas performed by Dnipro Ensemble and Alberta Ballet, she has never shied away from such challenges in order to maintain and enhance Ukrainian culture in Canada. Her activity and dedication within the Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League of Canada (UCWLC) – locally and provincially, and as curator of their Museum, has earned her the status Honourary Life Member. She remains active, producing the most recent museum exhibit entitled, “Той старий кожух”, commemorating 70 years of the UCWLC’s Museum in Alberta & the 130th Anniversary of Ukrainian Settlement in Canada. Nadia Cyncar’s personal dedication and her understanding of the history and significance of Ukrainian folk art, has made her a vital contributor to the essence of folk art itself and the Ukrainian community in Edmonton.
Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz continues to be an active leader and mentor, working to engage, educate and advocate for the Ukrainian community. She has been involved in both the Provincial and National Ukrainian community for many years, including serving as President of UCC-APC from 2012-2019. Olesia’s achievements as an active community leader include but are not limited to:
• Supporting the opening of the Ukrainian Consulate in Edmonton
• Supporting the drafting of the Legislative Proclamation, and championing the Proclamation of Alberta Heritage Days
• One of the leads of the Guardian Angels Committee; providing Aid to Veterans in Ukraine
In all of her roles, Olesia works towards fostering unity and cooperation for all Ukrainian organizations within the province and works to preserve Ukrainian Heritage, history, culture and language.
Throughout her life, Christine Moussienko has been active in nearly all domains of the Ukrainian community, including arts and culture, media, sports, education and youth, advocacy and government, social services, religion, and many others. She has served as a director (in various capacities) for many organizations, including the Calgary Ukrainian Radio Program, Calgary Ukrainian Credit Union, UCC Calgary, UCC- APC, Echoes of Ukraine Association, CYM Calgary, League of Ukrainian Canadian Women, Barvinok Ukrainian Dancers, and is currently serving her third term as Chairperson of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church (ABVM). Christine has also incorporated her professional training as a Social Worker into all her work as a leader, mentor, advocate, and volunteer in the Ukrainian community.
Bohdan Romaniuk is lawyer, economist, entrepreneur and semi-retired business executive. He has been an active member of the Ukrainian community in Canada for over 50 years. For the past 15 years he has served in various capacities on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association of Calgary, including eight years as President. For the past seven years, he has been the representative of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Alberta Provincial Council on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Canada Ukraine Foundation and, for the past four years, has been a member of the Board of Directors of New Pathway – Ukrainian News, a national newspaper serving the Ukrainian community in Canada continuously since 1930. Bohdan previously served for over a decade on the Investment Committee of the Shevchenko Foundation. In addition, he has been a member of CYM for over 60 years.
Bohdan is delighted to report that he was part of the latest cohort of Canadians (effective November 14, 2022) to be officially sanctioned and declared persona non grata by the Kremlin.
Dr. Amil Shapka has devoted a great deal of his time and energy to maintain the Ukrainian Canadian community in St. Paul. Amil has been on the board of the All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Cultural Centre for nearly 30 years. Since his retirement in 2019, he has taken more of a leadership role within the local Ukrainian community, joining the St. Paul and District Ukrainian Cultural Society, successfully placing a statue and interpretive panel to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of
the end of Canada's WWI internment operations, and most recently, completing a permanent exhibit in the local museum, honoring the early Ukrainian immigrants to the area. Amil has been an active volunteer in the community throughout his entire adult life, advocating for individuals with disabilities and their families with Inclusion St. Paul, improving the quality of life and appearance of the town with Champions For Change, in addition to supporting other local organizations.
Share on Social Media
