ЗИМА-ВЕСНА WINTER-SPRING ST. VLADIMIR INSTITUTE •²ÍÑÒÈÒÓÒ ÑÂ. ÂÎËÎÄÈÌÈÐÀ 2020 President’s Message • Слово Голови Управи Greg Hamara, President, SVI Board of Directors LIFE’S MOST PERSISTENT Many inspirational figures in modern Some recent examples of volunteerism, AND URGENT QUESTION history have shared their thoughts on SVI-style: volunteering. Muhammed Ali said: “Service • The member who voluntarily filled pot- IS THIS: WHAT ARE YOU to others is the rent you pay for your room holes with asphalt in our parking lot. DOING FOR OTHERS? here on Earth”. From Winston Churchill: • The member who stepped forward, – MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. “We make a living by whatever we get. chainsaw in hand, and brought down a But we make a life by what we give,” and dead tree on our front lawn. Mahatma Gandhi said “The best way to find • The member who catalogued an inven- yourself is to lose yourself in the service of tory of hundreds of hardware materials • And finally, a shout out to our members others.” gathering dust in our basement workshop who have given thousands of hours of Volunteering and St. Vladimir Institute with an eye to selling off the stuff. their time in the service of Bingo duty have gone hand-in-hand for more than fifty • The members and supporters who which has delivered abundant funding years. It’s not an exaggeration to say that planned, organized and presented a to our cultural programming had it not been for the legions of volunteers memorable Malanka celebration this year. I could go on, but the message is clear: over the years and the selfless contributions • The members who are meticulously St. Vladimir’s relies on its volunteers. they made – and continue to make – the combing dozens of archival boxes and As we plan for the redevelopment of our organization that we know today would records to determine what SVI paper- facility at 620 Spadina Avenue, the demand simply have ceased to exist. work needs to be kept and what needs to for volunteers will only grow. We seek Volunteers are the oxygen that sustain a be tossed. your expertise, professional experience community organization like ours. They • The members and staff who sacrificed and knowledge to give shape to a future respond to the call that paid staff – or time and energy over the Christmas downtown Toronto Ukrainian-Canadian operating budgets – cannot meet. They are break to give a fresh spit-and-polish paint cultural centre that will sustain our the friendly face that welcome others to our job to our auditorium bar space. community for the next 50 years. events and programs. They are those who • Our beloved Prut River Boys whose Are you up to the task to help us grow? roll up their sleeves and perform tasks that Christmas caroling over 30-some years Volunteer today. Contact us at 416-923-3318 nobody envies but that everyone knows has collected close to $200K in donations or email [email protected] need to be done. for the Institute. 2019-2020 SVI Scholarships CONGRATULATIONS to our St. Vladimir Institute residents who received SVI 2019-20 scholarships! From left to right: Venia Veselovsky, Nicholas Seiler, Ambrose Emmet-Iwaniw, Renata Hewryk, Veronika Yurchenko, and Juliana Hentosz. Venia, Abrose and Veronika each received the $2,000 Bodnar Scholarship; Nicholas and Renata each received the $1,500 Yaremko Scholarship; Juliana received the $750 Kozy Scholarship. The scholarships were presented on March 5, 2020 at the UCPBA Student Networking Night at SVI, presented by Ukrainian Canadian Students Union, Ukrainian Students’ Club at Ryerson, Ukrainian Students’ Club at University of Toronto, and Ukrainian Canadian Professional & Business Association of Toronto. ST.VLADIMIR INSTITUTE • ІНСТИТУТ СВ.ВОЛОДОМИРА 1 New Appointment VISTI • WINTER-SPRING 2020 The board of directors of identification of its future needs. She will report to St. Vladimir Institute is the organization’s board of directors. VISTI IS PUBLISHED BY St. Vladimir Institute pleased to announce the A former student resident and board member 620 Spadina Avenue appointment of Daria of SVI, Daria brings a wealth of professional Toronto, Ontario M5S 2H4 Olynyk to the position of experience to her new position. Most recently Tel: (416) 923-3318 Redevelopment Project Fax: (416) 923-8266 she served as Community Giving Officer with [email protected] Coordinator (RPC). Her St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation. In this www.stvladimir.ca appointment took effect in position she implemented the planning, execution December, 2019. St.Vladimir Institute - Toronto and follow-up for several donor acquisition and stvladimirinstitute As RPC, Daria will be Daria Olynyk retention strategies and programs. NEWSLETTER EDITOR responsible for many of the planning tasks At the community level, she was co-chair of Lidia Smilka • [email protected] associated with the Institute’s aim of redeveloping the popular and successful Ukrainian Art Song GRAPHIC DESIGN its facility at 620 Spadina Avenue, including Tanya Mykytiuk • www.ptashka.com drafting a Request for Proposal to several Project from 2012-2017. She is a recipient of CONTRIBUTORS architectural firms which, in turn, will be invited the Paul Harris Fellow, awarded by the Rotary Marta Baziuk, Dr. Judith Cohen, Angelika to bid on developing a feasibility study for the Club, for her years of volunteerism, including her Garvey, Bozhena Gembatiuk, Greg widely-admired contributions to the Art Song Hamara, Oksana Hawrylak, Sonia Holiad, redevelopment project. It is hoped the successful Tamara Ivanochko, Halyna Ostapchuk, firm will begin its work with the Institute by late Project. Marta Polishchuk, Lily Stafford, Christine spring. SVI president and chair of the board, Greg Yurchuk, photography by Carlos Garate and Mykola Swarnyk, art images by Vera Her other responsibilities will include cultivating Hamara, said Daria’s appointment demonstrates Yurchuk. awareness of the redevelopment project to other the Institute’s commitment to its redevelopment Ukrainian-Canadian organizations in the Greater aspirations. “Daria has a proven track record of ВІСТІ • ЗИМА-ВЕСНА 2020 Toronto Area; fostering relations with locally- delivering results whenever she’s had a hand in an ВІСТІ ВИДАЄ elected public officials and neighbourhood organization’s success,” he said. “She brings real Інститут св. Володимира groups, liaising with fundraising firms; research traction to our efforts to make St. Vladimir Institute 620 Spadina Avenue Toronto, Ontario M5S 2H4 granting organizations in the pubic and non- the leading cultural and academic centre for the Tel: (416) 923-3318 governmental sectors, and to organize and Ukrainian-Canadian community in Toronto and Fax: (416) 923-8266 implement focus groups that will assist SVI in the across Canada.” [email protected] www.stvladimir.ca St.Vladimir Institute - Toronto COVID-19 Update from SVI stvladimirinstitute Gregory Hamara are in close proximity with each other. Fewer than РЕДАКТОР President, St Vladimir Institute Лідія Смілка • [email protected] 20 students remain in residence, mostly from ГРАФІЧНИЙ ДИЗАЙН Extraordinary times call for extraordinary homes outside of Canada. Таня Микитюк • www.ptashka.com measures. For the first time since St. Vladimir All programming and events at SVI have been ДОПИСУВАЧІ Institute opened its doors more than 50 years cancelled. And, for the first time that anyone can Марта Базюк, Оксана Гавриляк, Григорій ago to the Ukrainian-Canadian community and remember, the board of directors conducted its Гамара, Соня Голіяд, Анжеліка Ґарвей, the general public, we took the unprecedented Божена Ґембатюк, Тамара Іваночко, Др. March 19 meeting by conference call and not as Джудіт Коген, Галина Остапчук, Марта step on March 18 to lock our doors to members, a group inside the building. This will be the new Поліщук, Лілі Стефорд, Христина Юрчук, supporters, friends and neighbours. norm for board committee meetings. фотознимки Карлоса Ґарате та Миколи Сварника, мистецькі ілюстрації Віри Until further notice, 620 Spadina Avenue will be We are also taking a significant financial hit. Юрчук. closed to all but a small handful of our resident For years, the University of Toronto has rented students and essential staff. Delivery personnel our auditoriums for winter and final exams. and service providers will be allowed access BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2019-2020 Not this spring. The university announced all between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. final exams will be conducted online only. This PRESIDENT Greg Hamara We took this measure to safeguard the health decision represents a financial loss to SVI of VICE-PRESIDENT Alla Shklar and safety of our staff and residents from the more than $10,000. In addition, most other TREASURER Michael Kalimin potentially harmful effects of the COVID-19 venue rentals have been cancelled for the coming months.Help us make up for this unanticipated SECRETARY Mark Olynyk virus. We had no alternative but to shut down. St Vlad’s is a busy place. Residents come-and- shortfall. Please visit www.stvladimir.ca to make DIRECTORS Marty Chepesiuk Ivan Franko go at all hours of the day and night. Our tenants an emergency donation. Oksana Hawrylak welcome their own visitors. The general public On behalf of the board of directors I thank Natalia Lehkyj and visitors access our washrooms, meeting you for your understanding and patience Mark Mykytiuk rooms and cafeteria facilities. Adam Shipowick during these challenging times. Please call Orest Sushko Closing the Institute indefinitely is not the only 416-923-3318 if you have any questions. Maxim Tarnawsky precautionary steps taken. Two staff members We encourage everyone to maintain hygienic Tania Washchuk are working from home. Our kitchen staff has protocols, self-isolate if you can, stay calm and adopted a spacing protocol where no two workers support one another. 2 ST.VLADIMIR INSTITUTE • ІНСТИТУТ СВ.ВОЛОДОМИРА Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch Lily Stafford seed beads while trading with Europeans, In connection with this Ukrainian Museum of Canada, Ontario Branch and they referred to them as “gifts from exhibit, the museum The most innocuous moments often turn the spirit world.” There is a similar is planning a series of out to be significant.