Help beat blood cancer!

In September, Blood Cancer (CURE) launches its first fundraising campaign. Lesia Maruschak, Konstantin Huytan and supporters founded this charity to ensure that 100% of donations go to blood cancer research, and that pediatric blood cancer research is a priority. CUPP Interns and MacDonald Laurier Program Participants play an important role in the fundraising initiative. Sponsor an intern! http://www.tinyurl.com/CUREChampions  

Meet Kozak System and Taras Chubay

If you are a fan of Kozak System or Tarasd Chubay or both, look out, you'll have a chance to meet them and get their autographs on September 14th at 3:15pm. Just come to the corner of Bloor and Durie streets right next door to the Ukrainian Credit Union Limited Wealth Strategies Group office. The guys will be waiting for you!

Labour Day Weekend

A note to all of our members; our branches, call centre and head office will be closed Monday September 2nd 2013 for Labour day. We hope everyone has a happy and safe long weekend!

Tickets to Toronto Ukrainian Festival Afterparty!

Ukrainian Credit Union Limited is holding another contest for someone to win 1 of 10 after party tickets at Lithuanian Hall Friday September 13th. Just like our Facebook page plus the pic posted and you’ll be automatically entered!

Click HERE to enter now!

Toronto Ukrainian Festival Program!

We have the schedule for this years Toronto Ukrainian Festival. Check out the lineup below or right click HERE to download the festivals PDF.

ALL THREE DAYS

Sidewalk Sale, Craft/Artisan Market, Children’s Midway,

Cultural Pavilions, Ukraine Pavilion, Buskers,

Refreshment Garden, Food, Art Exhibits – KUMF Gallery

& Runnymede Public Library, Entertainment on Jane and Runnymede Stages

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

5:00 pm Festival Opens

7:00 pm Main Stage Show

10:30 pm Zabava (Street Dance)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

9:00 am Shop Bloor Street

11:00 am Parade (Starts at High Park) with Festival Parade

Marshal Chrystia Freeland, journalist, award-winning

author and media personality

12:20 pm Official Ceremonies & Main Stage Show

7:00 pm Evening Main Stage Show

10:30 pm Zabava (Street Dance)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

10:30 am Ecumenical Church Service at Main Stage

12:00 pm Youth Show at Main Stage

2:30 pm Main Stage Show

5:30 pm Closing Ceremonies

7:00 pm Festival Closes

Detailed festival program continues...

Dorist program for children

The UNF Toronto Branch’s Dorist program runs every Saturday morning from 10AM-12PM and aims to usher the youngest members of our community into their Ukrainian culture and identity through, music, song, dance, reading and writing.

The Dorist program originated in the 1940s and has, for decades provided children ages 6-10 with the educational foundation they need to begin their cultural life in the Ukrainian Canadian Community. The program runs in a mix of English & Ukrainian and is designed to prepare children for entry in to the Ukrainian Saturday School system, but aims to exclude no one regardless of language ability in English or Ukrainian.

Program Features:
• Introduction to Ukrainian Dance
• Instruction in Traditional Ukrainian Songs
• Arts & Crafts
• Reading and Story Telling

• Excursions to local attractions and events

Registration and FREE First Class!
Starting September 21st 2013
(First Class Is Introductory & Free Of Charge!)
Program Schedule:
Every Saturday Morning 10AM-12PM
(Season runs from September to June)

Holy miracles Batman!

From an article by Queen Muse on NBC10.com that was forwarded to us today:

Parishioners Find Miracle in Fire at Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Painting, other old church artifacts made of wood survive 4-alarm blaze that gutted house of worship

By Queen Muse  Tuesday, Aug 27, 2013

Amid a pile of scorched rubble, many of the icons at Saint Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church remained intact after a four alarm fire torched much of the historic building on Sunday.

Parishioners of a Philadelphia Ukrainian Orthodox church say the four-alarm fire that destroyed millions of dollars in furniture and artifacts and left a gaping hole in the center of the historic building also revealed a miracle.

"The fire was blazing, so when we saw the fire, we thought everything burned," Saint Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Church treasurer and parishioner Pasha Prasko said. "But now that we can see inside, we looked at it and said it’s amazing so many icons are still there."

Although a large portion of the church’s roof collapsed and more than 100 firefighters doused the building in water to tame the blaze, several icons remained untouched by the flames at the historic house of worship in the East Oak Lane section of the city on Sunday.

"It's a holy place, you know, and it's just not damaged the way we thought it would be," Prasko said. "We even talked about it yesterday and said it would be a miracle if her icon would be saved; and here it is, saved. I think it’s a miracle."

According to local historian Marita Krivda Poxon, in the Ukrainian Orthodox community, Saint Mary the Protectress is recognized as the protector of all Ukrainian people. A large painting of the Protectress and several other artifacts could be seen from the front door of the burned building in what appeared to be good condition.

"The church has a large icon, and in the center of it is the Saint Mary the Protectress herself. Apparently she was the saint in the Ukraine that protected the people of the country of the Ukraine," Poxon said.

"I think it’s a miracle that a few of the icons survived because they are mostly made of wood. I could only say that for believers they'll believe that it miraculously survived the fire; I mean the church burned, but her icon survived, and the congregation will survive. That's what it means to me."

Philadelphia Firefighter Arthur Davis said he's never seen anything like it before.

"Not one of those pictures caught on fire; not the ones on the wall, not the ones on the stage, not one of them was damaged," Davis said.

You can read the rest of the article here: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Parishioners-Find-a-Miracle-in-the-Fire-221226761.html

Help conquer cancer in Bloor West Village

The Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival is asking everyone to come out on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, to show your Ukrainian spirit in a very important way.

More than 5,000 participants will be walking 60 KM through Toronto for the Shoppers Drug Mart Weekend to End Women’s Cancers on September 7 & 8. On SUNDAY from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., they'll be passing through BLOOR WEST VILLAGE on Bloor St. Many ethnic groups throughout Toronto are organizing to provide encouragement in their neighbourhoods. Let's make a BIG UKRAINIAN SPLASH in BWV by putting on our EMBROIDERED SHIRTS and gathering at the fountain at Bloor & Jane to cheer them on. Show up when you can. Wave a flag, bring your guitar or accordion (bring your entire DANCE GROUP!), wave your organization's banner (Hey PLAST! Hey CYM!), or just wander BWV on either side of Bloor and cheer on the walkers when they pass through. Let's Conquer Cancer in our Lifetime. Please spread the word ... See you on the 8th.

3rd Annual Ukrainian Heritage Day - Toronto

BBQ Prize Winners

Earlier this month (August 17) we held a Member Appreciation BBQ at our Mississauga branch to which we invited everyone from the Greater Mississauga Area (including Toronto and Etobicoke). During the BBQ there was a chance for those in attendance to enter a draw for a few small prizes.

Today we are posting the results of the draw!

The third place prize went to:

Vasyl Kachaluba

Vasyl accepts his prize from Associate Branch Manager Marika Binczarowska

Second place went to:

Introduction to Lateral Thinking Seminar for Young Adults

Ukrainian Credit Union along with the Ukrainian Canadian Professional and Business Association and the Ukrainian Canadian Students' Union is hosting a FREE seminar by Walter Derzko on Lateral and Critical thinking Skills for Young Adults. Walter is a lecturer in the MA program at OCAD University and has 30 years experience in teaching critical and lateral thinking at the univeristy, college and high school levels.

This seminar will run from 12 noon to 5pm on Saturday September 21st at the UCU Wealth Strategies Group office 2265 Bloor Street West.

Don't miss this opportunity to get a leg up on achieving your goals in life.

Sign up by calling Yuriy Diakunchak at 416-763-5575 x208 or by emailing marketing@ukrainiancu.com. You can follow updates for the seminar on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/events/497720373643850/

The agenda will include the following:

1. Introduction

• What are lateral and critical thinking skills?
• How is lateral thinking different from critical thinking?
• Why are these skills not taught universally in all schools?

2. Case Study - 10 reasons why is lateral and critical thinking important for youth and adults entering the

• Video and discussion

Ukrainian Independence Day - 22 years and counting

Children carry flags during the parade

The GTA's Ukrainian Community as well as many other people gathered at Etobicoke's Centennial Park to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of Ukraine's independence. We know lots of you came hear on Friday and Saturday to look up information about the event and we hope that you found it on our handy Events and Festivals page! We try to post as many events happening across Ontario as we can on that calendar. Of course, if your organization is having an event and wants us to publicize it, please send the details to marketing@ukrainiancu.com and we will do our best to add it to the calendar.

Thousands came out to enjoy the show on the main stage

Andre Sochaniwsky announces generous funding from
Ukrainian Credit Union Limited which makes the event possible.
Other sponsors included Caravan Logistics, the Zaraska Family,
 BC Foundation and Starsky's

Anyway, on to the Independence Day celebrations. Ukrainian Credit Union Limited was proud to be the key sponsor of this event. It's a time for the Ukrainian-Canadian community and our friends and neighbours from the wider Canadian community to celebrate what is to us a very important day. Ukraine has been a country for over a millenium, with the first Ukrainian state coalescing around Slavic tribes living in the Kyiv area in the late 700s AD. However, since the 1300s AD, Ukraine has had only brief moments of existence as an independent country. Various empires and other powerful neighbours have come and gone, some, like the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire, were viciously inhuman in their treatment of the local Ukrainian population, others were somewhat more benign, but still, a people wants to have a place to call their own.

Every August 24th is a time for Ukrainians of all walks of life, all political stripes, all ethnic backgrounds to get together and celebrate as one.

You can see many more pictures of the day on our FB page in the Ukrainian Independence Day Celebrations album.

One of the many dance troops that showed off their
moves on stage during the day.

Thunder Bay movie nights

UCU members can use any ATM
with the ding free logo to avoid
paying ATM surcharges.

Once again our branch in Thunder Bay is taking part in holding movies nights in Thunder Bay. This is an initiative that brings several area credit unions together to help spread the word about why everyone should become a member of a credit union.

This year our staff focused on promoting the ding free ATM agreement that we have with other credit unions across Canada. This means that YOU as a member of Ukrainian Credit Union Limited can use any ATM displaying the ding free logo without worrying about getting dinged with surcharges. This, along with our membership in THE EXCHANGE network of ATMs gives you a choice of over 2,500 ATMs that you can use across Canada.

So even if a UCU ATM is not nearby, you can still find a handy ATM near by. To find an ATM near you use the ATM LOCATOR.

Click Movie Nights in the Park to find out more about which movies are playing and when. The pictures here are from August 16 when Back to the Future 2 was being shown.

Up coming movies include:
Friday, Aug. 23 - Despicable Me
Friday, Aug. 30 - Fast & Furious 6
Friday, Sept.6 - Bay Street Film Festival screening of The Big Blue
Friday, Sept.13 - Monsters University

Robyne Homes, Christian Hack Petersen and Danuta Sterniczuk, all  from our
 fast-growing Thunder Bay branch man the booth at Movie Night in the Park.
Not pictured Branch Manager Oksana Harapyuk.

BBQ in Mississauga

The staff at our Mississauga Branch pitched in to hold a BBQ in appreciation of our members. The event took place on Saturday August 17. Lots of people dropped in for a bite to eat and a hug from Fat Cat.

You can see a lot more photos from this event on our facebook page in the Membership Appreciation BBQ album.

Thunder Bay is hopping

Recently your correspondent was in Thunder Bay visiting the northernmost (and westernmost) Ukrainian Credit union Limited branch. For those of you who don't visit Thunder Bay on a regular basis, you might be surprised that the city is hopping. There is construction everywhere. In fact even Ukrainian Credit Union Limited is directly involved in the new construction boom. We are part of a consortium of credit unions financing a new Holiday Inn Express & Suites.

You can see our logo on the sign on the right hand side.

 Not only is Thunder Bay booming, but our branch in the city is growing too. In the last year or so it has consistently added members, mortgages and deposits. Its a heady time to be in thunder Bay right now.

The site is covered with construction material waiting for the main work to begin.

Kozak System Giveaway!

Ukrainian Credit Union Limited is holding another contest for someone to win 1 of 10 Kozak System’s CD Shablia! Just like our Facebook page plus the pic posted and you’ll be automatically entered!

Also stay tuned for upcoming contests because we’ll also have Kozak System tickets to give away!

Click HERE to enter now!

Win Tickets to see "Goodbye Ukraine!"

Ukrainian Credit Union Limited is holding a contest for someone to win 1 of 3 pairs of tickets to Goodbye Ukraine!

Just like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ucuykc and you’ll be automatically entered!

You can read all about the short films that comprise Goodbye Ukraine here on our blog.

Hutsuls nearing halfway mark!

Donations to get the Hutsul photo exhibit to the Toronto Ukrainian Festival have now reached $4,300! That is almost halfway to the ultimate goal of $10,000.

You can help the organizers reach their goal by visiting the official website for the exhibit and making a small donation. The website is: HutsulExhibition.com site.

UCU e-Newsletter update

Did you know? Ukrainian Credit Union Limited now has a monthly electronic newsletter. Have you signed up to it yet? If not, you are missing a lot of updates on what is happening at the credit union and in the communities we serve.

To sign up click here:

Subscribe to Ukrainian Credit Union Limited e-newsletter

To view previous newsletters, click on the links below:

• August
• June
• May
• April
• March

Mississauga Member Appreciation BBQ!

Come join us Saturday August 17th 2013 from 10:00am to 1:00pm at our Member Appreciation Day Barbecue at our Mississauga Branch location and enjoy some great food from Royal Meat Products Ltd. and some great prizes and giveaways!

Goodbye Ukraine

Саша ти що робиш? Квіти поливаю.- One of the funnier moments from this compilation of 6 short films from Ukraine. Don't miss your chance to see this film in Toronto on Sunday August 25.

You can watch the official trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlCBlLePiDA

UKRAINE GOODBYE
Short Films Omnibus
Ukraine, 2012, 115 min.

Ukraine Goodbye is an experimental laboratory, created to find ways of development of Ukrainian cinema. 25 films, with 6 hours total screening time, were made during the project. Theatrical release version includes 6 shorts, selected by producers. Over 500 people were involved into the project during two years of its realization, including directors and script writers, actors and producers, cameramen and sound engineers, actors, and many more. This fact makes Ukraine Goodbye an important professional community-building project for developing Ukrainian industry. Films from the Ukraine Goodbye project were presented at over two dozens festival all over the world, namely in Cannes, Locarno, New York, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Bilbao, etc. Ukraine Goodbye is a socio-anthropological film research by young Ukrainian filmmakers in search of a hero of our time. Initiated as a project about emigration, the project eventually developed into a statement of new Ukrainian filmmakers generation about contemporary Ukraine and Ukrainians.

About the films:

A DATE / ПОБАЧЕННЯ / POBACHENNYA
Ania is an aspiring actress and a single mother with a little son. She has to take all types of jobs to bring up her child. One day a regular client calls to tell her, he is leaving for good...

Length: 12 min.
Genre: Comedy / drama
Director: Yevhen Matvienko
Script: Ivan Tymshyn, Yevhen Matvienko
Cast: Oksana Filonenko, Serhiy Malyuga, Yegor Golovkov
Production design: Mykhaylo Levchenko
Cinematography: Elena Markova, Aleksandr Dzhantimirov, Dmytro Pysanyy, Daniele Giometto, Artem Vasiliev, Yevhen Kosenko, Vlad Kramskyy, Ivan Tymchenko, Aleksandr Pronin, Olga Kuzkina

- Message To Men IFF Official Selection (St.Petersburg, Russia)

Ukrainian Day on the Bay

The Hamilton Branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress invites you to join them on a fun cruise around the Hamilton Harbour. We'll be there! Will you?

St. Vladimir Institute is Celebrating 50 Years!

St. Vladimir's Institute in down town Toronto is celebrating 50 years of service to the Ukrainian community this year. Ukrainian Credit Union Limited is proud to be a key supporter of this great anniversary. We wish St. Vlad's all the best in their next 5 decades!

Below is the text of a press release we received from them announcing some of the activities that will be happening to commemorate the anniversary:

St. Vladimir Institute: Celebrating 50 Years of Culture and Leadership

The Board of Directors and Staff at St. Vladimir Institute (SVI) are very pleased to announce an eventful year of festivities surrounding this, our 50th Anniversary year, celebrating 50 years of Ukrainian cultural programming and post secondary housing to the GTA Area. With two events scheduled for the fall to recognize this milestone, the excitement is building.

The founders of SVI envisioned a central location for social, educational and cultural based programs and activities at 620 Spadina Avenue, Toronto in 1963. Through 50 years of evolution, their vision is still our primary goal. In addition to housing 46 post secondary students year-round, SVI is home to the Ukrainian Museum of Canada (Ontario Branch), the Ukrainian Research and Documentation Centre, SUS Foundation, Canadian Foundation for Ukrainian Studies, and the Ukrainian Students Club (UofT).

On Saturday, September 7th, in conjunction with Ukrainian Heritage Day in Ontario, SVI will host an informal Birthday Bash/BBQ for friends of SVI in the local and surrounding communities. Entertainment, food and activities in an open-house style will exhibit our cultural programming and open our doors to showcase the value SVI has been providing the Toronto area for the past five decades. With Kosa Kolektiv participating as our musical guests, this event is bound to be a memorable experience.

On Saturday, October 19th, we will host a formal Gala event at the St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre on Dundas Street West in Oakville. With entertainment by Orpheus Big Band and a menu to reflect the spirit of the ‘60’s, we will celebrate 5 decades of memories through pictures, music and stories from past members and residents. Sponsorship opportunities are still available and further information can be obtained through our website. We are also asking Alumni and members of SVI to contact us to submit your memories and stories that we can share at the Gala evening.

“This is an exciting time for St. Vlad’s.” stated SVI President Paul Strathdee, “The cultural values we have developed for our Canadian Ukrainian community will be on display throughout the year and we are very proud of what we’ve accomplished. We invite everyone to visit and experience everything SVI has to offer.”

For further information or to schedule an interview, please contact (416) 923-3318 ext. 104 or by e-mail at cultural@stvladimir.ca

Civic Holiday

Please note Ukrainian Credit Union Limited's branches and head office will be closed for the Civic Holiday Monday August 5th 2013. Have a great long weekend!

Enter to Win Tickets and a Night Out to See Gogol Bordello!

Ukrainian Credit Union Limited is holding a contest for someone to win a pair of tickets to the August 20th Gogol Bordello show at the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto! Plus you’ll get a limo ride to the show, dinner at 7 numbers a meet and greet with the band plus $150 deposited into your Ukrainian Credit Union Limited account! Just like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ucuykc and you’ll be automatically entered!

*Contest runs from July 30th, 2013 – August 14th, 2013. Odds of winning depend on number of entries. $150 must be deposited into a Ukrainian Credit Union Limited account in the winner’s name. Must be 19 years of age or older. Contest open to residents of Ontario only. Employees, officers and directors of Ukrainian Credit Union Limited, are not eligible to enter contest. Some restrictions may apply. Subject to change without notice. Full contest details online.  www.ukrainiancu.com