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News from and about Ukraine & Ukrainians: Ukrainian Community Press Releases
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BRAMA, September 18, 2001, 2 pm ET
Plast scouting organization prepares to help youth cope with the Great Tragedy
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September is usually a month of beginnings for our Ukrainian youth - school, Plast, CYM, dance classes. All has been put on hold, as lives and daily routines are slowly patched back together in the coming weeks after the Great Tragedy. No one, not the least of which are Ukrainian Americans living in New York and the greater Metropolitan area, has been left untouched by the horror of the events that took place on September 11, and now we are faced with the task of dealing with the memories of that unspeakable act.
The Ukrainian scouting organization Plast was to hold its first meetings for the year last Saturday. Andrey Hankevych, New York "Stanychnyj", has informed us that the opening date has been moved to next Saturday, September 22. The day is to begin with a 1 p.m. Panakhyda at St. George Church that has been requested by Plast in order to offer prayers for the victims of the Great Tragedy.
Some of the issues facing youth organizations today are how to address the complex questions surrounding the reasons this Tragedy that are on the minds of young people, advising them on how they can best contribute to the recovery effort, and determining what lies in the future. Tough questions that we will all be trying to answer for ourselves as well.
"Volunteering to dig through the rubble is not the answer," said Andrey Hankevych. In fact, Andrey, who works in the financial district, was one of the "lucky" ones who volunteered early and spent four days working on the bucket brigade. He said that many Ukrainian Americans were at Ground Zero those first critical days after the attack doing whatever they could to help the rescue effort. However, Mayor Giuliani's office has stated that no additional volunteers are needed at this time. There is an understandable sense of helplessness and frustration on the part of those who are now denied the opportunity to join the emergency workers at the site, but blood donations are still very much in demand, as are certain supplies and money, and Andrey urges everyone to find other ways to contribute.
Asked about his experience at Ground Zero, Andrey says, "No one can really prepare themselves for this. It's like a country at war. I can't comprehend the pointless killing of thousands of innocent people."
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