Happy New Year!
Dear Friends,
Sending you best wishes as we begin 2025! I write this UCC message with the hopes that you have brought in the New Year with health and happiness, wherever you may be!
Our yearly Koliada campaign has proven to be a little bit challenging since Canada Post did not resume their operations until a few days before Christmas. Thank you for continuing your support through thick and thin. For those of you that donated online, we very much appreciate your support and generosity. For those of you that dropped off your cheque, thank you for taking the time and effort to do so, and thank you to the dedicated credit unions and UCC branches that offered their support as drop off locations.
While the postal strike was running, UCC member organizations did not turn us down when we asked for assistance. Even with the availability of credit card payments, ETransfers, and PayPal, we remain cautious. Last year, 47% of our charitable donations arrived by cheque at the Winnipeg office. With the government extending the deadline for tax receipts to February 28, 2025, we’re hopeful to receive your continued support in the coming weeks.
Some of you have already received our UCC Koliada package in the mail – when you receive yours, please take advantage of the pre-paid envelope and mail in your generosity.
Just a friendly reminder – all donors that give over $100 during December and January will have their name added to a draw for the beautiful painting by the children of the Dzherelo Rehabilitation Centre (Lviv). Once this heinous war is over, I hope to return to Lviv once again, to meet these talented artists. Thank you to our long-time donor, pan Bohdan Kolos, for bringing these artworks to Toronto for our UCC Koliada campaigns. The Dzherelo paintings are not shipped – pan Bohdan travels to Lviv, visits with the artists and returns to Canada with the paintings!
Wishing you strength in your work within the Ukrainian community and Canada, as the travesty of war continues in our homeland; may 2025 be the year that VICTORY and PEACE return to Ukraine. Slava Ukraini!
Lesia M. Skyba
UCC National Fundraising Manager
