Bill Shostak is a long-time member of the Ukrainian Canadian Social Services (Edmonton). He has devoted a lot of energy, time and expertise to the operation of the agency. He served as a Board member, vice-president, and ten years as president. During his service, he focused on board development, a succession of duties and financial sustainability. He is a longtime parishioner at Dormition Ukrainian Catholic Church, where he served 12 years on Parish Council and the Advisory Council on Alberta Ukraine Relations.

Chrystia Moussienko was growing up in an active Ukrainian Canadian family, with CYM and church being an integral part of her upbringing, Chrystia became an active member of the wider Ukrainian community and contributed to the growth and thriving of many organizations in Calgary and Alberta. She served as a director on the Calgary Ukrainian Radio Program, Calgary Ukrainian Credit Union, UCC Calgary, UCC-APC, Echoes of Ukraine Media, CYM Calgary, Barvinok Ukrainian Dancers, and is currently serving her second term as Chairperson the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church (ABVM).

Marian Gauk has dedicated many years to ensure the ongoing success and growth of the Ukrainian Bilingual Program. Marian’s involvement with Ukrainian language education began in 1985, and she has not stopped being a leader in this area since. Marian also dedicated endless hours to the support of the St. Basil’s School of Dance, Language Arts Society. She co-organized and led dance trips and raised funds, took part in coordinating dance competitions, advertising, and many other activities.

Chris Gnyra is Chair of the Calgary Ukrainian Festival Foundation (CUFF) since 2010. As a founding member of the Calgary Ukrainian Festival, Chris was instrumental in the development and inauguration of the festival. He envisioned a festival that included a celebration of Ukrainian culture, dance, food, and community — that welcomed both Ukrainians and included all residents of Calgary. Chris has personally been involved in every detail of the Calgary Ukrainian Festival since its beginnings. 

Mary Krys began her role as the director of the Verkhovyna School of Dance in 2008. When she took on this role, the average number of students was around 70 per season. Over the course of 12 years, enrolment in the dance school doubled from 70 to 140 students. The reputation and recognition of the school have greatly flourished under Mary’s leadership. Mary created the dance school’s biannual Perogy Supper to help fundraise for new costumes and cover travel costs for performances and competitions.

George Chrunik became a member of Shumka in 1975, and even after his retirement from active dancing in the early 1990s, he has continued to be an important part of the organization in many capacities. From a star dancer with several lead roles to a choreographer to an Artistic Committee member for three major tours to becoming an Artistic Director and a diverse committee member, George assisted and led the group whenever and wherever possible. For 40 years, George was an instructor, workshop facilitator, choreographer, artistic director, and adjudicator, inspiring students with his love of Ukrainian dance. 

In the past 30 years that Mykola Kanevets has worked with the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company, he has remained true to an aesthetic of Ukrainian dance that was popularized in Ukraine in the last century. Over the years, Mykola has expanded the repertoire of the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company and curated over 700 performances for the company. His choreography for Cheremosh was incorporated as a teaching tool in the choreography department of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. 

Ken Kachmar began Ukrainian dancing at a young age with the Two Hills Ukrainian Dancers. From that early age, it was evident that he had aspirations to create innovative and creative dance moves. Joining the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Ensemble gave him the opportunity to showcase his creativity, but it didn’t stop there.  With over 50 years of dance experience and over 47 years of teaching Ukrainian dance for various dance groups across Alberta, Ukrainian dance became his life career. 

Radomir Bilash is an outstanding historian who has dedicated his career to preserving and promoting Ukrainian culture and history. His visionary spirit and strategic planning have led to unprecedented achievements. He has volunteered on many community projects & boards, devoted nearly 40 years to Plast, and has been a Senator at the U of A. He actively contributes to Babas & Borshch Ukrainian Festival Board, Lamont County, and St. Onuphius Advisory (Canadian Museum of History).

From a young age, Anne Stephen dedicated her life to Ukrainian culture and expressed the passion of her Ukrainian roots. She participated in the Ukrainian National Youth Federation (UNYF) dance group and choir under Mr. Groch in the late 1940s and led the UNYF children’s dance group “Dorost” MUN. As an active member of UNYF, she served in various committees of the organization. . She played a crucial part in facilitating and organizing: Heritage Festival – Art Pavilion, successful Easter exhibits and sales, traditional Malankas and celebrations of Dzherelo plays.

Elias John Cholach has been an exceptional example to his local community exemplifying hard work, pure character, respect for the Ukrainian heritage and contributing to happy and healthy community spaces. Focusing on relationship building, Elias has given so much of his time and expertise to guide others in maintaining important buildings that house connections with one another in the extended neighbourhood. Elias was a shining illustration of how to care for your community, the people and its buildings. His leadership, hard work and dedication to his culture dynamically characterized what it means to be a strong volunteer and good steward of the golden rule of “helping thy neighbour.”

Dr. Bohdan Medwidsky passed away in March 2021, but his legacy and commitment to the study and preservation of Ukrainian culture in Alberta will live on in every initiative he has ever spearheaded or was involved in. He has worked as a dedicated volunteer and participant for Ukrainian organizations at a municipal, provincial, and national level his whole life. He has served in leadership positions of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Alberta; Ukrainian Village Board; Friends of the Ukrainian Village Society; Brotherhood of Ukrainian Catholics; Alberta Ukrainian Pioneers Association; Friends of the Ukrainian Folklore Centre; Ukrainian Catholic Council, and more.

UCC-APC encourages everyone to share with family and friends a variety of educational resources prepared by the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund https://www.internmentcanada.ca/ and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Alberta Provincial Council https://uccab.ca/internment-100/.