On February 24, 2008, the General Annual Conference of OOL Branch #1 took place in New York, NY in the “Self-Reliance” building. In attendance were 19 members of Branch #1, as well as guests, including the President of the National Council of OOL, Zenon Halkowycz, and the President of the Lemko Research Foundation, Steven Howansky.

The meeting was commenced by the head of Branch #1, Ivan Zavada, who read the agenda and asked for a moment of silence in memory of recently deceased members Eva Haraida and Lesia Goy.

The meeting was led by the following presidium: Zenon Halkowycz (chair), Steven Howansky (vice chair), and Orest Popelatsiy (secretary). The secretary read the protocol from previous Annual Conferences, which was unanimously accepted.

Then, members of the branch’s management gave their reports. The head of the branch is actively working during the course of the year. They successfully organized a conference in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of “Akcja Wisla,” participated in the “Vatra” cultural festival, and formed a committee for the 75th anniversary of the branch, which will be celebrated in October 2008.

Following discussion and the recommendation of the Nominating Committee, the branch’s management was elected as follows: president – Ivan Zavada; vice president – Stepan Pshybylo; secretary – Orest Popelatsiy; humanitarian rep. – Michael Khomyk; economic rep. – Teodor Pavelchak; cultural/educational rep. – Vasyl Panchak; organizational rep. – Maria Pshybylo.

At the end of the meeting, the re-elected president thanked everyone for their trust and called on everyone’s cooperation. After the meeting, there was a small reception, during which the participants were able to exchange their thoughts.