This past weekend, the Ukrainian community in the United States gathered for a remarkable occasion – the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the “Karpaty” Camp of the Ukrainian Youth Association (Spilka Ukrainskoi Molodi, SUM) in Ellenville, New York.
Nearly 400 guests came to celebrate the jubilee. Warm greetings were heard from representatives of organizations, former campers, and current participants of youth camps. The atmosphere was both solemn and familial: friends reunited who had once sung together around the campfire, recalling their first gatherings, summer camps, sports, and artistic competitions.
Beginnings – “with our own hands”
This place, opened in the mid-1950s, became not only a summer base for camps and meetings but also a spiritual center for Ukrainians in the diaspora. In the postwar years, hundreds of Ukrainian families who found themselves in America sought to create a space where their children would grow up as Ukrainians. The land in Ellenville was purchased thanks to community donations, and the first buildings – a chapel, dining hall, and barracks – were erected through the joint efforts of parents and youth. Older SUM members recall how, after long workdays, adults would come here to dig, paint, and hammer boards together.
“There was just a field and forest here,” recalls Mr. Askold Lozynskyj, former president of the World Executive, who was among the first campers. “We lived in simple barracks, but for us, it was paradise: we sang by the fire, learned to dance, and listened to the stories of elders about Ukraine – a country many of us had never seen.”
Growth and New Programs
In the following decades, the camp continued to grow and develop. In the 1980s, new facilities and programs appeared: in July 1981, tennis courts were completed and immediately became part of the sports camp; in the summer of 1982, an Olympic-sized swimming pool was opened as an alternative to swimming in the river or lake; and in 1989, the “Husenjata” (“Goslings”) program was launched – an informal group for the youngest children with a focus on games, songs, and socialization. The 1990s were marked by the creation of a new youth camp modeled on the Zaporizhian Sich: in 1992, construction was completed on modern facilities and the large Komanda building. At the same time, an arts camp began operating, emphasizing dance and singing, and the old camp was reorganized for team use. All these changes reinforced the role of the Ellenville camp as a center where tradition is preserved, community is built, and new initiatives are born.
A Place of Encounters and Memory
Over seven decades, thousands of children and young people have passed through the camp. It has hosted national SUM camps, sports tournaments, and festivals of Ukrainian song and dance. Many prominent figures visited here – among them Cardinal Josyf Slipyj, poet Yevhen Malaniuk, as well as numerous Ukrainian music groups.
For many families, the camp became the place where children first stood at the flag, took the SUM oath, found their closest friends and even future families, and later – as adults – brought their own children here. Head of the SUM National Executive in America, Nadia Dliaboga, jokes: “Autumn would come, and we were sent back home and to school for nine long months. But our dreams and secrets stayed at the Camp.”
A Jubilee with a Look to the Future
Today, the camp is experiencing a rebirth. A few years ago, a fire broke out here, destroying many buildings. That is why donations from sponsors for reconstruction became especially meaningful gifts. The camp leadership is also grateful to all benefactors who contributed lots for the fundraising auction.
It was highly symbolic that, just like in Ukraine, the celebration took place under the open sky, accompanied by the colorful ensemble “Zirka.” The jubilee reminded all those present: despite the distance, we preserve and pass on our Ukrainian identity, because in such places it lives, breathes, and inspires.
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