Activities grew to include celebrations of Ukrainian literature (Sviato Knyzhky), embroidery evenings, membership receptions, and seasonal events such as St. Nicholas concerts for the children. Initiatives to embroider table covers and acquire decorative items for the beautification of the church were organized. Members also became active in visiting the sick and housebound.

Crucial Role in the Parish

Over time, the roles, responsibilities and activities of UWAC expanded. Through the years the members also took part in a variety of other church activities, including the church choir, the parish executives and various event committees. UWAC organized, prepared and served three major parish dinners every year – the Eve of the Feast of Jordan (January 18), Spilne Sviachene (the first Sunday after Ukrainian Easter), and Khramove Sviato (Parish Feast Day).

The top priority of UWAC is to support the Parish in any way that is required, including both financially and physically. From the very beginning, this has included fundraising for the actual construction of the hall and the Cathedral building. There have been various fundraising activities such as fashion shows and teas, bingo games, and, of course, the always popular bazaars. UWAC organizes two bazaars every year, one during the pre-Easter season and a second before Christmas. In 1989, as a result of increased public relations efforts within the local Ottawa community, the bazaar attendance increased significantly. Since then, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church bazaar is eagerly awaited in the Ottawa community with people waiting in lines to enjoy the traditional Ukrainian cuisine and buy savoury and sweet baked goods prepared by the women of UWAC with the help of parishioners. Several months of preparation are required for each bazaar, and as a result these bazaars are very successful, consistently attracting both the Ukrainian and local Ottawa communities as a whole.

The Church bazaars have been the primary source of fundraising by UWAC. A majority of these funds have been donated to the Parish for major repairs and beautification projects. One of the most significant of these was in 1989, on the 30th anniversary of the Lesia Ukrainka Branch, when organization funded the expansion, renovation and re-equipping of a new kitchen at the church, following massive fundraising efforts.

Generations of dedicated, talented and hardworking women have ensured that the church interior has always been well-maintained and beautifully decorated. Over the course of a year, the Altar and tables in the Cathedral are seasonally renewed with intricately embroidered cloths that were designed and made by many women over the years. To this day, they have made sure that the Cathedral is always properly adorned, carefully reflecting the seasonal and religious occasions with appropriate rushnyky (embroidered cloths), church banners and complete sets of embroidered coverings for the Altar and tables. Prior to Great Friday, the women collected donations to adorn the platform holding the Holy Shroud with a multitude of flowers. UWAC has also funded and arranged for the provision of numerous sets of priest vestments.

Support for Youth Activities

As in many other Canadian cities with a Ukrainian population, a Ukrainian school was established within the parish. In Ottawa, the Parish's Saturday morning Ukrainian school was established in 1952. Over the years, UWAC members took on the role of teachers for these classes. The traditional Ukrainian love of song and dance was passed down to the children through organized choirs and dancing groups, and talented individuals stepped in to provide musical accompaniment as the children performed at annual concerts to celebrate St. Nicholas, Taras Shevchenko and Mother's Day. These schools were a fundamental cornerstone of the Parish and the Ukrainian community. Although the Parish's Ukrainian school no longer exists, UWAC continues to support the autonomous but all former teachers, students and families have fond memories of those special days.

In 1962, a branch of the Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada (CYMK) was organized at the Parish. With the ongoing support of the UWAC - both financially and through the efforts of their members - the youth organization remained a focus of youth activity until the late 1970s, and then in later decades with the needs of each new generation.

In an effort to give the Parish youth a grounding in the Ukrainian Orthodox religion, UWAC financially supported the establishment and operation of Sunday school with the help of a number of successive Dobrodiyky and high school girls from the Parish. Over the years, the women’s group also gladly provided financial assistance to the youth of the Parish, supporting their participation as delegates to national conventions and attendance at Ukrainian summer camps.

Participation in Other Organizations

From the very beginning, UWAC was active outside the Church both with other Ukrainian activities and organizations such as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), as well as with the mainstream community. In the early years, the branch worked with the Canadian Red Cross, the Citizenship Council and the Council of Women where the Ukrainian perspective was presented before other Canadian organizations.

Delegates from the Lesia Ukrainka Branch participated in provincial and national conventions as well as on regional executives of UWAC. It also celebrated milestone UWAC anniversaries with dinners and special events in Ottawa.

For many years UWAC helped needy Ukrainians in South America and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Poland. With the declaration of Ukrainian independence in 1991, UWAC directed its efforts towards helping people in various regions in Ukraine by gathering and shipping used clothing, special collections of school supplies and medical supplies. Over the years, UWAC has also made donations to publications such as Promin (UWAC's bilingual journal), Ukrainian Voice (Canadian-Ukrainian newspaper) and Visnyk/the Herald (newspaper of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada), the Ukrainian Museum of Canada in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, St. Andrew's College in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the Children of Chernobyl Foundation.

Activities and priorities have evolved to meet the changing needs of the Parish and Ukrainian community.  With the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the Parish  has welcomed many new arrivals from Ukraine by opening its doors and assisting many families, including children and grandparents.

Since 2022, over $50,000 has been raised by the Ottawa branch to support the war effort in Ukraine through direct donations to both Canadian and Ukrainian charities, as well as other volunteer organizations.  Vital winter supplies for soldiers on the front lines; surgical instruments and medical equipment; vehicles for hospital medical emergencies and delivery of goods to the front lines; and portable radios have been purchased through various fundraising activities. This important fundraising effort continues today.

Activities

Over the decades, the many activities which highlight the work of the Lesia Ukrainka Branch have included:

• Display of national arts and crafts with items brought from the Toronto branch of the Ukrainian Museum in Canada;

• Display of historical Ukrainian dress during the Centennial of Canadian Confederation (1967);

• Presentation of Ukrainian National Modern and Historical Costumes at the National Arts Center (1975);

• Celebration of the Ukrainian pioneer settlers in Canada;

• Exhibits by living artists of Ukrainian origin, including William Kurelek, Peter Shostak, and Yaroslava;

• Participation in the City of Ottawa's Homelands, a multicultural initiative with Ukrainian pavilions displaying Ukrainian customs and history (1979, 1982);

• Commemoration of Holodomor (1932-33 Genocide Famine of Ukraine ) at Ottawa's Notre Dame Basilica (1983);

• Celebration of the Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine with events such as concerts, lectures and exhibits (1988);

• Display of Ukrainian heritage and culture at the Museum of Civilization (1990) ;

• Commemoration of the 5th Anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl
  disaster (1991);

• Participation in Ottawa's Festival of Cultures. The church auditorium served as the Ukrainian pavilion and was decorated through the efforts of the Women's Association and church members. The beautiful pavilion was awarded First Prize and was rewarded with a trophy for its program and displays of religious and cultural traditions (1995);

• In conjunction with the Canadian Ukrainian Congress, participated in the memorial for the Holodomor Genocide Famine of Ukraine and placed a wreath at the Human Rights Monument in Ottawa (1998);

• Sponsored and organized the Flowers of the Bible art show and sale with Edmonton artist Larisa Sembaliuk-Cheladyn in attendance (2000).

Conclusion

The members of the Lesia Ukrainka Branch have generously dedicated many years of service to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral and to Ukrainian community life in Ottawa. Their faith and love of Ukrainian traditions united them and made them strong, and they shared their strength with our church and our community. Sixty five years later, UWAC continues its efforts to support Parish projects and activities that preserve and promote the Ukrainian culture, language, customs and our religious heritage in our nation's capital.