This year our society has continued our efforts to help foster awareness of Slovak cultural and current affairs. The following are the highlights:
Membership
- As of October 14, 2018, we had 100 total memberships (54 Individual and 46 Family).
- This represents an increase from the total of 85 memberships (42 Individual and 43 Family) in September 2017.
Financial
Our financial status is stable. Our total assets at September 30, 2018 were $13,280.81.
These assets are deposited in the following accounts:
- Bank of America business checking account: $7,280.81
- Lafayette Federal Credit Union CD account: $6,000.66
City University
In May 2018, we donated $7,500 to City University of Seattle, which supported 10 partial scholarships to needy students in Slovakia. This sum was the largest amount ever donated by the SASW in a single year.
On October 14, we held our 5th annual Café Night fundraiser at Bistro Bohem in Washington, DC for City University scholarships. Orchester Praževica provided the music for the event.
Programs
The following are the events we have held or scheduled for the 16th year of our Speakers’ Series.
In collaboration with the Friends of Slovakia, the 2018 program featured a series of talks about prominent years in Slovak history ending in “8”: 1848, 1918 (the founding of Czechoslovakia), 1938, 1948 (the communist takeover), 1968 (Prague Spring), and 1988 (Velvet Revolution).
- April 21 — Dr. Carol Leff, University of Illinois, spoke about the events surrounding the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.
- May 4 — Ted Russell, former U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, spoke about his experiences in Czechoslovakia and Slovakia around the time of Slovak independence. Prof. James Krapfl, McGill University, also spoke about the events leading to Slovak independence in 1993 and their influence to the present day.
- June 15 — Prof. Leslie Waters, Randolph Macon College, spoke about the events of 1938.
- September 29 — Prof. Gregory Ference, Salisbury University, spoke about the events of 1918 and the Pittsburgh Agreement.
- October 20 — Prof. Martin Votruba, University of Pittsburgh, spoke about the events of 1848 and their meaning for Slovak nationhood.
- November 3 — Dr. J. Luke Ryder, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, spoke about the communist takeover in 1948.
Membership Initiatives
Over the past year, the SASW has continued several initiatives to attract new members. The Board plans to explore additional strategies for attracting new members and streamlining organizational procedures concerning membership renewal.
We are working to increase the quantity and variety of content available to SASW members and visitors on our website dcslovaks.org.
We are actively maintaining public pages on social media to raise our public profile and generate interest in Slovak topics.
Please follow these pages and share them with your friends and colleagues to boost the society’s online presence.
Social and Cultural Activities
- September 22 — Our annual picnic was held at the home of SASW member Ludo Hintos.
- December 2 — Our annual Svätý Mikuláš party will be held at the Slovak Embassy. Orchester Praževica will provide the musical entertainment.
The SASW has continued to support a social group on Meetup to attract younger members and more recent Slovak émigrés.
2018 Board of Directors
Officers
- Brian Belensky, President
- Marcel Lorincz, Vice President
- Georgene C. Chastain, Treasurer
- Rich Palaschak, Secretary
At-Large Board Members
- John Husovsky
- Helen Fedor
- Virginia Sorkin
- Marta Szotakova
- Valerie McNeill
