[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12549]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PLAST, THE UKRAINIAN SCOUTING 
                              ORGANIZATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 26, 2012

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th anniversary 
of Plast, the Ukrainian Scouting Organization.
  Plast was founded in 1911 by Dr. Oleksandr Tysovsky, and it is based 
on the principles of scouting started by Lord Baden Powell in Great 
Britain.
  As a consequence of the country's absence of national independence 
through most of the 20th Century, Plast was forced to go underground 
when the occupying Soviet Union declared the organization illegal and 
banned its activities.
  However, following World War II, when many Ukrainians emigrated to 
various countries of the Free World, including the United States, the 
plastuny (members of Plast) among the emigres formed Plast 
organizations in the countries of their settlement. This included 
incorporating ``Plast, Inc.'' in 1950 in the state of Michigan.
  Additionally, after the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine in 
1991, Plast was re-constituted in Ukraine with the help of plastuny 
from the United States and other Free World countries.
  Today, Plast is an international organization of Ukrainian youth 
which fosters personal development, leadership and teamwork, as well as 
a love of Ukrainian culture and history while also raising youth to be 
conscientious, responsible and valuable citizens of their communities 
at the local, national, and international level. The former President 
of Ukraine, Victor Yushchenko, is an honorary plastun, and Liubomyr 
Cardinal Husar, a U.S. citizen and now Patriarch-emeritus of the 
Ukrainian Eastern Rite Catholic Church based in Ukraine, is one of many 
distinguished plastuns.
  Currently, Plast has 23 branches coast to coast in the United States, 
and Plast will be celebrating its Centennial with a Jamboree in 
Ukraine, August 10th to 24th, with the official opening of the Jamboree 
Celebration on August 19th in the city of L'viv.
  As such, we should recognize August 19, 2012 as the Centennial Day of 
Plast, commend the Ukrainian Scouting Organization for its tremendous 
contributions, and celebrate the Centennial of Plast.

                          ____________________