VILNA – The savory aroma of Ukrainian dishes permeated through the air as the Vilna Veselka Dancing Club held its annual Perogy Supper fundraiser Saturday at the Vilna Cultural Centre – the club’s largest fundraiser of the year.
Drawing an impressive turnout of approximately 450 people, Donna Cherniwchan, the dancing club's president, expressed her appreciation for the community's support. She noted the turnout was "outstanding" and exceeded expectations.
Cherniwchan shared the club's unique approach to the event, which set it apart from other perogy suppers. During the supper, among other dishes, attendees welcomed themselves to homemade perogies of three distinct flavours: sauerkraut, cottage cheese, and cheddar.
"We made 8,500 perogies, and that's all done in one afternoon. It's a lot of work, but it's well worth it. People appreciate it," said Cherniwchan.
In addition to the food, the Perogy Supper featured performances by the club's various dance groups, showcasing traditional Ukrainian dances from different regions. “As part of the fundraiser, we also want to make sure that the community can see where the fundraiser goes to.”
“So, we had our pre-beginner group, juniors, intermediates, and our senior groups all perform dances from different [Ukrainian] regions,” she said. “It goes directly to the kids for costumes, for dance instruction,” and other club-related expenses.
The event also included a silent auction, and while the exact figures are still being calculated, Cherniwchan said, “we had so much support from the local communities and local businesses who donated items and also donated money towards the fundraiser.”
She then expressed her gratitude to the club's dance families and volunteers, whose hard work and dedication made the event possible.
"The event could not happen without the hard work of our dance families and all the teamwork and commitment to the club. They all worked so hard to make this event a success," she said.
