(WBNG Binghamton) They call our seniors the Greatest Generation for a reason. Some of them worked hard moving to this country; others fought hard to defend it. All of them have stories to tell and traditions to pass along from the olden days.
But in a world of fast technology and changing values, is the culture going to last?
"It's definitely a concern," SAID Sacred Heart pastor Fr. Teodor Czabala. "We see the older folks leaving, going to their eternal rest. We have difficulty getting younger people staying in the area."
The old-fashioned appeal is what brings people to Sacred Heart Ukrainian Church. Parishoners bake and cook the ethnic recipes we enjoy, to support the place they built upon coming to America.
"They're working hard to keep it up because if they don't do it, no one else is going to do it," Fr. Czabala said.
To keep the culture alive and support the parish, they're trying to recruit the help of the kids.
But, that's a challenge everywhere.
"Our younger generation is trying to take over a little bit," said parishoner Gerry Czebiniak. "Some come in the evening to do things for us retirees, the older generation, who do things during the day."
Czebiniak said, "they get out of college and there's no jobs, so they move away. It's sad in a way -- there's not much to offer in the Triple Cities."
But, there are plenty of war stories from our elders. The Legion and the VFW are landmarks in our communities. The question is -- for how much longer?
"This younger generation coming back from the wars are not attune to that kind of camaraderie, joining a club, joining a group," said Benjamin Margolius of the Southern Tier Veterans Support Group.
When it comes to organizing many Veterans events, "they're mostly dependent on the Old Guard," Margolius said. "Those that fought in World War II and Korea and Vietnam."
Programs like the Veterans Support Group still try to keep older Veterans, and younger Veterans, in touch with each other.
Because veterans, like church parishoners from Eastern Europe, know the value and the culture of hard work, and how to hold on to it.
"That's what we are. That's what keeps us together," Fr. Czabala said.
Census data supports that the counties in our viewing area have a higher elderly population than the national average and less people under the age of eighteen.
Twitter
Facebook