Congratulations to our new President-elect Barack Obama. The country came together, voted for Change and gave President Obama a resounding mandate with an overwhelming margin in the Electoral College and big gains for Democrats in the House and Senate. Congratulations and thanks are also due to all the Ukrainian-Americans who did their part in this historic victory. Not only did U-A's contribute to victory in "safe" states like New York and New Jersey, they got in their cars and drove to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, etc. to join people already on the ground to help tip the margin in these key battleground states.

Particular credit has to go to Julian Kulas who led Ukrainian-Americans for Obama-Biden and to Max Pyziur and Hanya Krill who coordinated the web site and facilitated a lively communication waged over the internet and then finally to all those sung and unsung campaigners who called friends, neighbors, went door-to-door, passed out Obama stickers and literature at Ukrainian events and lent their names to the highly effective newspaper ad.

Also many thanks to the staff at Obama for President: David Burd, Josh Teitelbaum, John Tedstrom, Greg Schultz, Ed Joseph, Mark Brzezinski and others who were always available for foreign policy information from the top and encouragement, coordination and materials at the grassroots level.

The next president will have an extraordinarily difficult job. We wish him all the best and pledge him our support and our prayers for God's guidance and favor.