Two doctors received this year’s Light of Justice Award for moral, spiritual, and ethical leadership. The awards were presented on February 17 at Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU). The awardees included Olha Martynenko, the head of the Infection Department of the Central City Hospital in the city of Rubizhne. And, for the first time since the award was established in 2010, an award has been presented posthumously, to the family of doctor and therapist Ivan Venzhynovych from Pochaiv, who died from COVID-19 in September 2020.
“I am glad that many people today see this presentation, for which I thank the founders and organizers. I wish each of you good health and happiness which no virus will affect. My husband would have been exceptionally proud of this award if he were alive. And now it remains a great honor for me and my children.” So said Ivan Venzhynovych’s wife, Iryna, herself head of the COVID-19 testing laboratory of the Pochaiv City Hospital.
Ivan Venzhynovych’s wife Iryna with daughter
Olha Martynenko
In addition to the awardees, the nominating committee also awards scholarship for students whom they consider to be a ray of the light of justice. This year a scholarship was presented to Yulia Bondar, a student of the UCU School of Journalism and Communications, who has a sensitive heart which leads her on the road of volunteerism.
“This scholarship is unexpected for me,” said Bondar. “I simply went about my business. This again proves that any small matter is important for someone. We volunteers sometimes burn out, and even yesterday I underestimated myself. But today I stand here and understand that any matter is noticeable.”
Scholarship awardee Yulia Bondar with UCU Vice-Rector for University Mission Myroslav Marynovych