The Unsung UURMaPAn Award is given to a UURMAPA member who has not been recognized for their vital contributions to UURMaPA or for their generous service to others. The award honors a volunteer who has made an extraordinary contribution to our association, working behind the scenes during their retirement. The successful nominee will not have been recognized in this way elsewhere.
The 2026 Unsung UURMaPan Award was presented to Sonya Sukalski…
…for sustained, steady leadership, compassionate service, and tireless behind-the-scenes commitment. After retiring from active ministry in 2022, Sonya joined UURMaPA through friends and small groups. She quickly moved from participant to dedicated volunteer: coordinating connecting rooms for the spring and fall 2023 conferences, guiding Odyssey presenters in spring 2024, serving as convener for the fall 2024 conference, and sharing convener duties for both the spring and fall 2025 conferences.
Along the way, she recruited and trained facilitators, kept plans, presenters, timelines, and deadlines on track, and shaped team culture—always opening meetings with check-ins and helping create virtual relationship guidelines that strengthened the planning team.
When her husband, Mitch, faced two rounds of leukemia treatment and bone marrow transplants, first in the fall of 2024 and then in the fall of 2025, Sonya’s resilience and devotion never wavered. Even while balancing caregiving and urgent medical demands, she continued to contribute—transitioning into the pod connector role last fall—and remained a calm, steady presence who kept people connected and supported.
Sonya’s work exemplifies the spirit of this award: humble, essential service; leadership through listening; and a generosity that kept UURMaPA gatherings running smoothly and compassionately.
Award Recipients receive a $500 honorarium from UURMaPA. We encourage all UURMaPA members to consider who you might want to suggest for these awards in the future, possibly including yourself. UURMaPA is a talented group of retired ministers and partners. There are many individuals within our membership who are worthy of recognition, but too often organizations fail to recognize their valuable participants.
Over the years, the Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association has instituted these awards in order to highlight the contributions of our members to UURMaPA and to the larger world. We invite you to go to our website to read about past award recipients.
Respectfully submitted by Charles J. Stephens, UURMaPA Vice-President