Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas has commissioned attorney Marta Farion as an Honorary Cook County Deputy Treasurer in recognition of her leadership in the Ukrainian community.

"Marta's meritorious service and tireless dedication have made the Ukrainian community stronger and our world better," Pappas said when presenting Farion with her commission at a ceremony attended by nearly 30 community leaders.

Among those who attended was Larysa Gerasko, Counsel General of Ukraine in Chicago.

As an Honorary Deputy Treasurer, Farion will act as Pappas' representative in the community. In part, she will encourage homeowners to use cookcountytreasurer.com to apply for available refunds and missing property tax exemptions. There is $79 million in available refunds and $44 million in unclaimed exemptions for senior citizens.

A top priority for Pappas for many years has been to help property owners whose first language is not English. On her website, she has posted brochures with key property tax information that are translated into 24 languages. Brochures in Ukrainian have been downloaded nearly 8,000 times.

Farion is president of the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America, which supports the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. She is also vice-president of the Illinois Division of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art.

A longtime leader in the community, Farion is the former chair of Chicago's Kyiv Sister City Committee, where she organized many educational and cultural exchanges.

Before attending law school, Farion was a teacher in the Spanish bilingual program in the Chicago Public Schools.

The ceremony was held in the Treasurer's Office, 118 N. Clark St., Chicago, Ill.