PRESIDENT
VIRGINIA SIKORA HONORED BY PAC WITH HERITAGE AWARD
PWA
National President Virginia Sikora received the Heritage
Award at the 13th Annual Polish American Congress -
Indiana Division Heritage Awards Banquet held on Sunday,
October 25, 2009, in Merrillville, Indiana. Steve H.
Tokarski, President of PAC Indiana Division, presented
the Heritage Award to President Sikora, in recognition
of her service toward the enhancement of Polish American
fraternalism. Evelyn Lisek, Vice-President of PAC Indiana
Division and past President of PWA District III, presented
flowers to the Honoree. Congratulations, Mrs. Sikora,
on this prestigious award!
PAC Indiana Division President Steve
Tokarski presents the Heritage Award to
PWA National President Virginia Sikora.
PAC Indiana Division Vice President Evelyn
Lisek and PWA National President Virginia
Sikora at PAC Heritage Awards Banquet in
Merrillville.
The Heritage Award presented to PWA National
President Virginia Sikora at the 13th Annual
Awards Banquet of the PAC Indiana Division,
held on October 25, 2009, in Merrillville,
Indiana.
STATE
SEMINAR IN DISTRICT VII
Cleveland,
OH - PWA National President Virginia Sikora and Sales
Director Bo Padowski were the guests of honor at the
District VII State Seminar held in Cleveland, Ohio,
in October. State President Irene Honc-Jadlos and PWA
members from District VII organized the event, which
included luncheon, business sessions, and entertainment.
The event was well attended and District VII members
had a chance to learn more about PWA's latest plans
and products and to ask questions of the Home Office
guests during the sessions. Photos from the State Seminar
follow.
ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP AND
YOUTH FUNDRAISER
On
Sunday, September 27, 2009, the Annual Scholarship and
Youth Fundraiser of the PWA Educational and Charitable
Foundation was held at the Rosewood Banquet Hall in
Rosemont, Illinois. It was an elegant affair, with PWA
officers and members as well as many guests and representatives
of Polish American organizations in attendance. The
goal of educating the next generation of young Polish
Americans is a cause that deserves widespread support.
Our youth is our future and encouraging them to achieve
their academic goals has long been a cause supported
by the PWA and its members.
The
guests of honor included Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki,
Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago who gave
the invocation; Father Thaddeus Dzieszko, the Pastor
of St. Constance Church who said benediction; Past President
of District III Evelyn Lisek who led the singing of
the national anthems; and Judge Aurelia Pucinski, Cook
County Circuit Court County Division and PWA member,
who was the keynote speaker. Her remarks are provided
below.
National
President Virginia Sikora served as Mistress of Ceremonies
and welcomed the guests. Secretary-Treasurer Antoinette
Trela was the Chairperson of the event. Vice President
Sharon Zago, National Director Dawn Muszynski Nelson
and District I President Lidia Filus also attended.
Entertainment was provided by students of the Paderewski
Symphony Orchestra Music Academy. Music was by the Carl
Linden String Ensemble. A raffle was conducted by Secretary-Treasurer
Antoinette Trela Vander Noot and National Director Dawn
Muszynski Nelson. All proceeds from the banquet will
support PWA scholarships and youth activities.
Kudos
to Chairperson Antoinette Trela Vander Noot for organizing
such a beautiful and successful event. Sincere thanks
to everyone who attended as well as to the patrons and
well-wishers who submitted donations to the program
book.
Officers
and Guests at Fundraiser, from left, Vice President
Sharon Zago; Robert Maycan, Treasurer of the PACCF;
National President Virginia Sikora; Father Thaddeus
Dzieszko, Pastor of St. Constance Parish; National
Director Dawn Nelson Muszynski; and Secretary-Treasurer
and Chairperson of the Fundraiser Antoinette Trela
Vander Noot.
From
left, National President Virginia Sikora, District
I President Lidia Filus, and Council 27 President
Czeslawa Kolak.
PWA members and guests during the cocktail
reception.
PWA
officers and representatives of Polish American organizations
at the banquet.
Students
of the Paderewski Symphony Orchestra Music Academy
performed on their violins. It was an inspiring
and heartwarming performance.
REMARKS
Judge Aurelia
Pucinski
 If
we were able to check the DNA of Stefania Chiemlenska,
the founder of the Polish Women's Alliance, we would
surely find the strong cultural link to Krolowa Jadwiga,
Queen of Poland, now St. Jadwiga, often referred to
as King Jadwiga, since she was the monarch of Poland
from 1383 to 1399 in her own right, not as a consort.
As
Europe's only female King, Jadwiga enlarged Christian
Europe and sponsored the refounding of Europe's oldest
European university, the Jagiellonian University in
Krakow. King Jadwiga was known for her kindness and
piety, and for her commitment to charity work--founding
and supporting hospitals. Equally important, as King
of her country, she defended and promoted the dignity
of her people with fierce determination.
The
women of the Polish Women's Alliance have proudly and
confidently carried on the traditions of our famous
female King. Founded 111 years ago, the PWA has a tradition
of protecting and defending the dignity of women especially,
through economic security and stability, The PWA as
a fraternal insurance organization provides a safety
net to its members. But the PWA is much, much, more:
it has supported the traditions and culture of our Polish
heritage in America. It has provided help to Poland,
starting with help to the Blue Army in World War I,
in its fight for Poland's freedom. The PWA supported
the efforts of Poland in World War II, and raised enough
money to fund a B-25 Bomber in the United States. The
PWA has contributed significantly to children's hospitals
in Poland. It supported the work of Madame Curie in
her radium research. The women of the PWA helped to
refurbish Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The
PWA established a Center for Polish Studies in Chicago.
It supported the work of the Polish Church to fight
communism in Poland and leave it to women to figure
out how to get Polonia working together: the PWA established
the first Polish American Congress!!!
From
King Jadwiga, through Stefania Chiemlinska, to Maria
Konopnicka a freedom writer and poet,
to Irena Sender who rescued 2500 Jewish children from
the Holocaust, to our own generation of Polish Women's
Alliance leadership, Polish women have always provided
the heart and soul of the action that is necessary to
make things better for women, for children, for the
nation of our heritage, and for America.Polish women,
and the Polish Women's Alliance, are living proof of
the Polish proverb: The ideals of her women are the
strength of a nation.
CULTURAL PROGRAM FOR
STUDENTS IN POLAND
SUMMER 2009
In
April 2008 PWA President President Virginia Sikora in
her capacity as President of the PAC Charitable Foundation
(PACCF) and PACCF Vice President Christopher Nowotarski
met in Poland with the President of Wspolnota Polska
Andrzej Stelmachowski to discuss the planning and development
of a new Cultural Learning Program for Polish American
students. A little more than a year later, the plans
discussed in that meeting became reality.
The
pilot cultural program took place this summer in Pultusk,
Poland, with 19 students between the ages of 12 and
15 from three organizations participating: the Polish
Women's Alliance of America, the Polish Falcons, and
the Polish Roman Catholic Union. Most of the participants
had never visited Poland before and most did not speak
Polish. They visited Warsaw, Krakow, Oswiecim, Wieliczka,
Torun, and Jasna Gora in Czestochowa. It was an exciting
educational experience for the participants, who learned
a lot about the history, culture, and traditions of
the land of their ancestors. The program was a success
and plans are being made to continue the program in
2010.
The
three PWA members who attended the program were Ernest
Stapor of Group 821, District 1; Emily Gamble of Group
226, District 5; and Alex Vander Noot of Group 211 District
1.
Students
leaving for the Summer Program from O'Hare International
Airport. PACCF Officers saw them off. PWA President
Virginia Sikora, who is also President of the PACCF,
and PACCF Director Bo Padowski accompanied the group
as chaperones.
Photo:
Lidia Rozmus
Students visiting the Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow.
Photo:
Grzegorz Kozakiewicz
Shopping
time in Sukiennice, Krakow
Pizza
time in Pultusk.
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY, DR. WIECZOREK!
PWA officers and members visited Dr. Maria Wieczorek
to wish her all the best and to bring her a cake on
the occasion of her birthday on August 16th. Dr. Wieczorek
had served as the Medical Examiner of PWA for many years.
In the photo, from left, Maryla Folmer, Florence Hokenson,
Antoinette Trela Vander Noot, Virginia Sikora, and Bo
Padowski. Sto Lat, Dr. Wieczorek! Many happy retruns!
DONATE
TO THE PWA CHARITABLE AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
Support a Worthy Cause this Holiday Season!
Christmas
will soon be here. It is a time of joy and celebration
and it is a time of giving and sharing. Won't you help
us to make the holidays better for someone?
The
PWA has a long history of bringing aid to those who
need it most. From the earliest days of our organization,
members have supported not only their communities but
also the Polish nation in its quest for freedom. They
raised funds for schools, churches, and orphanages,
in the United States and in Poland. They helped Ignacy
Paderewski as he sought to promote the independence
of Poland throughout the world and they funded Marie
Sklodowska Curie's research. They sold war bonds and
sent aid packages during World War II. They helped build
the Shrine to Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown
and to refurbish the Statue of Liberty and the Museum
on Ellis Island. Members continue to support college-bound
members here in the U.S. through scholarships, children's
institutions and hospitals in Poland, and other worthy
causes such as disaster relief, the Pope John Paul II
Cultural Center, The Polish Museum of America, work
on preserving PWA archives, and our own PWA Library.
This
Christmas, please consider making a donation to the
PWA Charitable and Educational Foundation so that the
good work of our organization can continue. Please send
in your donations to the address below and please be
sure to let us know in the memo line of your check how
you would like us to allocate the funds. Choose a cause
that is close to your heart as you make your charitable
giving decisions this Holiday Season in your families,
Groups, Councils, and Districts. Become a part of PWA's
long history of helping others! Remember that contributions
to the PWA Charitable and Educational Foundation are
tax-deductible, to the extent allowed by law.
Choose
one:
| National
Scholarship Endowment |
PWA
Library Fund |
| Dziecko
Polskie Children's Fund |
Disaster
Relief |
| Pope
John Paul II Cultural Center |
Kasia's
Fund (see article below) |
| General
Fund |
|
Please
make check payable to:
PWA
Charitable and Educational Foundation
Please Send
check to:
Polish
Women's Alliance
PWA C & E
6643 N. Northwest Hwy, 2nd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60631
PLEASE
HELP KASIA!
PWA Group 49 of Cleveland, Ohio, has sent out an appeal
to Polonian organizations and to PWA members to help
Kasia Kamuda. Kasia is a 15 year-old high school student
from Elblag, Poland, who was in a near-fatal accident
in May 2009. An excellent student and a talented and
promising young cello player, Kasia lost three limbs
after suffering a high-voltage electric shock and is
now in need of costly surgeries and prosthetics. Please
help! Every donation will mean so much to this young
musician with a passion for life and for her music.
Send contributions to the PWA Charitable and Educational
Foundation, and write "Kasia's Fund" in the
memo line of your check. For more information, please
contact Irene Honc-Jadlos, District VII President, at
212-226-5496, or Kate Thomas, Group 49 President, at
216-939-8180.
NATIONAL
RAFFLE WINNERS
We
congratulate the following PWA Raffle Winners for 2009.
The proceeds from the raffle benefit the activities of
the PWA Education Committee - Komitet Oswiaty. We appreciate
the loyal support that so many of our members and friends
show each year for this fundraiser! Bog zaplac! God bless!
Komitet Osiwaty
Polish Women's Alliance of America
Grand Prize $2000
Lucy Kowalczyk
Group 723, Council 9
District I Illinois
Second Prize $1000
Evelyn Dudek
Group 226, Council 3
District 5 Michigan
Third Prize $500
Bernice Blinky
Group 338, Council 2
District 2 Pennsylvania
Fourth Prize $250
Christina Lewandowski
Group 362, Council 40
District 14 Pennsylvania
Fifth Prize $250
Mary Jo Roman
Not a PWA member
Sixth Prize $100
Roselyn Vazquez
Not a PWA member
Seventh Prize $100
Janice Sunderland
Group 451, Council 3
District 5 Michigan
Eighth Prize $100
S. Benkowski
Group 536, Council 1
District 6 Wisconsin
Ninth Prize $100
H. Giese
Group 78, Council 1
District 6 Wisconsin
Tenth Prize $100
Dave Bonarski
Group 806, Council 3
District 5 Michigan
PWA
BOOK AND FILM CLUB
The
reading and viewing selections for the PWA Book and Film
Club for 2010 have just been announced.
The
list of the remaining 2009 books titles and films and
the list of the newly announced titles for 2010 follow
below.
BOOKS
AND FILMS FOR 2010:
We
will be reading five books in English, as follows:
*
Nights and Days, by Maria Dabrowska
* Emigrants, by Stanislaw Mrozek
* On the Bank of the Niemen, by Eliza Orzeszkowa,
Honorary Member of PWA
* Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem
* Fire in the Steppe, (Pan Wolodyjowski), by Henryk
Sienkiewicz
The films we will be viewing (in
Polish with English subtitles) are as follows:
"Nights
and Days" (Noce i Dnie), directed by Jerzy Antczak,
Poland, 1975
"On the Bank of the Niemen " (Nad Niemnem)
directed by Zbigniew Kuzminski, Poland, 1988
"Solaris" directed by Steven Soderbergh, USA,
2003 (in English)
"Colonel Wolodyjowski" (Pan Wolodyjowski),
directed by Jerzy Hoffman, Poland, 1969
Additional
Polish Films (in Polish and with English subtitles)
for 2010:
"Popieluszko
- Freedom is with Us" directed by Rafal Wieczynski,
Poland, 2009
"Kanal" directed by Andrzej Wajda, Poland,1957
"Karol - The Pope, The Man" directed by Gacomo
Battiato, Italy/Poland, 2006 (in English)
FOR MORE INFO:
For
more information, please contact Vice President Sharon
Zago at 1-888-522-1898, ext, 208, or direct number 1-847-384-1208.
Or send e-mail to vpres@pwaa.org.
PWA
OFFERS POLISH LANGUAGE CLASSES
Study
Polish Language & CultureLearn & Become Inspired
by Polish History & Tradition
Enhance Your Language Skills & Enhance Your Life
The Polish Women's Alliance of America offers Adults Education:
1) "POLISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE I - BEGINNING
POLISH FOR ADULTS"
(Bilingual
classes in Polish & English)
2) "TREASURY OF POLISH LITERATURE & FILM"
(Bilingual classes in Polish & English)
Time:
Thursday 7:30-8:30 PM
1) Polish Language, 10 Weeks, Starts Week of 01/21/10
2) Treasury…, 10 Weeks, Starts Week of 04/08/10
Contact
Vice President Sharon Zago for more information or to
register.
TEL: 1-888-522-1898, ext 208, or 1-847-384-1208.
website: www.pwaa.org
Classroom:
The Polish Women's Alliance of America: 6643 N. Northwest
Hwy., Chicago, IL 60631
Classes will be taught by:
Ireneusz R. Raciborski, M.A.
Instructor of Polish Language, History & Culture
& Film
Polish Language Courses, College of DuPage & PWA,
Chicago, 2009
Moderator of Polish Book & Film Club, PWA, Chicago,
2009
Cell: (708) 698-4438, E-mail: rafalraciborski@hotmail.com
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