Links
• The KF Website

• General
• Publications
• Grantee News
• Awards Events
• Affiliated Organizations
  • PATA
• Annual Dinner and Ball
  • 2008 Dinner and Ball
• Debutantes
• Trustee News

• July 2008
• May 2008
• April 2008
• October 2007

• Login
• Podcasts
• RSS
• Comments RSS

For those who have heard of the Polish American Teachers Association (PATA), but aren’t sure what they do, watch this clip of a PATA organized visit to the Kosciuszko Foundation House at the end of May:

For more information about PATA, contact the Kosciuszko Foundation at 212-734-2130 or visit our website.

The Kosciuszko Foundation elected Mr. Peter S. Novak, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts to its Board of Trustees at its semi-annual meeting of Trustees on April 25th, 2008.

 

Mr. Novak is the principal of Charter Oak Insurance and Financial Services Co. of Springfield Massachusetts, an insurance brokerage and financial services agency serving several states in the New England area through 175 agents. The agency has won the prestigious MassMutual Chairman’s Trophy Competition for each of the past nine years. The firm currently has in excess o $2.75 billion under management.

 

“It’s with true pleasure that I join the Kosciuszko Foundation’s Board of Trustees,” noted Mr. Novak. “My Polish descent has influenced me in ways big and small throughout my life. To now be part of the United States’ premiere Polish organization is both an honor and a longtime hope realized.”

 

Mr. Novak holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from American International College, and a Master of Science Degree in Psychology from Catholic University.  Before entering the financial services world, he coached college basketball for seven years, and worked as a social worker in his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut.

 

Mr. Novak has a long history of involvement with Polonia and Polish culture. While a student, he attended the Kosciuszko Foundation Summer Study Program. He has participated in many organizations supporting Polish culture in his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, and currently serves on the Board of the St. Stanislaus Parish Society.

 

Established as an American center for Polish culture in 1925, the Kosciuszko Foundation is the premiere American organization promoting understanding and friendship between the peoples of Poland and the United States through educational, scientific and cultural exchanges. The Foundation awards more than $1 million each year in fellowships and grants to graduate students, scholars, scientists, professionals and artists. It also showcases Polish culture in America through exhibits, publications, film festivals, documentaries, performances, concerts and recitals in its eight Chapters throughout the United States.

For more information about the Kosciuszko Foundation, call the Kosciuszko Foundation House in New York City at 212-734-2130, or visit the Foundation’s website at 212-734-2130.

 

For a photo of Mr. Novak, please visit the Kosciuszko Foundation Media Relations page, at http://www.thekf.org/press.asp, or click here.

Polish documentary film maker and former Kosciuszko Foundation grant recipient Anna Ferens will screen her latest film, Where do the Wild Strawberries Grow?, at the Fourth Annual New York Polish Film Festival.

Ms. Ferens was the recipient of a $7,650 grant during 2006 to visit the United States and research the story of Polish-born film score composer Bronislaw Kaper in preparation of a documentary film about Mr. Kaper, about whom little is known in Poland. Mr. Kaper was the first native born Pole to win an Academy Award, for the score to the film Lili, in 1953. Her research on Kaper was profiled on page 9 of the Kosciuszko Foundation 2006 Annual Report.

Her current film deals with the painful but often overlooked subject of Poles murdered by the Soviets during World War II in the Kiev region of the Ukraine. In 2006, Polish archeologists were granted permission to dig in the region of a mass grave in a forest near Kiev, where the remains of 30,000 people, including several thousand Poles, are buried. The murders took place between 1937 and 1941. Ms. Ferens’s film follows the work of the archaeologists and examines the views of local residents about the mass graves. It also tells the story of Krystyna and Jan, two Poles who were hoping that the archaeological dig could turn up clues about the disappearances of their respective fathers at the beginning of World War II.

The film will be shown on May 10th at 3:30 pm. For more information, visit the Fourth Annual New York Polish Film Festivalsite at http://www.nypff.com/.

Click here for a related blog post.

 

2008 Debutantes Biographies

Miss Laura Anne Dabrowski, of Huntington, New York is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas and Florence Dabrowski.    She is a senior at Huntington High School, where she has been on the Principal’s List for academic excellence and is the recipient of many awards and recognitions, including awards in science, social studies, and mathematics.  For three years she placed first in the school’s National History Day competition. She is a member of many school clubs and activities, including Habitat for Humanity, Model U.N. the National Honor Society, Student Government, orchestra, JV Field Hockey and Softball, to name just a few.  Laura has studied dance for many years at Posey’s School of Dance and has been a member of the Children’s Dance Company and the Posey Repertory Company.  Currently, Laura is a member of the Polish American Folk Dance Company.  Laura is busy with numerous volunteer activities, including working with the Huntington Historical Society, the dance companies as well as Project Nicaragua and Habitat for Humanity.  Laura’s mother and father are former members of the Matusz Polish Dance Circle and are active in many Polonian organizations, including the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Polish National Alliance.

Miss Katherine J.  Gundeck, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, is the daughter of Kosciuszko Foundation trustee Caroline Nyklewicz Gundeck and Mr. Richard Gundeck. Katie is a student at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida in preparation for a career in international business relations.  She is a member of the Yong Republicans Club and a volunteer at the Christina Health Care Center.  She serves as public relations manager for the Tennis 4 Fun Club. Katie’s mother, Caroline, was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Kosciuszko Foundation last November. She is National Sales head of Business Development, Global Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanely. Her family has a long association with the Foundation and her grandmother Teresa Sondej Nyklewicz was a debutante at an earlier Ball.  Katie’s maternal grandfather, Edwin J. Nyklewicz, was the first Polish American judge appointed to the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey.  Katie’s father, Richard, is a Senior Executive at Merrill Lynch and is an avid exotic care collector.

Miss Lindsey Kathleen Kopacz, is the daughter of Mr. Robert Kopacz of Summit, New Jersey and Ms. Kathi Leuther Kopacz of Frederick, Maryland. Lindsey is a student at the University of Maryland in College Park, preparing for a career in journalism or public relations.Lindsey’s volunteer activities have included volunteering at the local hospital, in her school’s color guard team which competed regionally. In 2003 and 2004 she participated, through her church, in a project called Group Workcamp which helped families in need with home repairs. Next year at college she will serve as a Resident Assistant.  Lindsey’s father, Robert, is the Director of Communications at the Kosciuszko Foundation. Her mother, Kathi, is a licensed social worker in the District of Columbia and in Maryland. Her paternal grandparents, Eugene and Anna Kopacz have a long association with the Kosciuszko Foundation.

Miss Paige Marie Carina Raia, is the daughter of   Mr. and Mrs. Raymond and Camille Raia of Merrick, New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Paige Marie is a junior at the Sanford H. Calhoun High School where she is on the Honor Roll.  Paige Marie has been a New York State Student Music Association for the past six years, achieving the Superior rating in voice.  She is a member of the performance show choir Crescendo of the Bellmore-Merrick School District and she has performed at Epcot, Walt Disney World and Busch Gardens. At school, Paige Marie is a member of the High School Key Club, the Girls’ Varsity Softball team and is the VP of Public Relations of the school’s history-based Yorker Club.  She is active in many community service activities.  She is Senior Alter Server at Cure’ of Ars Parish in Merrick, volunteers at the local Bide-a-Wee animal shelter on Long Island and has been a member of the Polish Children’s Heartline form many years.  Paige Marie is a member of the Girl Scouts of America where she is the proud recipient of the Girl Scout Bronze Award, currently working toward her Gold Award.  She is a former VP of Programming for Venture Crew Troop #577, a group pf scouts who embark on outdoor travels to many National Parks and historical sites in the U.S. Paige Marie’s parents own Real Estate Property Management Corporations.  Paige Marie is very proud of her Slavic heritage.

Miss Kimberly Ann Sanguinedo, is the daughter of Mrs. Dorothy Sanguinedo and the late Mr. Frank Sanguinedo of Staten Island, New York.  She is the niece of Mr. Walter Stojanowski, also of Staten Island, who presented her at the Ball.  Kimberly is a student at St. Joseph’s By the Sea High School and in college hopes to pursue studies in the field of medicine or veterinary medicine.  Kimberly is involved in a number of organizations and extracurricular activities, including Project Hospitality, the Surf Club, Ladies of Charity, the Stitchery Club, and Therapy Dog International for which she does training.  She is a cheerleader for the football team.  Kimberly enjoys crocheting, reading, boating and skiing.  With her family, Kimberly has participated in a number of Polish cultural events, including the Pulaski Day Parade.

For photographs of the debutantes, follow this link or visit the Kosciuszko Foundation media page.

Members, supporters, and friends of the Kosciuszko Foundation celebrated in style at the Foundation’s 73^rd Annual Dinner and Ball, at its traditional location in the Grand Ballroom of New York’s prestigious Waldorf=Astoria Hotel on Saturday, April 26^th, 2008. In addition to the entertainment, dinner and dancing to the music of the Hank Lane Revue, five young ladies from Polonia were presented to society, and a legend of theatre and film was honored.

Halina Kalitka, the Chairperson this year’s Ball, reflected on the evening’s events in a conversation after the Ball, describing it as a “historic” moment for her family. “You’re talking about a family who worked hard all their lives and came to this country as immigrants. To achieve something like this at this point in your life, and you’re able to bring your whole family to an event like this, it’s just wonderful,” noted Ms. Kalitka.

As the highlight of the evening, Debutante Patroness for this year’s ball, Dawn Polewac, introduced Miss Laura Anne Dabrowski of Hunington, New York (presented by her father, Mr. Thomas Dabrowski); Miss Katherine J. Gundeck of Ridgewood, New Jersey (presented by her father, Mr. Richard Gundeck); Miss Lindsey Kathleen Kopacz of Frederick, Maryland (presented by her father, Mr. Robert Kopacz), Miss Paige Marie Carina Raia of Merrick, New York (presented by her father, Mr. Raymond Raia), and Miss Kimberly Ann Sanguiendo of Staten Island, New York (daughter of the late Mr. Frank Sanguinedo, and presented by her brother, Mr. Steven Sanguinedo).

Ms. Polewac, who also serves as the Chairperson of the Foundation’s Debutante Council and on its National Advisory Council, represents the third of four generations of a family strongly devoted to the Foundation, its goals, and traditions. Ms. Polewac’s mother, Wanda Senko, serves as a Foundation Trustee, as does Ms. Polewac’s sister, Cynthia Rosicki, Esq. Mrs. Senko’s parents, Stanislaw and Anna Pawlik, were early Foundation supporters.

Guests also had the great honor of meeting Madame Marta Eggerth, the renowned operetta and film star who with her late husband Polish tenor Jan Kiepura, enthralled audiences both on the big screen and in stage productions like the Merry Widow. Chairman of the Board of Trustees Witold Sulimirski and President and Executive Director Joseph E. Gore, Esq awarded Madame Eggerth the Kosciuszko Foundation Medal of Recognition in honor of her many contributions to music and the theatre. Ms. Eggerth entertained the crowd of over 500 guests that evening with anecdotes from her long life, elicting laughter when, in response to the presentation of a birthday cake and a round of the Polish birthday song “sto lat” (one hundred years), she quipped in Polish “I’m already 96! You’re only giving me four more years?” Ms. Eggerth turned 96 on April 17^th.

The Ball also celebrated the music of Polish composer Karol Szymanowski. The Republic of Poland dedicated 2007 as the year of Szymanowski on the 70th anniversary of his death. In honor of this great composer, the Polish American Folk Dance Company, with the artistic director, Mr. Ryszard Sudol, presented a number of goral (Polish highlander) dances, commemorating several of Szymanowski’s compositions inspired by goral traditions. Mr. Szymanowski lived in Zakopane, Poland toward the end of his life, drawn toward the unique and rich goral culture.

The Polish American Folk Dance Company is a regular contributor to the evening of entertainment at the Ball, providing guests with an entire repertoire of dance presentations choreographed around a variety of themes.

After the debutante presentations, which concluded at 11:00 pm, the Polish American Folk Dance company led the debutantes and their escorts in the Polonaise, a traditional flourish marking the conclusion of the evening’s festivities.

The Kosciuszko Foundation is proud to be a sponsor of the Fourth Annual New York Polish Film Festival, which will take place from May 9 – 13, 2008 at the Anthology Film Archives. The Festival will include a special screening of Andrzej Wajda’s film “Katyn” at New York’s Museum of Modern Art on May 11th at 7:00 p.m

The films to be featured at the festival are often award winning films which have never before been shown in New York. This year’s films include Saviors Square by Krzysztof Krauze & Joanna Kos-Krauze (Best Picture in Gdynia Film Festival 2006), Immensity of Justice by Wieslaw Saniewski, Jasminum, by Jan Jakub Kolski and the best Polish films of 2007: Tricks by Andrzej Jakimowski (Best Picture in Gdynia Film Festival 2007), Time to Die by Dorota Kedzierzawska,  Let’s Go to the Movies  Tomorrow and Extras  by Michal Kwiecinski, and for Preserve by Lukasz Palkowski (awarded Best Debut Film in Gdynia), and a screening of the Polish western Summer Love, by Piotr Uklanski.

The festival will also feature a screening of the documentary film Where do the Wild Strawberries Grow?, on May 10^th at 3:30 p.m., by Polish documentary filmmaker and former Kosciuszko Foundation grantee Anna Ferens, who was profiled in the Kosciuszko Foundation 2006 Annual Report.

For more information, visit the Festival’s website, www.nypff.com. To view the Kosciuszko Foundation’s 20 second video spot (which will be played at the Festival), click here.

An exhibition of Beata Drozd’s artwork depicting images from the Mazowsze dance ensemble will open at Kosciuszko Foundation House in New York to coincide with the Foundation’s 73rd Annual Ball on April 26th. The collection will include portraits of Mazowsze dancers as well as some of her other distinguished subjects (Rudy Giuliani, Richard Meier, Woody Allen).

The exhibition will commence with a pre-opening on April 23^rd and run through May 18^th. A special opening reception will be held at the Kosciuszko Foundation on May 8^th.

Beata Drozd is a New York artist educated in St. Martins College of Art and Design in London. She has previously exhibited her work in The Rockefeller Center’s Rainbow Room, New York’s Friars Club and various galleries in London, Paris and New York.

The Mazowsze Ensemble is one of the world’s most famous ballet groups specialized in folk dance and has become an ambassador of Polish Culture, preserving the unique national features of Polish tradition while also making it known to the rest of the world.

It commenced celebration of its 60th anniversary with a special concert in Warsaw’s Sala Kongresowa in February, 2008. In October Mazowsze artists will present exclusive programs in The National Theatre and Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. An exhibition of Ms. Drozd’s collages and oil paintings portraying dancers of the Mazowsze will be displayed in the National Theatre as part of the October program of events.

To view examples of Beata Drozd artwork please visit http://www.beatadrozd.com/

For more information on Mazowsze please visit http://www.mazowsze.waw.pl/

 

Out of the turmoil of the early decades of the 20th century, which saw the disappearance of empires and the re-emergence of nations, many painters, graphic artists, and authors attempted to redefine the nature of modern visual expression and its social meanings. The New York Public Library hosts Graphic Modernism from the Baltic to the Balkans, 1910–1935, October 5, 2007–January 27, 2008, featuring the works of artists from that period. The exhibition includes a lecture series, including a lecture by David Goldfarb entitled Zdrój: Polish Expressionism from the Source on December 5 at 2:15 p.m. The exhibition is located in the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Gallery on the Library’s first floor. Visit the library’s website for more information.

The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America (PIASA) announces its Ninth Annual Awards Presentation and Reception on Sunday, November 18^th, 2007 at 3:30 pm the Polish Consulate on 233 Madison Avenue at East 37th Street, New York, New York 10016. The Institute will honor Dr. Marek Bartelnik, Dr. Michael Bernhard, Dr. Marci Shore, and Dr. Anna M. Cienciala, for their work in the humanities. Donations are $100 per person, and $150 per couple. For more information, contact PIASA at 212-686-4164, or visit their website at www.piasa.org.

The Kosciuszko Foundation 2006 Annual Report, featuring profiles of various Kosciuszko Foundation grantees, is now available in electronic form. Follow this link to download the report.