Chicago

Dom Podhalan, Chicago, 31 sierpnia 2008 r.

Wielebni Księża, Dostojni Goście, Szanowni Państwo, Drodzy Podhalanie,

[caption id="attachment_27396" align="alignnone" width="450"]Dr n. med. Bronisław Orawiec Wyśni, honorowy mówca XXVII Sejmu ZPPA. Dom Podhalan, Chicago, 31 sierpnia 2008.[/caption]

Serdecznie pozdrawiam delegatów na XXVII Sejm Związku Podhalan w Ameryce Północnej. Pozdrawiam gorąco Podhalan z Polski, Kanady i Stanów Zjednoczonych! Dziękuję organizatorom za możliwość wystąpienia podczas dzisiejszej uroczystości.

Spotykamy się na Bankiecie XXVII Sejmu ZPPA – organizacji, która jest jedną z najstarszych i najbardziej prężnie działających w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Przypomnę, że Związek Podhalan w Ameryce Północnej powstał w roku 1929. Mamy więc za sobą 79 lat chlubnej działalności naszej organizacji. Wiele pokoleń Podhalan pracowało na to, aby rozwijać kulturę, tradycję i obyczaj wypływający z regionalizmu góralskiego, aby krzewić polskość wśród ludności podhalańskiej i polonijnej osiadłej na gościnnej ziemi Waszyngtona.

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CVS Caremark Community przyznało Zrzeszeniu Amerykańsko Polskiemu grant w wysokości 1,500 dolarów na rozwój programu oświaty zdrowotnej.

Grant dla ZAP jest częścią programu filantropijnego CVS wspierającego działalność organizacji niedochodowych na terenie całego kraju

Chicago, 20 października 2008 r. — Zrzeszenie Amerykańsko Polskie (ZAP) otrzymało grant w wysokości 1,500 dolarów od CVS na rozwój programu oświaty zdrowotnej.

ZAP jest organizacją niedochodową o statusie 501(c)(3) niosącą pomoc polskim imigrantom mieszkającym w Chicago. Agencja oferuje 31 programów i serwisów wchodzących w skład działu socjalnego, imigracyjnego, pośrednictwa pracy i centrum nauki. Celem programu oświaty zdrowotnej jest umożliwienie osobom o niskich dochodach, nieposiadających ubezpieczenia medycznego oraz borykających się z barierą językową, korzystania z bezpłatnych świadczeń zdrowotnych oraz seminariów na temat profilaktyki chorób i promujących zdrowy tryb życia.

„Granty CVS Caremark Community w efektywny sposób pozwalają nam zaangażować się w pomyślny rozwój społeczności, wśród której prowadzimy nasz biznes” powiedziała Jennifer Veilleux, dyrektor CVS Caremark Corporation. „ Z dumą wspieramy działalność ZAP na rzecz Polonii.”

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On House decision not to vote on foreclosure relief effort to protect homeowners

SPRINGFIELD – “I am extremely disappointed with the decision by the leadership of the Illinois House to leave Springfield without voting on legislation to provide new protections for homeowners facing the prospect of foreclosure. In partnership with Senator Collins, we have been pursuing these protections for homeowners at-risk of since February of this year. I commend Senator Collins and members of the Senate for working hard and voting unanimously today to help keep families in their homes. Had the House followed the Senate’s lead and acknowledged the will of many of House members, the entire General Assembly could have firmly established Illinois as a national leader in addressing the foreclosure crisis. Homeowners throughout the state deserve and need this bill, which would provide protection of a grace period of up to three months on foreclosures if they enter housing counseling when they become delinquent on the mortgage.

Advocacy and professional organizations worked tirelessly in an attempt to get this bill passed. Each day, these groups are on the frontlines, working to keep families in their homes.

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(Chicago) — The Honorable Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, sailed passed other contenders and solidly won re-election to a third term in office, garnering 68% of the votes cast in last night’s election.

Disregarding the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times’ endorsements of her opponents, more than 1.2 million people voted to return Clerk Brown to office.

“Obviously the citizens of Cook County are more aware of the progress that has been made at the Clerk’s Office during my tenure, than are these newspapers, neither of which interviewed me nor conducted any fact-finding by visiting the Office,” said Clerk Brown.

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Joan Hammel was honored this month by the Recording Academy for her years of membership and for supporting its education, advocacy and human service initiatives.  It was presented at the Hotel Sax in Chicago during a special event celebrating membership.  Ms. Hammel was one of four recipients that evening presented by the Chicago Chapter President Peter Strand and the Executive Director Tera Healy.

[caption id="attachment_27268" align="alignnone" width="500"]Recording Academy Chicago Chapter President Peter Strand with Joan Hammel / Photo by Theresa Carter [/caption]
Ms. Hammel Chaired the Education Committee of the Grammy Awards organization for many years in Chicago including planning the Grammy in the Schools initiative where music professionals in different fields spend the day with high school age students.  This program, started in Chicago, is now a national program for the organization reaching thousands of kids annually.  She served on the Grammys Board of Governors, and was a part of the first all female President/Vice President team in Academy history.   Her music as a vocalist and songwriter were on the Grammy Awards Nominations Ballot in different categories over several years.

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Effort aims to ease credit crunch, boost investment returns

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias will make up to $1 billion in interest-earning deposits available to Illinois banks and credit unions in an effort to thaw the credit freeze and improve the performance of the state’s investment portfolio.

Giannoulias’ plan to reallocate state investments is designed to assist financial institutions with their capital needs during the current credit crisis, which has frozen the flow of money in and out of banks and negatively impacted the state and national economy.

The cash infusion for Illinois financial institutions – designed as a more secure investment than the recent $250 billion federal rescue program – will help enable banks and credit unions to lend money to businesses and consumers throughout the state.

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The first week of October featured the culmination of festivities marking the 400th anniversary of the Polish presence in America. The vision and skill of the early Polish craftsmen and tradesmen among the colonists in Jamestown […]

Residents poured onto Chicago streets today to dance, play, bike, walk and run for the first Sunday Parkways event in the city. The streets transformed into parks as car traffic was limited and Chicagoans temporarily reclaimed the streets.

Participants engaged in every kind of physical activity — from running and biking along the route to yoga, salsa dancing and basketball at activity stations in Palmer Square, Humboldt Park and Garfield Park.

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