Mount Saint Marys College - Eagle Yearbook (Orchard Lake, MI)

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PULISH ATIIJ L ALLIA EE UF BHUUHLY BROOKLYN, NEW YORK Z- R N. 15 it ,c it, .A Mini 'Mats sin' S'4:, 21 gn thi' ,g o ffatemal benefit 50CiCtY Of Which 5 of these certificates are New York, New Jer- every Polish American may be justly proud is the Polish National Alliance of Brooklyn QZjednoczenie Polsko Narodowe1. It was founded on February 10, 1903, as a direct resu'lt of a meeting of a group of Polish im- migrants who had convened at 237 Kent Ave- nue, Brooklyn, New York. The specific aims of the Alliance are: Q11 to unite American Poles and others of Slavic descent for the purpose of affording them an opportunity to profit by the benefits that accrue from such a union, Q21 to instill in them a greater love for their adopted coun- try, Q31 to encourage its members to prac- tice the corporal works of mercy, Q41 to pre- serve the Faith of their Forefathers, Q51 to make a positive contribution to American cul- ture by keeping alive an interest in the cul- ture, history, and literature of Poland, Q61 to encourage its youth to study and use the Polish language. Withili the past fifty-two years, member- ship has steadily increased to a total of 20,- 652 and lodges to 152. The Polish National Alliance of Brooklyn issues certificates from S300 to !'1B10,000. In- rance policies offered are for whole life, - - a men ife and 20 year endow- W f s hich r eive the majority -'?T sey, and Michigan. Deaths per 1,000 benefit certificates were 15.562, in 1953 and 13.9611 in 1954. The financial standing of the Alliance is sound. As of January 1, 1955, total assets amounted to 3S4,216,878.10, liabilities for the same period were .iB75,119.30. The in- surance in force in 1955 totaled 312,422,- 196 as compared to 311,865,051 in 1954, benefits paid out in 1954 amounted to 35211,- 285.87 as compared to 3221,065.08 in 1953. The activities of the Polish National Al- liance of Brooklyn are varied and many. The Alliance purchased Polish Government Bonds during W'orld War 1 and United States De- fense Bonds during the past two World Wars, organized a special Committee to fight Communism, established a scholarship pro- gram for needy students, constructed a sum- mer camp for boys and girls at Oak Ridge, Qcontinued on page 2131 0 1 1 1 . E M Z Q .a To promote Polish art, music, drama and literature is among the chief cul- tural objectives of the Polish Ameri can Fraternal Organizations. Q Y- Q PX

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The present headquarters of the P.N.A. in Chicago, Illi- nois, was dedicated on May 8, 1938. policy of Non-Denominationalism. This it did in order to be consistent with the Arti- cles of the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1792 and the American Constitution, both of which respect their citizens, choice of reli- gion. lt was stipulated, however, in the Al- liance's Constitution that the religious part of all formal Polish National Alliance cele- brations are to take place in a Roman Catho- lic church. Ever since its formal establishment, the Polish National Alliance has sought to bett rf' the educational level of Poles livingxin-. . - r- ica. One important step magic? ' accomplishment of this was the founding of the Alliance College in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. President Taft in his speech on the occasion of the College's dedication fOctober 26, 1912i said that the United States of America was proud to have a group of immigrants so interested in its newly adopted country as to establish a center of higher education for its own constituents. The President further commented on the neces- sity and utility of such an institution as the Alliance College which would instruct Poles, not only in the history, literature and culture of America, but also in that of Poland, there- by preparing better and more useful citizens of the United States. Noteworthy is the fact that long before the establishment of the Alliance College, the Polish National Alliance was already inter- ested in supporting centers of higher learn- ing. As early as 1886, the Alliance placed a special assessment on its members for the purpose of creating a fund which was des- ignated to aid in the construction and main- On the North East corner of Lafayette Square in the city of Washington stands the Kosciuszko tenance of the Polish Seminary in Detroit, now located at Orchard Lake. The social, charitable, and cultural are not overlooked by the Alliance in its log of activities. It gives financial assistance to its poor and destitute members, maintains a li- brary and archives, a museum, sports clubs, choral societies, amateur dramatic circles, folk dancing groups, and publishes Zgoda, a weekly, and Dziennik Zwiazkowy, a daily. It also sponsors summer camps for boys and girls as well as supplementary schools for the teaching of the Polish language. While still in its infancy, the Polish Na- tional Alliance recognized the necessity of a Mortuary Fund, but it was not until a decade later that an adequate insurance program was devised. lcontinued on page 2133 .QA i ' i I' ' , 3 I fl at , J lt L i . 1 .1, f. ' ,til . U F Fra -27 d X for NX HJ Wflmi Kosciusz KO Mcmw. M 'Will vwuq, www i 44' 'WV Wil gi ff 'Q u, X K fl I I . l l u X i im I I . Q 31 l ' ' WIA , I M, ff i ' 'WMM' 'CQ A P' it X Z 4! x 1 ' l s ,rl ' I ., gm N M 'tix i .if . J SARATUBA Monument which was erected by a d a ' expense of the Polish Na 'anal X , P KZJQLLJ , , A ,

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UNITED PULISH WUME UP AMERICA CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ounded in 1932, the United Polish Women of America lUnia Polek w Amerycei is the youngest of all Polish fraternal or- ganizations. As of 1955, it boasted 54 lodges and a membership of 3,953. Fully cognizant of the fact that the works of Inercy must occupy a focal and not mar- ginal place in the life of every true Chris- tian, the United Polish Women of America has outlined a model program of charity. One outstanding facet of its program is a Wel- fare Fund which is replenished not by as- sessing its members, but rather by a volun- tary periodic donation. Financial assistance is extended to any needy member whenever misfortune or disaster strikes. It was on December 1, 1932, that the Unit- ed Polish Women of America commenced its insurance activities. Issued at present are the following certificates from 55300 to 32,000: whole life, 20 year payment life, and 20 year endowment. In 1955 adult ben- efit certificates numbered 3,666 and Junior 287. As of January 1, 1955, assets of the United Polish Women of America amounted to 3B582,906.23g liabilities 311,562.84g reserves 35511,268, and unassigned funds 360,075.39 The amount of insurance in force in 1954 totaled 32,008,815 and 32,078,815 in the fiscal year of 1955. Benefits paid out in 1953 totaled 3B49,903.10g in 1954 they amounted to 345,190.46 The Officers of the United Polish Women of America as of 1955 were: Mis. Anna Kosieracki, President, lVI's. Antoinette Wilk- owski, Secretary, and lVl's. Helen Mathis, Treasurer. The Home Office 'mis located at 1200 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago 22, Illinois. Dramatic talents of the members receive opportuni- ties for expression in the many productions pre- sented by these organizations. . :hair 1.4 .