Polish American Foundation of Connecticut to Celebrate 25 Years

On Saturday, November 12, community leaders from across Connecticut will gather in New Britain to celebrate all that has been built and accomplished by the Polish American Foundation of Connecticut over the past 25 years.

Beginning at 5pm at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church Hall at 301 West Main Street in New Britain, this gala will be a time for supporters to acknowledge all that Polish-American immigrants and their children have built in Connecticut, and an opportunity to lay the cornerstone for the work of the next generation.

“Since its founding at the start of the 21st century, the Polish American Foundation of Connecticut has been a pillar of support for programs and Polish organizations throughout our state,” said PAF President and founder Andre Blaszczynski.

“The PAF provides funding and assistance to Polish traditional performing arts and cultural organizations, the Polonia Business Association that has helped businesses and civic leaders to revitalize Broad Street in New Britain, and events across the state including the Little Poland Festival. The PAF runs a thriving Polish language lessons program, which has transitioned online and received national interest since the COVID-19 outbreak. And for the past year, we have done our utmost to provide assistance to the Ukrainian people fighting for their survival. The work will continue, but this is a time for us to celebrate how far we have come.”

At the event, the PAF will also honor the contributions and careers of other notable business and nonprofit leaders from the community, including:

• Maggie Drag, founder and owner of Euro-American Connections & Homecare
• Teresa Borowska, founder of the Voice Of Poland radio program
• Wioletta Jusinska, principal of the Derby Polish Saturday School and president of the Connecticut Region of the Polish Supplementary School of America network
• Zosia Bieniek, troop leader of the Polish Scouting Organization in Connecticut
• Naeem Khalid, founder of Sam’s Food Stores, will also be presented with the Friend of Polonia Award for his longtime support of the community.

The gala event will include performances by Connecticut’s traditional Polish music and dance troupe, Polonia, and other artists from the community.

To purchase tickets for the event, to become a sponsor, or to donate to the PAF, please go to www.paf-ct.org. For questions about sponsorships, please contact Adam Formus at aformus@pkfod.com or call 203-910-2026.