$1,000 Reward Offered For Stolen Polish Folk Outfits

CHICAGO, IL — A $1,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can return five handmade Polish folk outfits stolen from a car in Wicker Park. The theft happened sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning in the 1400 block of North Wicker Park Avenue, police said. The costumes were in a green garment bag, which was stolen after the back-passenger side window of Marlena Dzis' white Hyundai Accent was smashed, police confirmed.

Dzis said the hand-embroidered and beaded outfits represented her culture, heritage and family. The costumes were on loan from The Lira Ensemble, a professional group that performs Polish music, dance and songs. Dzis, 31, sings soprano for the group.

"People see their families in us, their mothers, their grandmothers. They see them in our faces and in the music we sing," Dzis told the Chicago Sun-Times. "It means the world to be able to do that for someone. I had planned to be with this company for a lifetime. These costumes are so hard to replace."

Dzis spent most of her Christmas digging through dumpsters in search of the garments, and even followed a garbage truck into a landfill, the Sun-Times reported.

Donna Makowski, a criminal defense lawyer, heard Dzis' story and wanted to help. A $1,000 reward is being offered on behalf of the National Advocates Society, a group of lawyers of Polish decent. Makowski said the costumes can be returned to the security desk at the Monadnock Building, 53 W. Jackson Blvd., in the South Loop.

Photos by Warren Johnson, courtesy of Marlena Dzis