On November 22, 2021. The Presidential Palace in Warsaw once again hosted the Final Gala of the 6th edition of the Presidential Award “For the Common Good”. The award is given annually, starting in 2016, and its essence is to promote civic attitudes, actions and projects for the common good.

The statuette is awarded in four categories: Man-Leader, Institution-Organization, Work-Event, Project, and Special Award.

Each category honors particularly committed individuals, non-governmental organizations and valuable social ventures that build the civic community.

As President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda stressed, “A small gesture made towards another person sometimes has a completely unexpected power. With simple actions one can bring so much good.”

The ceremony was attended by such guests as the President’s Spouse Agata Kornhauser-Duda, Deputy Head of the President’s Chancellery Piotr Ćwik, Minister in the Chancellery Bogna Janke and Wojciech Kolarski – Secretary of State and Secretary of the Chapter of the “For the Common Good” Award. The final Gala was also attended by representatives of numerous communities, including two experts from the IREPSO Foundation.

Each of the Awards is intended primarily to appreciate the honored laureates and their projects, but also to show the importance in society of mutual relations between individuals, commitment to the welfare of other citizens, or most simply – to help the other person.

This year’s winners were:

◊ Man-leader

Bronislawa Kufel-Wlodek

Activates people with disabilities in sports, founder of student sports clubs, former member of the National Team (rowing), Polish scholar, theater scholar, journalist, vice-chairman of the Board of the Association of Journalists of the Republic of Poland.

◊ Institution-organization

“Launch into the depths” Foundation

The Opole-based foundation has been implementing educational and preventive projects aimed at young people since 2018, and is involved in counteracting addiction among schoolchildren. In its activities it focuses both on universal prevention and on those who come from at-risk environments and display dysfunctional behavior.

◊ Work – project, project.

Folkowe Przystanki initiative

Thanks to the initiative and ingenuity of the founders of the “Tu Brzoza “Foundation – sisters Barbara Gortat and Paulina Gortat-Gapinska, artists, great admirers of the countryside and nature, more than a dozen works of art – one-picture galleries – have been created since 2015.

◊ Special award named after Piotr Pawlowski.

Zuzanna Janaszek-Maciaszek – President of the Dr. Piotr Janaszek PODAJ DALEJ Foundation

After the tragic death of her Father – Piotr Janaszek in 1998, together with her sister Olga, she continues his work and ideas, first in the Mielnica Foundation, and since 2004. At the Dr. Piotr Janaszek Foundation “PODAJ DALEJ”. He leads the activation of people with disabilities through sports, and the goal of the activities undertaken is to make them as independent as possible. Promotes the prevention of disability and appropriate behavior, making young people aware of how little it takes for a tragic accident to happen, so that in a matter of seconds life changes 180 degrees.

More about the Award: https://www.prezydent.pl/aktualnosci/inicjatywy/nagroda-dla-dobra-wspolnego

Gratification awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland primarily strengthens civic attitudes, creates patriotic solidarity, strengthens civic awareness of individuals, while inspiring activity for the common good and encouraging active building of social capital.

Photo: Jacek Szymczuk/KPRP