2019 Officers Visit Poland

In July of 2019 Secretary, Bogumila Padowski and Treasurer, Antoinette Trela traveled to Poland with a group of 35 students who participated in the two-week Explorers Summer Program sponsored by the School of Polish Language & Culture at Jagiellonian University in Krakow.

While the students were enjoying their Program, the Officers visited nine (9) organizations throughout Poland that had been provided support by PACCF or that had requested support for the first time. The cities visited included Opole, Tarnow, Trzebownisko, Stalowa Wola, Sobieszewo, Torun, Izabelin and Warszawa. Most of the organizations visited are focused on serving children with various levels of disabilities and handicaps, who might otherwise not be provided with the optimum level of care and compassion that their specific conditions require.

Highlighted below are the facilities that were provided with PACCF financial support at the end of 2019, for 2020 projects.

A visit to Zgromadzenie Siostr Milosierdzia Dom Pomocy Niepelnosprawnych in Tarnow was especially moving, as the population they serve include some of the most severely handicapped, both physically and mentally. They take care of children as young as several days old and once accepted, the individual can remain at this wonderful place until God takes them from this earth. Regardless of age, they are all God’s Children. Sr. Joanna Sutowicz and her assistant, Sr. Malgorzata Felus do an excellent job in coordinating the care provided to over eighty (80) individuals and also in maintaining and renovating the facility buildings to provide daily occupational and physical therapies so that each resident that is able, is given the opportunity to enhance their quality of life. Some of the children have even participated in the Special Olympics and their medals are proudly on display.

The photos below include the new Therapy Wing that was financed by the PACCF in 2019 and completed in 2020. In honor of the benefactors who entrusted PACCF to distribute their generous donations to institutions that serve handicapped children in Poland, there will be a banner acknowledging “The Joseph Kaminski Charitable Trust & The Rose Kaminski Charitable Trust”.

Transportation for Children to use Rehabilitation Facility

When we arrived at Stow. Pomoc Dzieciom & Mlodziezy Sprawnej Inaczej in Trzebownisko, we were greeted not only by Director Teresa Tomaka and her volunteer staff, but the town Mayor who joined us. This facility provides day-care for physically and mentally handicapped children. Approximately thirty (30) children attend each day and additional children receive home rehabilitation therapy if they are physically unable to come to the facility.

The therapies provided include music therapy 2x per week for 2 hours During our visit we were treated to modern dance performance by a child with Down’s Syndrome, who did an excellent job and we saw and felt the pride of self-accomplishment on her face.

A recurring theme at virtually all of the facilities that we visited, is that the children, regardless of how severe their disabilities, react very positively to music.

This year, the PACCF provided funding to cover travel costs for twenty (20) children and chaperones to go for rehabilitation for two-weeks at Bialka Tatrzanska in 2020. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19, the outing was postponed and will be rescheduled when it is safe for group travel.

Dom Dziecka Stalowa Wola

For the first time, PACCF officers visited Dom Dziecka located in Stalowa Wola. The Director, Jadwiga Stepniewska had written an appeal to PACCF requesting funding for various renovations throughout the facility. Before PACCF Board of Directors approves a donation request, a visit is made to ensure that the facility truly exists and that the request falls within the parameters of PACCF’s mission.

This is an orphanage and the children come here due to the death of, or neglect by parents, and present physical/medical issues and psychological problems due to their home situation. The facility receives some funding from the government but only for the direct care of the children and not to cover any kind of necessary renovations. Occasionally, a child is adopted or can return home if the situation has stabilized but, unfortunately, that does not frequently happen.

PACCF provided funding to cover renovation costs of several bathrooms that were in dire condition. As of Spring, 2020 the renovation project was put on hold, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. An update and photos will be available when the project is completed.

Above is a photo of their recreation room for the children to participate in various activities.

Second Van Donation

Sobieszewo with 2nd Van Donated by Raymond Mayer

At Tow. Opieki Nad Ociemnialymi in Sobieszewo, we were graciously greeting by Elizbieta Gorna. In the absence of Sr. Ida Burzyk, who was called away for a meeting with her Mother Superior, Ms. Gorna gave us a tour of the pre-school and therapy rooms.

This is a therapy school for blind children and is the only facility to require the parents to go through psychological testing/therapy before the child is evaluated, as they consider this a partnership between the family and the therapists, all working together for the benefit of the child. The various types of therapy include Occupational, Eye Stimulation using sounds and colors, Music, Rehabilitation and Speech. The school caters to children up to age 7-8, after which the child must go on to facilities such as Laski, for continuing therapy, as decided on by the family. In 2018, funding was provided to purchase a 2nd specially equipped van.

Solar Panel Installation

Dear Friends at the PACCF,

We cordially greet you from Sobieszewo and with great joy we would like to inform you about the completion of work on the installation of the Solar Panel System at our Center in 2020.

The installation consists of 151 solar panels and 2 Inverters - Wi-Fi

This system will allow us to obtain electricity at a greatly reduced cost, with enhanced functionality.

This investment was only made possible through the generous donation from the PACCF in 2019, for which we are eternaly grateful.

We were also fortunate to find a good company that did the assembly work in an efficient and professional manner, which allowed us to continue providing therapy to our children in the building during installation.

Once again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for this great, essential help.

We cordially invite you to Sobieszewo.

We thank you most sincerely and will keep you in our daily prayers.

God bless!
Sr. Ida Burzyk

Learn More about this Organization

Niewidome-Dzieci - Website

Sr. Ida Burzyk with the children, parents, team of therapists, volunteers and visiting clergy

Biomicus Rehabilitation Center

Our visit to Fundacja Dzieciom Zdazyc z Pomoca took place at their Biomicus Rehabilitation Center in Warsaw. There are a total of three (3) rehabilitation facilities under their Foundation umbrella. Ninety (90) to one hundred (100) children come to this facility each day. Various types and levels of therapy are provided including Physical, Occupational, Visual and Sound and the therapeutic equipment that is needed is, understandably, very expensive. Both Biomicus and their Amicus facilities serve children from newborn to age eighteen (18).

PACCF approved funding requests in 2019 to purchase advanced rehabilitation equipment for both Biomicus and Amicus. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as of Summer, 2020, not all of the equipment has been purchased for Biomicus. However, a C-Eye Pro for vision therapy, Rafael System for hand therapy and Galileo Vibration Platform for neuromuscular stimulation are in place at Amicus Therapeutic equipment for polysensory therapy that stimulates multiple senses at the same time is in place at Biomicus. Additional equipment purchases that were funded by PACCF in 2019 will be purchased when available.

Thanks to the PACCF for the C-Eye Pro, Rafael, Poly-Sensory and Galileo Therapy Equipment

The AMICUS Rehabilitation Center has acquired new equipment. It is a C-Eye Pro, thanks to which the Center's therapists can diagnose patients even more precisely, using precise eye movements.

C-Eye Pro enables people who are speechless and physically disabled to communicate and define the field of view in patients with its disorders. It trains following the eyesight, focusing attention, develops vocabulary, improves cognitive functions, and provides attractive therapeutic exercises in the form of games.

The new, interactive system for hand therapy-RAPAEL is already in our center. It is a modern and intelligent solution in the process of physiotherapy of patients with dysfunction of the upper limb resulting from neurological and orthopedic diseases.

RAPAEL's job is to use the brain's ability to develop neuroplasticity so that hand functions are gradually restored. Enables effective hand therapy based on diagnostics and progress monitoring.