W środę 19 maja o godzinie 7-ej wieczorem, w domu pogrzebowym Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 South Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor, zostanie odprawiony Różaniec, poprowadzony przez księdza Ludwika Madeja.

W czwartek 20 maja w Kościele Św. Franciszka na Stadium Blvd., w godzinach od 10 rano do 11, będzie wizytacja, po czym o godzinie 11- tej zostanie odprawiona Msza Św. przez księdza Ludwika Madeja. Po Mszy pogrzeb na cmentarzu Św. Tomasza, do grobu rodzinnego.

Come to the May Picnic (Majówka) organized by our Chapter to celebrate the “passing of the baton” between the old and the new Governing Boards. The picnic will take place May 16 (Sunday) at noon, at the Dexter-Huron Metropark, Central Shelter. It is a potluck-style event, so please bring a dish and beverages to share. Be prepared to pay a small park fee collected at the entrance.

Our annual General Assembly (Walne Zebranie) will take place May 2, 2010 (Sunday) at 2 PM in the Wolverine Room of the Michigan Union (1st floor) on State Street in Ann Arbor.

Dr. Anna Bielińska will give this year's guest lecture, entitled: "In Search of New Vaccines". Current Governing Board will provide reports on the state of our Chapter. New Governing Board will be elected. We hope to see all our members at this important event.

Our Chapter received a letter from the Bobowski family expressing gratitude for the generous donations to the Museum of Warsaw Rising, in honor of the late Mr. Jerzy Bobowski. Here’s the text of that letter:

Podziękowanie
Dziękujemy jak najserdeczniej rodzinie, przyjaciołom, zarządowi PAC, oraz wszystkim osobom, którzy złożyli dotację na Muzeum Powstania Warszawskiego w imieniu ś.p. Jerzego Bobowskiego.
Zebrana suma $3,355 została przekazana do Muzeum.
Bóg Wielki zapłać!
Krystyna, Izabela, Tomasz Bobowski.

Director of the Museum, Mr. Jan Ołdakowski, sent a thank you letter to Mrs. Krystyna Bobowski, who asked us to post it on our site. A scanned copy of that letter is available in two pages: page 1, page 2.

The Ann Arbor Chapter of Polish American Congress is deeply saddened by the tragedy that struck Poland yesterday morning. Our thoughts and prayers go to the Polish nation mourning the tragic deaths of the President of Poland and so many members of its political, cultural, and military elites, who perished in the airplane crash near Smolensk, Russia.

Please join us in a vigil organized by the University of Michigan’s Polish Club to express our grief and solidarity with Poland. The vigil will be held at the Regents’ Plaza on the campus of U of M in Ann Arbor at 8:30 PM this coming Monday, April 12.

Regents’ Plaza is located between the Michigan Union and LSA Buildings and behind the Fleming Administration Building, on the corner of Jefferson St. and Maynard St. (It is also the location of a well known Ann Arbor landmark: a large spinning black cube.) Parking is available on the Thompson St. parking lot as well as on the surrounding streets.

Update: see our photo from this event, and the coverage in the Michigan Daily.

The traditional Polish Christmas Mass (Pasterka), sponsored by our chapter, will take place on the 9th of January 2010, at the St. Francis of Assisi Church, in Ann Arbor, 2250 E. Stadium Blvd. The special character of the event will be enhanced by the performance of a Polish choir - the Filarets. The concert of the traditional Polish Christmas Carols - Kolędy - will start at 6:30 pm. The Holy Mass, celebrated both in Polish and English, will begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by the informal dessert reception at the Parish Activity Center.

Our annual “Ognisko” (Bonfire) will take place on Saturday, September 26, 2009 in the Brighton Recreation Area. The festivities will commence at 4 PM. Bring your own food and beverages! Our chapter will provide mulled wine ("grzane wino") and firewood.

• Guest fee: $5. College students and members of PAC Ann Arbor – free. (There is a small park fee for vehicles.)
• When: September 26, 4:00 PM
• Where: Rustic cabin at Frontier 3 site, Brighton Recreation Area, 6360 Chilson Road. Howell, MI 48843 (see map of the park)
• Note to dog owners: park policy has changed since last year and dogs are no longer allowed
• Note to the talented: this year we would like to add a little bit of "artistic expression" to this fine event. If you can sing a song, play an instrument, recite a poem, perform magic tricks, etc, then please consider yourself invited to showcase your talent(s).
• Note to the outdoorsy types: the "rustic cabin" has been reserved from Friday evening till noon on Sunday and you are welcome to stay there, if you are so inclined. There is no additional fee for that perk, but keep in mind that you will need to bring your own sleeping bag and other camping gear. Also, the number of bunk beds in the cabin is limited, so it is first-come, first-serve.

Najbliższa polska msza odbędzie się w sobotę 12-go września o godz 19-tej w dolnej kaplicy u Św. Franciszka.

The event steeped in tradition and fond memories - our annual picnic - will again commence on the banks of the Huron River later this month. It is a great opportunity to meet old friends, make new ones, and to simply relax and have fun.

Sunday, August 23, 2009
Dexter-Huron Metropark
Central Shelter (#2), 2 PM � 6 PM

Cost: free for Chapter members and their families; $6 per person for non-member guests. There is a daily pass of $4 per car required at the park entrance. Our Chapter will provide grilled sausages and hot dogs, bread, condiments, soft drinks and beer, and disposable utensils. Please bring a dish to share (salad, side dish, or desert). For fun and games we are planning to have:

• volleyball court for grown-ups
• cornhole game for kids
• most fanciful hat contest (not only for the ladies!)
• auction of “treasures” (as in: one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Bring items you want to part with � the more whimsical, the better, but no more than 2 items per family, please.)

Members and guests are encouraged to bring their own sport equipment and games, chairs and blankets to sit on.
Note to families with small children: keep in mind that we will be very close to the bank of the river, so extra attention is advised.
Note to dog owners: feel free to bring along friendly dogs that play well with other canines and people. If your pooch is of a nervous disposition we do ask that you leave him/her behind, or at least keep him/her on a leash.
This picnic is also, traditionally, a time to collect membership dues, so do bring your checkbooks.

This year's General Assembly of our Chapter was held on April 24 at the Michigan Union in Ann Arbor. As in past meetings, the officers of the Governing Board presented annual reports: activities report by Michal Olszewski, the Board's President, and financial report by Monika Magiera, the Treasurer. In addition, Anna Bielinska reported on the scholarships awarded this year from the Irena Thiel Scholarship Fund.

The outgoing Board received an "absolutorium" from the assembled Chapter members, and a new Board was voted in, consisting of the following persons:
Vlad (Wlodek) Wielbut - President
Zbyszek Robakiewicz - Vice-President
Sylwia Rejniak - Treasurer
Marcin Walasek - Secretary
Two additional, non-elected positions on the Board will be held by:
Krystyna Bobowski - Senior Advisor
Dorota Ramirez - Community Advisor

It has now become a tradition of the annual meetings to provide intellectual stimulation for the assembled, by inviting a speaker with an interesting story to tell. This year we invited Mr. Davis Jackson, a political science professor at the Ohio State University at Bowling Green. Mr. Jackson shared excerpts from his book "From Classrooms to Bar-rooms", a collection of impressions of Poland he acquired while teaching in Lodz. His presentation received a warm welcome from the audience.

The Pipe Dream Scholarship is available for Polish nationals or persons of Polish parentage studying at the University of Michigan or Eastern Michigan University. In 2009, two scholarships of $2500 each will be awarded.

The application is online at http://scholarships.egrant.net/. This online application is used for several of AAACF’s scholarship funds. Students should be sure to click on “Guidelines” to find specific eligibility criteria and required materials or essays. Applicationhe deadline is May 1, 2009.

Through the great generosity of our long-time member, Ms. Irena Thiel, an education fund is available now to benefit the Polish community in Ann Arbor.
The fund, named “Irena Thiel Educational Fund” is intended for college students from Polish and Polish-American Ann Arbor families. It is envisioned as 3-per-year stipends of $500 towards college tuition/expenses awarded on competitive basis to college students from our community. Stipends will be awarded and the entire process administered by the Fund Committee formed from Ann Arbor Chapter members.
We are pleased to announce that the application form is available now on our website for all interested candidates to apply. More information about the process, deadlines and eligibility is included on the form.

Our chapter received a letter from Mr. Antoni Jankowski, Director of the Polish orphanage in Soleczniki, Lithuania, expressing gratitude for $620 donated by PAC Ann Arbor and our members. (Note: the letter is in Polish.)