Ohio - Photo Gallery of Past Events

Fourth Annual Awards Banquet and Fundraiser

Saturday, March 5, 2011, at 6:00pm

View Event Photos

The Ohio Chapter of The Kosciuszko Foundation cordially invites you to attend the

Fourth Annual Awards Banquet and Fundraiser

 

in honor and recognition of:

 

Kosciuszko Foundation Scholarship and Grant Recipients

Special Honoree, Mr. George Sobieraj

Summer 2010 Arts Enriched English Camp Ohio Volunteer Teachers and Teaching Assistants

Joseph J. Divis Grant Recipients

 Beata Brouard, Ohio recipient of the 2010 Tomaszkiewicz-Florio Scholarship

 

To be held Saturday, March 5, 2010

 

Polish-American John Paul II Cultural Center

6501 Lansing Avenue

Cleveland, Ohio 44105

 

Cash Bar Opens at 6:00 pm.

Seating for Authentic Polish Dinner Begins at 6:30 pm.

The evening will also include:

Richard A. Klimek, A Night With Thaddeus Kosciuszko

Basket Raffle to benefit the Arts Enriched English Camp and cover the cost of shipping supplies to Poland.

 

GEORGE B. SOBIERAJ

George is a graduate of the University of Dayton with a major in Business Management.  He has quite a diverse background as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist and has served and is serving as a director on numerous boards.  He is currently a partner in D.C.S. & S. Limited; Glencrest Properties, Ltd.; Magnum Commercial Realty; Prestan Products, LLC; Teal Investments LLC; Western Reserve of Brecksville LLC; and Woodhaven Partners, LLC.  His first love, however, is Rubber City Machinery Corp. which he founded in 1980.  Rubber City Machinery is located in Akron, Ohio and is a leader in rubber processing machinery throughout the world.  George's interest in the rubber industry has led him down many paths.  He is a member of the Equipment Appraisal Association of North America, the Machinery Dealers' National Association and the Rubber Manufacturers' Association.  George is currently the only certified appraiser of rubber machinery in the United States and his reputation in the industry has incited the directors of The History Channel to seek him out and send a crew of filmmakers to his plant in Akron to interview him for an appearance on their Modern Marvels Program for a show entitled "Rubber".  George has been interviewed for articles in various publications including "Rubber and Plastic News" on several occasions as well as appearing as guest speaker for various organizations.  He has also been involved with various civic organizations over the years including serving as president of the Seven Hills Jaycees.  George is a charter member of the Case Western Reserve University Advisory Council for Macular Degeneration Research and is a member of Marymount Hospital's Community Action Board.

 

George's other love is the Polish community.  Born in the St. Hyacinth area, he is very proud of his Polish heritage and as anyone who knows George is aware; George is always there ready to do whatever it takes to promote Polonia in the community.  Several years ago he negotiated with the Cleveland Indians to have a Polish Night at the stadium.  Since then, this has been an annual event which commences with a pre-game infield parade and a ceremonial first pitch.  The record of ticket sales for this event was in 2007 when 1,000 tickets were sold by the Polish organizations.  When the International Children's Games and Cultural Festival were held in Cleveland, besides chauffeuring the Polish dignitaries around Cleveland, George supplied Cleveland Indians baseball caps to all of the athletes from Poland as a remembrance of the event.  George also organizes an annual "Polish Open" golf tournament which has become quite popular over the years.  When asked what he considers a major accomplishment, George is quick to respond that he considers his efforts to have the war memorial bearing the names of two of his uncles, as well as other veterans, removed from the closed St. Hyacinth Church grounds to Calvary Cemetery to be among those accomplishments most dear to his heart.  In 2009, George received the Polish Heritage Award from the Polonia Foundation of which he is a Knight of Pulaski.  Currently George is proud to serve as Vice-President of the Polish American Cultural Center, on the board of trustees of the Polonia Foundation, on the finance committee of St. John Cantius Church and on the board of trustees of the Cleveland Society of Poles of which he is past president.  He is a member of the local chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Union of Poles in America-PNA of which he is President of Group 33, a position held by his grandfather, George A. Sobieraj, for many years.

 

George resides in Granger Township in Medina County with his wife, Karen.  His four children and eight grandchildren all live in the area.  In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, golfing, experimenting in the kitchen (he really is a good cook) and spending time with his family. 

 

Richard Klimek

 

Richard Klimek has been portraying General Thaddeus Kosciuszko. For each of those years, he has participated in the Kosciuszko Day Observance which takes place the first weekend of February at the General Thaddeus Kosciusko House, 3rd & Pine Streets in Philadelphia. The annual event is sponsored by the Polish American Congress, Eastern Pennsylvania District and the Kosciuszko House is a national memorial owned and operated by the National Park Service. Richard has participated in special tributes to General Kosciuszko at the Kosciuszko House in Philadelphia, and at the Kosciuszko Day Observance in Washington, DC. He has visited countless classrooms in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, sharing the General's life and accomplishments with students from the pre-school to collegiate levels. Richard has also participated at many private functions for various groups, individuals and organizations throughout the Philadelphia area. 

 

When he is not portraying the good General, Richard is a social worker for Polish American Social Services in Philadelphia. He also is a volunteer at the Polish American Cultural Center in Philadelphia and a long time member of the Polish Intercollegiate Club's PKM Polish Folk Dance Ensemble. Richard is a member of the Polish American Congress and the Kosciuszko Foundation

 

Event Photo Gallery


 

<< Return to Past Events