What is Polanki’s mission?

It’s simple and two-fold:

• Preserve Polish traditions
• Promote Polish heritage

Since our founding in 1953, Polanki has been dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of Polish culture among Milwaukee Poles and non-Poles alike. 

Polanki members actively promote Polish culture by giving talks, workshops and demonstrations to schools and community organizations. For over 70 years the club has prepared the Polish cultural booth at the Holiday Folk Fair. Our members have also been responsible for designing and organizing the exhibits, speakers, artists and demonstrators at the Polish Fest Cultural Village.

 Among our varied activities, Polanki supports public lectures, exhibits and performances in the Milwaukee area. In 2004, Polanki paid for the restoration of a painting of Bishop Piotr Tomicki from the Franciscan monastery in Kraków, which traveled to Milwaukee as part of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s exhibition, “Leonardo da Vinci and the Splendor of Poland.”

The College Achievement Awards competition, recognizing college and university students who have demonstrated superior academic ability, was instituted in 1970.

 Polanki supports efforts to preserve the legacy of Wisconsin’s early Polish settlers. A sizable donation helped to reconstruct the Kruza house, a Polish homestead from Hofa Park, Wisconsin, on the grounds of Old World Wisconsin. Polanki supported the renovation of St. Josaphat Basilica and contributed to the restoration of one of the Basilica’s stained glass window. Polanki also helped to lead a successful fund-raising campaign to restore the Kościuszko Monument in Kościuszko Park, and continues to oversee maintenance of the monument.

In 2000, Polanki endowed the building of a library at the Polish Center of Wisconsin. Polanki members staff and operate the library, which contains a variety of books and audio and visual media in Polish and English. Polanki has also contributed funds for local libraries to purchase Polish-related books and other resource materials.

Polanki regularly supports the efforts of other organizations to promote Polish culture. We have been a major supporter of Polish Fest and the Polish Center of Wisconsin. Polanki has co-sponsored concerts of Polish music by the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra and other groups, as well as dance performance by the Syrena Polish Folk Dance Ensemble and Wildspace Dance Company. 

Polanki’s membership has been growing and we look forward to a bright future as interest in Poland and awareness of its rich cultural tradition increases among Milwaukeeans of all ethnic backgrounds.