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WHEREAS, Pittsburgh's Polish influences are easy to point out and are so essential that they have become nearly synonymous with the identity of our City, from regional food favorites like pierogies and kielbasa, sports hero Bill Mazeroski, star of the Pirates' 1960 World Series win, and the beautiful, well-preserved Polish Roman Catholic churches that dot our landscape; and
WHEREAS, Polish immigrants and their descendents have made their mark on Pittsburgh since the colonial era, through to the Civil War era; and
WHEREAS, the turn of the 20th century saw a great influx of hard-working Polish families arrive to our City to labor in our world-renowned industries, and by 1920, Pittsburgh's Polish population had grown to approximately 200,000, a sizable proportion of the City's population of 588,000 at that time; and
WHEREAS, Pittsburgh has been the national headquarters to the Polish Falcons of America since 1912, which is this year celebrating its 100th Anniversary of claiming our City as its home; and
WHEREAS, the Polish Falcons of America is a non-profit that identifies itself today with the motto "W Zdrowym Ciele Zdrowy Duch," or "A Healthy Spirit in a Healthy Body," and works to "uphold traditional Polish values by promoting financial security, active lifestyles, and social wellbeing through a broad range of insurance services, family-centered sports programs, and social and cultural opportunities"; and
WHEREAS, the Polish Falcons organization was first founded in Poland in 1867 in response to over 120 years of foreign occupation and suppression, with an intent to reinvigorate the Polish national spirit through disciplined physical fitness, and initiated in the United States for the first time in 1887 by Felix Pietrowicz in Chicago, making this year also the organization's 125th Anniversary of claiming our country as its home; and
WHEREAS, the traditional emblem of the Polish Falcons of America, adopted in 1914 in response to the first World War and to years of Polish subjugation, is the falcon with the motto "Czolem Ojczynie; Szponem Wrogowi!," meaning "Hail to the Fatherland; Talons to the Enemy!," and like the eponymous raptor, their members are strong, fearless, and tireless in their efforts to promote physical well-being alongside their Polish heritage as they continue to pass on their Polish music, dance, and culture to their families and around their communities; and
WHEREAS, this year's convention, the Polish Falcons' 40th Quadrennial Convention, is to take place on Thursday, July 19, 2012.
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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh designates Thursday, July 19, 2012 as Polish Falcons of America Day in support and celebration of their effort and advocacy for Polish-American in Pittsburgh and around the nation.