Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

POLK COUNTY–Three Polk County teachers, and retired teacher Jacqueline Brown-Williams, have been selected by the nonprofit organization, The Eagle-Orzeł Educational and Cultural Exchange, Inc. to teach this summer in Zalewcze-Wielki, Poland. 

Rachael Karpinski (PCMS), Kendal Stoney (TES), Kelly Welch (TES) will work with Brown-Williams who will be the American Staff Leader at an English Language and American Culture summer camp program in July.  

This is a volunteer program, in which the American staff pays their way to Poland and stays with the students and Polish staff in an overnight camp.

The Eagle-Orzeł Educational and Cultural Exchange, Inc. has been organized to create and facilitate educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Poland. Orzel is the Polish word for Eagle, which both countries use as their national symbol.

Brown-Williams, a founding member of Eagle-Orzel in 2019 has worked with other Polish-American organizations for almost 20 years. She has participated as a staff member and American Staff Leader for 20 years in 7 different locations throughout Poland, doing so virtually during  COVID. She also serves on the Eagle-Orzel Board of Directors.

This summer there will be four camps in four regions of Poland. The Polk County teachers will be hosted by Nadwarciański Gród ZHP- Załęcze Wielkie, a scout camp situated on the premises of the Załęczańskiego Parku Krajobrzaowego and near the Warta River. Załęcze Wielkie is in the southwest part of Poland near the city of Wieluń. 

For the second summer, Eagle-Orzel camps will sponsor Ukrainian children to these camps. Although the Polish students pay a small tuition, the Ukrainian refugees are sponsored by individuals and by Eagle-Orzel through contributions.  

Brown-Williams has stated that they will have approximately 90 students at the camp with about 20-25 students from the Ukraine. Students will participate in daily English and American Culture classes in the mornings, with outdoor adventures and American themed activities (4th of July, Halloween, St. Valentine’s Day, etc.) in the afternoons and evenings.  

Financial support and donations of games, art supplies, candy, Americana gifts, etc. are greatly needed and appreciated. For more information or to make a contribution please contact Jacqueline Brown-Williams at jacque.greyhavenfarm@gmail.com 

 

Submitted by Jacqueline Brown-Williams