Sr. Michaela Rak wins the contest ‘The Pole of 2014’

The winner of the 17th edition of the contest carried by ‘Kurier Wileński’ (‘The Courier of Vilnius’) is Sr. Michaela Rak, the founder of the Bl. Michał Sopoćko Hospice in Vilnius. The readers of this newspaper send totally 7 832 coupons. Sr. Michaela Rak received 1 759 votes. Among  this year laureates, there is Walenty Wojniłło, the editior of Wilnoteka.

The contest held by ‘Kurier Wileński’ rewards people who are committed to Polish issues in Lithuania. The procedure of the contest is similar every year: at first, the readers proposes candidates, after that the Award Committee, which includes the laureates of the previous editions, and the representatives of editorial board, choses top ten candidates, who deserve the Award in the largest extent.  The ultimate decision, who will win, is taken by the readers of ‘Kurier Wileński’ who send the coupons cut from the newspaper and fill them with the name of their favourite candidate.

The 17th edition of the contest received much less interest than the previous ones. In 2012, 10 008 people sent their votes, in 2013 – 28 218, including 13 439 votes for the winner, Maria Rekść, the mayor of the Vilnius region. In this edition of the award, only 7 832 people voted for their favourite candidates.

Votes were counted by the laureates of the previous editions: Anna Adamowicz, an organizer of cultural activities and a lecturer of the Vilnius School of Technologies, Business and Agriculture in Baltoji Voke (in Polish: Biała Waka, the city in the Vilnius region); Antoni Jankowski, the president of the Polish University of the Third Age in Šalčininkai (in Polish: Soleczniki); Zdzisław Palewicz, the mayor of the Šalčininkai region; Maria Rekść, the mayor of the Vilnius region; Edward Trusewicz, the secretary of the Association of Poles in Lithuania, the former Minister of Culture in the Repulic of Lithuania; and Wacław Wołodkowicz, the prelate priest, the parson of St. Peter the Apostle parish in Šalčininkai. The representatives of ‘Kurier Wileński’ editorial borad were Robert Mickiewicz, the editor-in-chief, and Andrzej Podworski, the commercial director.

The list below presents this year laureates of the contest ‘The Pole of 2014’:

1. Michaela Rak, the founder of the Bl. Michał Sopoćko Hospice in Vilnius – 1 759 votes
2. Rita Tamašunienė, the leader of the fraction of Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania in the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania – 1 318 votes
3. Alfreda Jankowska, the headmaster of Józef Obremski High School in Maišiagala (in Polish: Mejszagoła) – 1 097 votes
4. Adam Błaszkiewicz, the headmaster of John Paul II High School in Vilnius – 961 votes
5. The priest Rusłan Wilkiel, the dean, the parson of Finding Holy Cross parish in Vilnius Calvary – 913 votes
6. Walenty Wojniłło, the editor of the portal Wilnoteka.lt – 806 votes
7. Bolesław Daszkiewicz, the former long-standing director of the Šalčininkai region authorities administration – 457 votes
8. Alicja Klimaszewska, the president of the Care of Old Rasos Cemetery Social Committee – 270 votes
9. Ryszard Jankowski, the president of the branch of Association of Poles in Wędziagoła ( the Kaunas region) – 159 votes
10. Professor Jarosław Włkonowski, the dean of the Faculty of Economy-Informatics in the Vilnius branch of the University of Białystok – 92 votes

The official gala with the most popular Poles in Lithuania in 2014 will be held on the 1st of February at 4 PM (16:00) in the House of Polish Culture in Vilnius.