The Polish Falcons of America () is a nonprofit
fraternal benefit society
A benefit society, fraternal benefit society, or fraternal benefit order is a voluntary association formed to provide mutual aid, benefit, for instance insurance for relief from sundry difficulties. Such organizations may be formally organized with ...
, with a strong emphasis on
physical fitness
Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of Outline of sports, sports, occupations, and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, modera ...
.
History
The
Polish Sokół movement
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
* Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
(''sokół'' meaning "falcon") originated after the suppression of the
Polish uprising of 1863. Its goal was to regenerate the Polish nation through physical fitness. The first "nest" in the United States was founded in 1887 in Chicago by
Felix Pietrowicz. By 1894 there were twelve nests in the country. On May 1 of that year the Alliance of Polish Turners in the United States of America was charted in Chicago as a national organization of the falcon movement in the United States. In 1914 the name was changed to Polish Falcons Alliance of America. The organization adopted its present name on March 30, 1928.
Organization
As stated, the local units of the PFA are called "Nests". There were 160 nests in 1979 and 82 in 2016. Regional structures are called "Districts", which must have at least 500 members. The national convention meets quadrennially.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
has been the headquarters of the group since 1912.
Membership
Membership is open to people of Polish or Slavic descent, or the spouses of same, who are between 16 and 60 years old, of
good moral character
Good moral character is an ideal state of a person's beliefs and values that is considered most beneficial to society.
In United States law, good moral character can be assessed through the requirement of virtuous acts or by principally evaluati ...
, and mentally and physically sound. Social membership without insurance, is also available. In 1978 the Falcons had 26,346 beneficiary members and 2,867 social members. In 1994, there were 30,000 members.
[Axelrod p.198]
See also
*
Turner movement
Footnotes
Further reading
*
Donald E. Pienkos, ''One Hundred Years Young : A History of the Polish Falcons of America, 1887-1987.'' Boulder, CO: Eastern European Monographs, 1988.
External links
Polish Falcons of America Website
Polish-American culture in Pennsylvania
Sokół
Ethnic fraternal orders in the United States
Organizations established in 1887
Polish-American organizations
Poland–United States sports relations
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