Smiles on wings

A heart for a smile
KIWANIS SMILES
which means
A SMILE FOR A CHILD

In 2007, Marek Wysoczyński, Director of the Culture Promotion Office and creator of the "Smile" Project, asked me, as a representative of the International Charity Organization KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL, to draw a smile and with the proposal for the cooperation in the activities for children.
At that time I had already heard that someone had been collecting smiles for children in hospitals and knowing that his different actions were aimed at the good of the children I felt immediately that it was a good thing, a good deed.

was convinced even more when I looked at the Culture Promotion Office’s website www.promocjakultury.pl and I saw that the activities had been going on since 2002, and what is most important that this is the author’s project of Marek Wysoczyński. The only project in the world connecting the philosophy of smile, the philosophy of sharing something what everyone has, which is a smile that is the philosophy and archiving traces of human existence.
I realized very soon that the activities of Kiwanis in Poland (and that was the period of preparation for me to take the function of the District Governor of Kiwanis Poland) and Marek Wysoczyński`s activities may result in something great.
My woman's intuition and interviews with members of Kiwanis in Poland led to an unusual interaction.
And in addition to all this : everything is a coincidence and nothing happens without the case ....when Marek came to our first meeting, he of course, surprised and still surprises me and all members of Kiwanis with HIS SMILE. In addition to drawing a smile with angels` wings I offered him our cooperation.

After meeting Mark Wysoczyński each child and each adult becomes immediately the Ambassador of the "Smile".
But KIWANIS in Gdansk was also able to make a surprise because for the 40th European Federation Convention which took place in Poland in 2007 we had produced a poster with a doll and a pencil KIWANIS EUROPE, with a magic pencil that draws a smile on a child’s face..
Jacek Sobocinski`s concept to organize a contest among students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk had resulted in great posters.
We also had the pencils made and these pencils are distributed to children in hospitals by KIWANIS.
This poster now goes with smiles to every exhibition and each action of drawing smiles with the project "Smile".

Our first joint event was producing the Catalog of the "Smile", entirely on the principles of charity.
KIWANIS added pencils and special sheets of paper - and thanks to firms Cezex, Normed Printing Company, Grotin and Multimedia Productions, we managed to present this catalog on the 25th of April 2008, first in the Museum of Sopot, and then of course in the Provincial Hospital in Gdansk ( Szpital Wojewódzki) - where thanks to the KIWANIS representatives and Marek Wysoczyński, the Ambassador of the Project Smile, an actress, singer and performer, Lidia Stanisławska ,drew smiles with the ill children.

n the catalog, you can see the smiles drawn by the great, famous and mighty of this world but also Marek`s smile and the smile which is carried on the wings of hope drawn by the author of this article.....
In the same year, KI Club Puławy with the Project Commissioner, Beata Santarek, and under the auspices of the Kiwanis District Poland, prepared a beautiful and wise event for young people from all over Polish: Biennial for artistically gifted ones..
The open-air painting workshops brought together representatives of international artists from different parts of the world (including the members of Kiwanis) and young talents, students of art schools.
We collected money for scholarships for future masters of Art but also drew smiles together.
For KIWANIS the project "Smile" is inevitably linked with the activities of our organization and Marek Wysoczyński with his smile, with his sharing his smile and, above all, those smiles, which he has been collecting from the great of this world and the children of the world.
He collects smiles himself and others for him, all the members of KIWANIS and specially the Governor of the Polish District .....
I managed to get the smile of the minister Marek Michalak, the Spokesman of the Children’s Rights for this project.

KIWANIS, fully respecting the copyright of Marek Wysoczyński to collect, draw and show his collection, offered him cooperation in order to improve the mood and humour of children in hospitals and for the promotion of good activities.
Of course, the majority of KIWANIS activities are set to collect the money either for treatment, food, clothes or to help the artistically talented young people.
But after discussions within KIWANIS POLAND we agreed that in the best of our abilities, we will support and cooperate with the Culture Promotion Office within the framework of the "Smile" project because for the smile we cannot buy the syringe , but if a patient has a smile on his face then only half a tablet is needed.
Marek Wysoczyński at the invitation of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Skopje organized an exhibition of smiles at the National Philharmonic and, above all, at children affected by years of war in the Balkans.
A very sick girl told Mark that it was the greatest happiness for her to draw a smile that she had yet managed to do something good for other children in her life ... Since then Marek has been taking her smile to all his exhibitions.

http://www.zavodbansko.com.mk/dosegasni_eng.html

The Project "Smile" by Marek Wysoczyński has become a part of the of KIWANIS POLAND District , which we want to continue in the future, but it was also noticed by KIWANIS in Europe

http://www.kiwanis.eu/download/kieflash/KiEflash_200904_NL.pdf

and in the world during the presentations of Polish KIWANIS District and clubs on 06.04.2009 at the meeting in Gdansk Baltic Opera with the Kiwanis International President , Don Canaday, and European Federation President, Daniel Vigneron. After the presentation a heart was waiting for Marek Wysoczyński for his smile.

The founder of the "Smile" was awarded a pin "KIWANIS HEART by the U.S. Army General, Donald Canaday. The Heart is awarded for KIWANIS activists and those who work for the same good ideas, which enlighten all KIWANIS members around the world.
KIWANIS plan is to show the smiles in all children's hospitals - everybody who says that it is impossible we answer that a smile wins all the problems because, in fact, we are all in this world to feel good - we, that is, those who have already drawn smiles those who will do it in future and those who will see them.
Because the unusual uniqness of the Project Smile is that it combines good deeds with preventing this moment for the future.
Apart from the joy to all who need an impulse to smile - a smile drawn by the Jordanian Queen is such an example - this smile is also a historical document.
Therefore Marek Wysoczyński`s dream is to create a unique place in the world where you can see the smile of the Patriarch of Constantinople or a smile of a child from Laos.
Let's hope that people who can help Marek in Poland will wake up because knowing America we can expect someone may call him from New York or California and his collection growing every day will smile at Poland from far away.
But the most important is to improve the mood by a smile - so I smile to all who have read this article on behalf of Mark Wysoczyński - because I am a friend of the project but the founder and a continuator of the Project "Smile" is this positive twisted man because only such people can improve the world.
And this is the KIWANIS goal.

Mira Harman
Governor 2008-2009