Daley Receives POLAND ’s Commander Cross
of the Order of Merit Award
Mayor Richard M. Daley on Tuesday, Sept. 25th the Commander Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland from President Lech Kaczynski of Poland .
This award is given to foreign citizens and Polish nationals living abroad for extraordinary efforts and achievements in the field of international cooperation and cooperation with Poland .
“I accept this award with gratitude, but also as a pledge to continue in my efforts to promote the cultural ties and solidarity between Poland and the United States – and the Polish-American Community and the City of Chicago,” said Mayor Daley during an award ceremony at City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St. “I am always proud to say that Chicago is considered one of the largest Polish cities in the world, because hundreds of thousands of Polish people have made this their home.”
Chicago has a long history with Poland dating back to the 1850s when Polish immigrants started settling in the City. In 1960 the Mayor’s father, Richard J. Daley, signed Chicago ’s first Sister City agreement with Warsaw during his fifth year in office as mayor. Today Chicago has 27 Sister City relationships.
“I truly believe the Chicago ’s relationship with Poland is a true celebration of culture, community, family, faith and democracy,” said Mayor Daley. “And it’s important that we continue to educate our children about the history of their ancestors in Poland and the history of their ancestors here in Chicago , because Polish-Americans have always had a prominent role in making Chicago the global city that it is today.”
The Mayor thanked President Kaczynski and said he looked forward to continuing to work together to help both Chicago and Poland grow and prosper in the 21st century.
The Mayor said he wanted to share the award with all the members of the Chicago ’s Polish-American community for all the positive contributions they have made to the city.
Chicago is the largest Polish city in the world, outside of Warsaw
