In February, the Open Heart Foundation celebrated its 15th anniversary. Its mission is that all those who will be in its care "...might have life and have it more abundantly." (Jn, 10:10).
Two sisters are involved in the Foundation: Alicja Banach rscj and Urszula Głowacka rscj. It is based in Marki, near Warsaw, and its activities are aimed at people who are excluded or at the risk of social exclusion. The Foundation strives to create a place where all its beneficiaries feel welcomed and loved, whether children, adolescents or adults. There are three centers at the Foundation: the Youth Sociotherapeutic Club for young people, the Social Integration Centre (CIS) for the unemployed, and the Person Development Centre (CRO) for people from Ukraine.
The youth club focuses on the development of the whole person, building family bonds and relationships with others. The Foundation offers the help of a psychiatrist, psychological support, individual or family therapy, sociotherapy, art therapy and many workshops to develop a young person, such as music, theatre, photography, etc. For parents of students, family mediation/coaching, parenting skills workshops, support from a pedagogue and a family assistant are offered.
Centers for the unemployed, which are social economy entities, i.e. CIS and CRO, try to bring people back into the community and prepare them to enter the labor market. CIS and CRO offer apprenticeship courses, training, workshops and various forms of support (help from a psychologist, social worker, pedagogue, sociotherapist, career counsellor). These centers activate people professionally and help them find their way on the labor market. The Foundation tries to "give all its pupils a fishing rod, not a fish". It helps you to believe in yourself and get involved in the life of society in general.
The Foundation has been cooperating with many institutions and non-governmental organizations in Marki for fifteen years. The institutions support each other and they have created a local "Little Homeland" together. That is why the fifteen-year anniversary of the Open Heart Foundation was celebrated in the company of representatives of the Town Hall of Marki, NGOs, cultural and aid institutions, as well as friends and employees of the Foundation and mentees, who added splendor to the celebrations by playing a concert.
Urszula Głowacka rscj
Open Heart Foundation, Province of Poland, Marki