Order of the Smile
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Order of the Smile (Polish Order Uśmiechu) is an international award given to adults distinguished in their love, care and aid for children.
Contents |
[edit] History
The idea of the Order of the Smile was established in 1968 by the Polish magazine Kurier Polski, inspired by Wanda Chotomska. In 1979 (announced by the U.N. International Year of the Child) the then-General Secretary of the United Nations, Kurt Waldheim, officially recognized the Order. From then, the Order of the Smile became an international order.
In 1996, in Rabka, the Order of the Smile Museum was established on the grounds of the family park known as "Rabkoland." After the region had been given the official status of the "City of Children from around the World," an initiative was brought forward to open a permanent Polish Santa's Village, which would accept all letters that were addressed to Santa Claus from children across Poland.
In 2003 an International Charter of the Order of the Smile session took place outside its Warsaw headquarters in Świdnica, where the Child Friendship Center was being erected. Świdnica had been officially titled the "Capital of Children's Dreams," and September 21, 2003, was declared Order of the Smile Children's Day.
[edit] The design
The Order of the Smile project was created and developed by a 9-year-old girl from Głuchołazy, Ewa Chrobak. Using a plate as a template, she drew a sun, and added uneven rays of light. The project, one of 45,000 that had been submitted, was chosen by Szymon Kobyliński, who elaborated it into its current form.
[edit] Decorating
The medal - which is a badge representing a smiling sun - is awarded in Poland by the International Chapter of the Order of the Smile, in Warsaw, Poland, where the administration is headquartered in [[Świdnica. All candidates that are chosen by children from around the world are chosen to be Laureates by the Chapter. The knight of the Order of Smile becomes the adult, whose work is exceptional
The Order is awarded twice a year - in the spring and in the fall. These seasons are considered historical, because of the first of spring, and the end of summer. Laureates of the Order of Smile include approx. 850 people from 45 countries. The right to use the title of Knight of the Order of Smile is designated only to those who were decorated at the official ceremony organized by the Chapter.
[edit] The Chapter
Although the majority of the 59 members that are comprise the Chapter are from Polish Decent, it includes representatives from around the world, including; England, Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, France, Israel, Canada, Germany, Russia, Tunisia, Ukraine, USA, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Georgia, Armenia, Japan, Serbia and Montenegro.
At the forefront of the International Chapter of the Order of Smile stands the Chancellor, Marek Michalak, who has been in this position since the 19 January 2007. Previous elected Chancellors include: Ewa Szelburg-Zarembina (from 1968-1976), Radoslaw Ostrowicz (from 1982-1990, and Cezary Leżenski (from 1976-1981, and again from 1992-2006).
On 16 November 1992, the International Chapter of the Order of Smile was officially registered in Poland as an association.
Other Knights and Dames to receive the Order of Smile include: John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, Queen Queen Silvia of Sweden, Sarah Ferguson, Tove Jansson, Dagmar Havlova, Jolanta and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Jacek Kuroń, Astrid Lindgren, Joanne Rowling, Steven Spielberg, Kurt Waldheim, Nelson Mandela, Hilary Koprowski, Otylia Jędrzejczak, Oprah Winfrey and Peter Ustinov.
The youngest Knight to ever receive the Order of Smile was Marek Michalak in 1994, then aged 23. The oldest was Irena Sendlerowa in 2007, aged 97.
[edit] External links
