The winners were announced on Tuesday during a gala at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Organized for 20 years by the Friends of Integration Association, the competition aims to showcase individuals with disabilities whose commitment and social attitudes inspire others to overcome their own barriers.
A life of overcoming challenges
Piotr Pogon, a professional fundraiser, has raised approximately PLN 28 million (USD 6.9 million) over the years for those in need. He has collaborated with Anna Dymna's "Against the Odds" Foundation and Jan Mela's "Beyond Horizons" Foundation. In 2017, he established his own foundation, "Drabina" ("Ladder"). Despite battling cancer multiple times, Pogon has climbed four of the Seven Summits, completed marathons on four continents, and integrated his adventures with charitable fundraising.
"Thank you for appreciating my journey, 20,865 days of my life. I have over 100 stitches on my body, I'm missing half a throat, a lung, a thyroid. All my doctors have died, yet I wake up every morning and infect people with love for life," Pogon said upon receiving the award.
Julia Kaźmierczak received both the "Young Person Without Barriers" title and the Public Award. Balancing her final year of high school at the Warsaw School and Educational Center for the Deaf with sports and social activities, she has won over 100 medals in various disciplines. Since 2022, she has been a member of the national women's basketball team for the deaf.
Other honorees
The title of "Senior Without Barriers" was awarded to Stanisław Schubert, a former mountain guide and tour leader. After a car accident in 1994 left him with significant visual and mobility impairments, he dedicated himself to supporting people with disabilities.
In the "Internet Personality" category, deaf painter and sculptor Przemysław Kozłowski was honored, celebrating 25 years of artistic work this year.
Special distinctions were given to Łukasz Baruch, a blind singer, social activist, and entrepreneur, and to Irena Wojtanowska, who, despite a congenital disability, created a home and foster family for two children.
Message from the First Lady
Poland's First Lady, Agata Kornhauser-Duda, patron of the competition, sent a message to the gala participants. "The 'Person Without Barriers' competition has so far honored nearly 120 people with disabilities, and each subsequent edition attracts more extraordinary individuals for whom nothing is impossible to achieve. They impress us with their determination, resilience in the face of adversity, and perseverance in pursuing their chosen goals," she wrote.
(jh)
Source: PAP