PFA National Convention

Pursuant to Article II, Section 13, of the Polish Falcons of America Constitution and Bylaws (click to download), I hereby issue a call for the convening of the 43rd Quadrennial National Convention of the Polish Falcons of America. The host of the Convention is Polish Falcons Nest 88, New Britain, Conn. The Convention will begin on Friday, July 26, 2024. All sessions will take place at Nest 88, 201 Washington St., New Britain, CT 06051.

In-person registration of Delegates will begin on Thursday, July 25, 2024. The First Session of the National Convention will be called to order on Friday, July 26, 2024, at approximately 9 a.m.

Delegates

The Convention is composed of the National Executive Board, Appointed Officials, Members of the Board of Directors, Executive District Officers, Executive Nest Officers, Benefit Members of the Legion of Honor, and duly-elected Nest Delegates. Each Nest is entitled to one Delegate for every fifty (50) Members, a fraction thereof, and two (2) alternate Delegates, duly-elected by a majority vote on a secret ballot at a special meeting of the Nest held at least 60 days before the opening of the Convention.

A Delegate to the Convention shall be a Benefit Member of the Falcons in good standing who is a citizen of the United States and who is at least 18 years of age, and who shall have been a Member of the Falcons for at least one (1) year prior to the Convention, and who is not an officer, Delegate, representative, agent or employee of any other fraternal benefit organization doing a life insurance business. Each Nest should notify National Headquarters as soon as possible of their Delegate election meeting specifying date, time, and location.

Quorum

A quorum for the Convention shall consist of the duly-elected Delegates of at least one-third (1/3) of the number of Nests in good standing. Therefore, it is incumbent that all Nests send a full complement of the duly-elected Delegates to the Convention.

Czołem,
Timothy Kuzma,
National President

All amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Polish Falcons of America (click to download) are presented for adoption at the Convention by the standing Legal Committee as per Section 137 of the Constitution and Bylaws.

All proposed amendments shall be reviewed by the Legal Committee. Any proposed amendments may be submitted to the Committee in writing, signed and dated by May 1, 2024, and sent to the following address:

Polish Falcons of America
ATTN: Legal Committee
1016 Greentree Road, Suite 201
Pittsburgh, PA 15220

Please include your contact information with the proposals in the event the Committee has to contact you for questions or clarification.

The proposed amendments that will be presented to the Convention shall be printed in advance in the summer issue of the Polish Falcons magazine and on the PFA website.

All of the proposed amendments are presented to the Convention by the standing Legal Committee and shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of all Delegates present and qualified to vote at the Convention. In order to expedite their preparation, amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws should be submitted in writing, preferably typewritten.

The following is a suggested guide for submitting proposed amendments to the Legal Committee:

1. Identify the Section that is being amended by its number and title in the current Constitution and Bylaws.
2. Language and punctuation to be deleted from an existing section shall be overtyped with a succession of hyphens. (For example: SECTION 16—Quorum. A quorum for a Regular or Special Convention shall consist… This proposal is deleting the words “or Special” from the Section.)
3. To delete an entire section, simply state which section is to be deleted. (For example: I propose to delete Section 16—Quorum from the Constitution in its entirety.)
4. New words or sentences added to an existing section shall be underlined or written in bold. (For example: SECTION 42—Expenses of Directors. The National Board of Directors shall receive such expenses… This proposal is adding the words “National Board of ” to the Section.)
5. To replace text, place the new text in bold or underlined before the deleted text which is struck through. (For example: SECTION 16—Quorum. A quorum for a Regular or Special Falcons Meeting Convention shall consist… This proposal is deleting the word “Convention” and replacing it with “Falcons Meeting”.)
6. To add a new section, give the title NEW SECTION before the text of the section.

Election of Commandery Representatives

A meeting of the Polish Falcons of America Legion of Honor Conclave is held at every National Convention. This year, the Conclave will meet on Friday, July 26, 2024 at Nest 307 Southington, Conn. Only those Members with a Legion of Honor Award can attend. In addition to discussing issues related to the Legion of Honor, the purpose of the Conclave is to confirm the election of the Legion of Honor Commandery and to elect a Grand Master and Secretary of the PFA Legion of Honor.

The Commandery is composed of one representative from every District. This representative is chosen by the Legion of Honor Circle of each District. The meeting to select the District’s Commandery representative must be held at least 30 days prior to the National Convention.

After this election, the results are submitted to the National President. The National President submits the names to the Grand Master prior to the National Convention. The Grand Master presents the candidates to the Legion of Honor Conclave for confirmation. The newly-confirmed Commandery representatives are sworn in by the Grand Master during the Conclave.

Following the installation, the Conclave will hold an election for the position of Legion of Honor Grand Master and Secretary of the Commandery. The candidate for each office must be a member of the Commandery. Voting for each office must be done by secret ballot. The candidate must receive a majority of votes to be declared the winner.

Legion Delegates

All Legion of Honor Benefit Members who are in good standing are automatically entitled to be a Delegate to the National Convention. Legion of Honor Benefit Members wishing to be a Delegate must request a Legion of Honor Delegate Credential Form directly from National Headquarters. The deadline for submitting a request is June 15, 2024. The deadline cannot be extended.

Also, a Member who is attending the Convention as a Elected Delegate, Nest Officer, District Officer or National Officer, cannot also attend the Convention as a Legion of Honor Delegate. Requests for the Legion of Honor Delegate Credential Form can be sent to the following address:

Polish Falcons of America
ATTN: First Vice President Patricia Del Busse
1016 Greentree Road, Suite 201
Pittsburgh, PA 15220
Fax: 412-922-5029
Phone: 1-800-535-2071

For questions or more information concerning the Legion of Honor, please call National Headquarters or email First Vice President Patricia Del Busse at vptrish@polishfalcons.org.

Each Delegate to the National Convention shall:

1. Be at least 18 years of age.
2. Be a Benefit Member of the Falcons in good standing for at least one year prior to the Convention.
3. A Member of the Nest he or she is representing for at least twelve months prior to the Convention.
4. A citizen of the United States of America.

A newly organized Nest that has been organized a least ninety (90) days before the Convention has the right to full representation at the Convention.

All individuals who are an officer, Delegate, representative, agent or employee of any other fraternal benefit organization doing a life insurance business cannot be a Delegate to the Polish Falcons of America National Convention.

Nest Representation at the National Convention

Each Nest is entitled to the following representation at the National Convention:

1. One duly-elected Delegate for every 50 Members or a fraction thereof. (Example: If a Nest has 350 Members, this Nest is entitled to seven Delegates. If a Nest has 351 Members, this Nest is entitled to eight Delegates.)
2. Two alternate Delegates who shall take the place of an officially elected Delegate who is unable to attend the Convention.
3. Executive Officers of the Nest. These Officers are: President, Vice President (Female Vice President and Male Vice President in mixed Nests. It is a Nest’s option to elect one or both Vice Presidents.), Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Treasurer and Instructor or Instructress in mixed Nests.
4. Benefit Members of the Polish Falcons Legion of Honor

Nest Delegate Procedures

1. For Elected Delegates, determine a date to hold a special meeting for the election of Delegates to the Convention. This meeting must be held at least 60 days before the opening of the Convention. The Nest should then inform National Headquarters of the date, time and place of the meeting so it can be posted to the PFA website and if timing permits, in the Sokol Polski magazine. Election of Delegates is to be done by secret ballot.
2. For Nest Officer Delegates, there is no election required to be a Delegate to the National Convention. The National Convention Delegate Credential for Nest Officers Form must be completed.
3. For the Elected Delegates and Nest Officer Delegates, a copy of the completed Credential Form must be submitted to National Headquarters not later than June 15, 2024. The original is to be presented to the Credentials Committee by the Delegate at the Convention registration. Incomplete Credential Forms will be returned.

The Nest Officers Form for 2023 must be on file at National Headquarters in order for the Nest Officer Delegate Credentials to be verified and issued.

CLICK HERE for a list of the number of eligible Delegates per Nest.

District Representation at the National Convention

Every District is entitled to the following representation at the National Convention: Executive Officers of the District: President, Female Vice President, Male Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Instructor, or Instructress. (A District has the option of having one or both Vice Presidents.)

District Delegate Procedures

For District Officer Delegates, there is no election required to be a Delegate to the National Convention. The Delegate Credential for District Officers form must be completed. Incomplete Credential forms will be returned. Also, the District Officers form for 2023-2025 must be on file at National Headquarters in order for District Officer Delegate Credentials to be verified and issued.

A copy of the completed Credential form must be submitted to National Headquarters not later than June 15, 2024. The original is to be presented to the Credentials Committee by the Delegate at the Convention registration.

Prior to completing the 2024 Delegate Credential Form, please note the following…

1. The 2024 Delegate Credential Form must be postmarked and/or received by National Headquarters not later than June 15, 2024. It is preferred that completed forms be emailed to pcapozoli@polishfalcons.org. If necessary, completed forms may be mailed to Polish Falcons of America, Attn. Convention Delegate, 1016 Greentree Rd., Suite 201, Pittsburgh, PA 15220.
2. For registration purposes, Convention information, and updates, an email address MUST be provided for each Delegate.
3. Prior Delegate Credential Forms are no longer valid and will not be accepted.
4. In addition to the completion of the 2024 Delegate Credential Form, ALL Delegates must be registered before the Convention by completing the online registration form HERE and paying the $50 registration fee. This registration must be completed by each Delegate individually.
5. If you have any questions regarding the Delegate Credential Form or online registration form, please contact National Headquarters at 800-535-2071 or by email at info@polishfalcons.org.

Delegate Credential Forms:

Click below to download.

• Legion of Honor
• District Officer
• Nest Officer
• Elected Delegate

Tentative. Subject to change.

Thursday, July 25

3-5 p.m. – Registration Opens at the Hotel (Room TBA)
6-8 p.m. – Registration Continues at Nest 519, Middletown, Conn.
6 p.m. – Fraternal Night at Nest 519

Friday, July 26

7-9 a.m. – Registration Continues at Nest 88, New Britain, Conn.
7:30-8:30 a.m. – Continental Breakfast for Delegates at Nest 88
9 a.m. – Convention Convenes
Noon–1:30 p.m. – Falconette Commission Luncheon
1:30-5:30 p.m. – Convention Continues
7:30 p.m. – Legion of Honor Conclave and Fraternal Night at Nest 307, Southington, Conn.

Saturday, July 27

7-8:30 a.m. – Registration Continues at Nest 88
7-8 a.m. – Continental Breakfast for Delegates at Nest 88
8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Convention Continues to Adjournment
1 p.m. – Delegates on own for Lunch
4 p.m. – Mass at Sacred Heart
5:30 p.m. – Convention Banquet at Nest 88 (Dinner served at 6:30 p.m.)

Fairfield by Marriott Plainville

Address: 400 New Britain Ave., Plainville, CT 06062
Phone: 860-747-1188
Group Name: Polish Falcons
Group Rate: $134/night
Rooms Available: Wednesday, July 24 – Sunday, July 28
Deadline for Reservations: Friday, July 5, 2024

CLICK HERE to reserve online.