Rehabilitation center for 60 disabled in Poland

Pay the goodness forward

For nearly 20 years, Dr. Piotr Janaszek's PAY IT FORWARD Foundation in Konin has been changing the lives of people with disabilities. It's about taking people on a unique journey in which, despite various limitations, they try to live a normal, full life. Assistants, therapists, volunteers and many others convince over 250 people every day that life can always be exciting, interesting and have a unique flavor! That is why the Foundation conducts:

- The Academy of Life, where disabled people learn independence in Training Apartments and autonomy in everyday life. It turns out that an independent trip of a person with a disability from home for a few months can work wonders! Because, if you want - you can!

- rehabilitation and preparation for independent living for people after accidents who learn to live in a new reality

- sports activities with professionals during which disabled people build motivation and willingness to fight for themselves

- artistic workshops for people with disabilities to develop their artistic talents and ability to find one's place in a group

- project "Spread Your Wings", thanks to which the Foundation's beneficiaries conquer the sky and fly a specially constructed wheelchair

- and many other projects thanks to which disabled people overcome their weaknesses and learn to live a full life. One of them is the unique project "The Gene of Independence". As part of this project, a film was created in which several people with various disabilities talk about their amazing, often difficult way of overcoming their weaknesses, themselves, and hard work self-reliance and independence. It is a beautiful, wise, mature and touching story about freedom. dreams, love and miracles that happen every day. In upcoming months we will present you the stories of every participant of this project.

The PAY IT FORWARD Foundation was established in 2004 in tribute and in accordance with the ideas of the Doctor Piotr Janaszek, a well-known social activist and doctor who has been implementing innovative solutions in the 1970s rehabilitation. He died tragically and prematurely in 1998, leaving many unfulfilled work plans that are now being implemented with great success by his daughters: Zuzanna and Olga. To pay tribute to Doctor Piotr Janaszek a beautiful film: "Doktor Piotr" was made. It takes us back in time to 1980s and 1990s and shows the absurdities of the Polish People's Republic and the contemporary reality regarding people with disabilities. This is a portrait of Dr. Piotr Janaszek, a doctor who had vocation, vision and persistence to turn this vision and dreams into reality. The film is illustrated with archival materials that, like a time machine, transport the viewer to another era. Fragments of the diary which the Doctor kept, enriches the documentary and makes it not a film about the Doctor, but he himself kind of co-creates it. Doctor Piotr's great dream was to build such a place for the disabled, in... where all those who want to be independent and self-reliant will find their place on Earth. This is why we as a Foundation have taken on a huge and crazy challenge and are creating a new rehabilitation center near Konin - Osada Janaszkowo, where we already conduct rehabilitation and classes for children, and ultimately we want to create independent apartments for people with disabilities.

- We are opening new opportunities for families of disabled people. We are building a world without barriers presenting the issue of disability during classes with children and young people. We develop ideas of volunteering. We share specialist knowledge with people who work with disabled people. We heal with a smile, following the example of our Patron. In a word, we love to help, says Zuzanna Janaszek-Maciaszek, president of the PAY IT FORWARD Foundation.

 The Foundation likes to share and always spreads goodness. That is why we have also been supporting disabled refugees from Ukraine and their families since the outbreak of the war . Nearly 100 people benefited from the Foundation's help. The Foundation helped a lot of Ukrainians to escape from the bombed areas. Some of them came back home already, some went to other countries, and 35 people, including eight children, a dog and a cat, are still under the care of PAY IT FORWARD Foundation. For over a year, the Foundation rented apartments to refugees from Ukraine, adapted them for disabled people, took great care of them, provided them with medical treatment, food, a nurse, a doctor, and free transport to... rehabilitation, Polish language courses, assistance in dealing with official matters and support in finding a job, school, kindergarten and much more. The foundation participated in the purchase of wheelchairs and specialized equipment for Ukrainian disabled people. For those who returned to Ukraine and the families of those in their care, who stayed there during the war, the foundation sent food parcels. The Foundation also supports Ukrainian residents and soldiers in Baranivka by systematically purchasing medicines and dressing materials. The main idea of the Foundation is to PAY THE GOODNESS FORWARD, and this is what is happening every single day!