Awards

Legion of Honor

Polish Falcons of America, by a resolution adopted at a Special Convention held on Nov. 26-28, 1925 in Detroit, Mich., created a meritorious decoration known as the “Falcon Service Cross.” PFA Members honored with the decoration form the Legion of Honor.

The purpose of the Legion of Honor is the preservation and fostering of the noble ideals, principles, traditions, precepts and customs of the Falcon Order, as defined by its founders and originators. Those PFA Members entitled/qualified for the honor are the deserving men and women, who by their untiring sacrifice, have worked within the Falcons and among Polonia gaining respect and esteem. They have also shown integrity and an unimpeachable character to obtain the finest reputation amongst all Members.

There are three levels of Legion of Honor awards: bronze, silver and gold. A period of five full years of service must pass between awards. To be eligible for a Legion of Honor award, candidates must hold Star of Merit awards at all three levels. These, likewise, have been awarded by National Headquarters upon the recommendation of the Nest, District or National Headquarters.

Beyond the Gold

The Beyond the Gold award program recognizes the continued service and dedication of Gold Legion of Honor Members.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Nominee(s) shall be nominated by their Nest or District.
  2. Member must be in Good Standing (including National Dues) at the time of application.
  3. Member must have received their Gold LOH at least seven years before being nominated for the “Beyond the Gold” awards program.
  4. Member’s involvement within PFA must have continued after receiving their Gold LOH.

Awards Process:

  1. The Nest or District Awards Committee meets to select nominees for the Award.
  2. Each Nest or District can nominate up to two individuals per year.
  3. The Nest or District then votes on the applications.
  4. The approved applications are sent to the First National Vice President to confirm Membership and Award status of the nominees.
  5. The LOH Commandery will then vote to approve the applications.
  6. A simple majority vote is required to approve an application by the Awards Committee, Nest or District, and Commandery.
  7. Nest or District is notified as to the decision of the Commandery.
  8. The Commandery will make the inaugural presentation of awards at the 2024 National Convention. After that, Awards shall be presented as Nests and Districts determine.
  9. After 2024, it will be up to each Nest and District to present the Awards.
  10. The application deadline is March 1, 2024.

After the inaugural presentations in 2024, the Program will continue in 2025 and beyond. Therefore, we recommend that the nomination and approval process be done simultaneously, not throughout the year, as we do current awards.

Star of Merit

Star of Merit awards are presented to those PFA Members who are recommended for recognition by their Nest, District or National Headquarters. There are three levels of Star of Merit awards: bronze, silver and gold. In order to be eligible for the Bronze Star of Merit, a PFA Member must belong at least three years and be active and render services to the Nest or District for the entire three years, and must be at least 19 years of age. After another five years of active service, a Member may then qualify for the Silver Star of Merit. Then, if the Member still continues such activities for another five years, a Gold Star of Merit application may be submitted.

National Dues must be paid at least five years prior to the submission date of an awards application. If one is only 19 and receiving a Bronze Star of Merit, that time frame is two years (because one is not billed for National Dues until 18 years of age).

The Service Star Awards do not need the approval of the District or the Legion of Honor Commandery. Applications are submitted by the Nest or District Awards Committee, then approved by the National Executive Board only. Five years following the presentation of the Gold Star of Merit, a Member is eligible to be nominated to receive the Bronze Legion of Honor award.

Falcon Family Award

The purpose of the Falcon Family Award is to recognize and honor a family who is instrumental in the success of their Nest or District. This can involve holding offices, organizing events, participating in Falcon programs, and contributing to the Good of the Order through work.

There will be three categories for the Program:

  1. A Nest with a building or property
  2. A Nest that does not own a building or property
  3. A District

Prizes are $500 per category.

To be considered for the Award, a Nest or District must submit the names (two or more individuals) in a family and describe their service to their Nest and/or District in 2024.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. One family only (at least two individuals or more who are related).
  2. Pictures of Members working events for the Nest.
  3. Deadline is October 31, 2024 (include events that are planned for November and December).
  4. Activities within the calendar year, 2024, are the only activities to be considered.
  5. If being nominated for both Nest and District activities, there should be two applications – one from the Nest and one from the District (do not combine activities).

Information regarding awards

For more information regarding awards, please contact Patricia Del Busse at 800-535-2071 or by email at vptrish@polishfalcons.org