These words by Janusz Korczak may serve as confirmation of the results of the work carried out by the employees of the Municipal Cultural and Sports Centre in Kruszyn.
When the community centre’s renovation was completed, many thought it would share the fate of those cultural facilities which, closed up tight, wait for their big day. In Kruszyn, that did not happen.
The community centre serves everyone who wants and knows how to use it. Art classes are held here; people can play chess or improve their table-tennis skills. Municipal council sessions, meetings with interesting people and even performances by professional theatre companies are also held here. Two children’s groups, established through good cooperation with the Primary School in Kruszyn, also rehearse here and present their work.
The first is the “Bajka” Children’s Amateur Theatre. The performance prepared by this theatre, entitled “About a Terrible Dragon, a Brave Little Shoemaker, a Beautiful Princess and King Gwoździek”, successfully passed the regional auditions and qualified for the National Review of Amateur Theatres in Legnica.
The second children’s group is “Wesołe nuty”. Its repertoire consists of parodies of various stage performances by Polish and foreign performers. At present, “Wesołe nuty” are preparing for the auditions for the Mini Hit List organised by the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre.
Returning to the community centre: all the larger school and community events are held here, and recently an amateur cabaret began operating, rehearsing under the direction of the cultural affairs instructor.
When writing about Kruszyn’s cultural activity, it is impossible not to mention the assistance provided to the children and teachers of the local school by the Municipal Public Library in Kruszyn.
Library lessons prepared by the library, attended by children from all the school’s classes, have become part of the tradition.
The organisers of classes and cultural events in Kruszyn have not only achievements but also numerous problems. The most troublesome one—as everywhere today—is the lack of sufficient funds to carry out all their plans. Valuable ideas sometimes have to wait months to be implemented. In such cases, the lack of funds is offset by community involvement, parents’ help or the goodwill of sponsors. This was also the case with the “Uśmiech Dziecka” (“A Child’s Smile”) Summer Action held at the Recreation Centre in Parkoszów (“Falklands”); more than 300 children benefited from the summer programme, with substantial assistance from the Bolesławiec Municipal Office and Military Unit 4355.
Still remembered by the children as a wonderful summer adventure, the “Uśmiech Dziecka” (“A Child’s Smile”) action is yet another example that, with good intentions, even at relatively little cost, one can accomplish a great deal.