The Helena Kmieć Foundation was established with the support of the Polish Salvatorian Province, Helena’s family, friends and all people of good will who wish to continue Helena’s work through material support and prayer.

Using missionary experience, following the charism and attitudes of Helena Kmieć, we inspire people to become involved in supporting others. We educate, teach and help by running scholarship programs around the world and charitable projects throughout Poland.

Through educational projects, exhibitions, workshops, testimonies, publishing activities, we teach to help and raise an attitude of volunteerism by cooperating with volunteer and missionary organizations.

  • We support 60 children benefiting from the grant programme of the foundation which is oriented at the poorest children from Zambia, Mexico, Bolivia and Tanzania.
  • We run a nationwide educational project “Share your good” in which approx. 800 children
    from Polish schools have taken part to date (4 rounds so far),
  • We keep the memory of late Helena Kmieć alive by organising educational activities like workshops, meetings, talks and testimonies.
  • We publish materials on Helena, including CDs – “Helena. Muzyczna biografia”, books for children “Podróż po miłość, czyli niezwykłe życie Helenki Kmieć” and numerous leaflets and brochures about her life.
  • We make recordings for the round of meetings and talks about late Helena Kmieć entitled ”Kawa z Helen”,
  • We made an open-air exhibition dedicated to Helena entitled “She lived a beautiful life, she showed us it can be done”, with which every week we reach people in various places across Poland.

What we do?

You can be a part of foundation’s projects!
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Bank transfer details

Fundacja im. Heleny Kmieć
ul. B. Głowackiego 3, 32-540 Trzebinia

ING Bank Śląski
SWIFT: INGBPLPW
PLN 03 1050 1100 1000 0090 8023 900
EUR 78 1050 1100 1000 0090 8023 9016
USD 62 1050 1100 1000 0090 8039 3243

Helena Kmieć

Helena Agnieszka Kmieć was born on February 9th 1991 in Cracow. She grew up in Libiąż. In 1998, she began her education at the primary school run by the Catholic Educators Association in Libiąż. She also attended the middle school and secondary school there, but having completed the first year of secondary school, she left for Great Britain to embark on a two-year scholarship at Leweston School in Sherborne. After graduating in 2009, in October she began her studies at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology of the Silesian University of Technology, with classes conducted in English. Having received the MSc degree in 2014, she started working in a completely different branch and became an airline stewardess. 

In her school days, she achieved many artistic successes. She successfully took part in numerous recitation contests. However, her stage performances did not end with school. Already as a student, she began attending the solo singing class of Joanna Wojnowska at the 1st and 2nd degree State Music School in Gliwice.

During the four years of musical education, she performed on stage on numerous occasions, such as concerts and shows, the most important of which was her diploma recital that crowned her education at the school. Singing was always present in her life, she was a permanent member of the Campus Ministry Choir in Gliwice and got involved in other projects.

Her life was filled with dreams and goals. One of the ideals she pursued was readiness to help. She described herself as a person with itchy feet and was always happy to engage in various activities and fields. Apart from singing and music, she led an active life: hiked in the mountains, cycled, and recently tried her hand at climbing.  

She was eager to help and create something for others, therefore she helped children in learning at a Caritas day room and was involved in the activities of the Catholic Academic Association in Gliwice. 

In 2012, she found her place in the Salvator Missionary Volunteering group, associated with the Salvatorian Society. As a member of the group, she was twice sent for a two-week trip: first to Galgahévíz, Hungary, and second to Timisoara, Romania, where she ran day camps for children at Salvatorian parishes together with a few other people.

In 2013, she went on a two-month mission to Zambia, where she worked with  street children, teaching them to read and write, teaching English and mathematics, and helping them in everyday life at the Salvation Home in the capital of Zambia, Lusaka, and the Kulanga Bana Farm in Chamulimba, located around 70km away. 

On January 8th 2017, she started her service at the missionary outpost led by Servant Sisters of Dębica in Cochabamba, central Bolivia. On January 24th, in the early hours of Polish time (CET), the day care centre for children, where Helena stayed with another volunteer, Anita Szuwald, was robbed. During the incident, the attacker stabbed Helena, who died despite efforts to save her. 

The late Helena Kmieć had broad interests and many talents. She enjoyed a large group of close friends and countless acquaintances. Many people continue to regard her as a model to follow, as inspiration for doing good and an example of how to fully trust in God. 

The preparatory phase for the beatification process of Helena Kmieć began in December 2022. By the decree of Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, the postulator of this process was appointed in the person of Fr. Pawel Wróbel SDS.

Prayer

Merciful God!

Thank you for your mercy and for the kingdom of heaven which has come near to us. Remembering the beautiful life of Helen, please grant us the grace of following her example so that we will not stop making an effort of following Christ in dignified way.

Lord, accept our prayers. We humbly ask you to give a place in heaven, blessed peace and splendor of your light to Helen your servant, who fell asleep in hope of your resurrection.

We also humbly stand before you, as we ask to fill our hearts with life-giving hope. May it be a consolation and allow us to undertake the earthly pilgrimage every day.

Lord, we are waiting faithfully for the day you will raise all the dead, so that we, together with Helen and all those who loved you, may stand before you. Through Christ our Lord.

Amen