Four local women -- one of them from Murrysville -- have been honored by the Republic of Poland at the Polish consulate in New York City for their efforts to promote Polish culture.

Wanda Maria Walat of Coraopolis was awarded the Knight's Cross Order of Merit, the higher of the two awards given to the women last month.

Maria Staszkiewicz of Murrysville along with Maria Zioncheck of Highland Park and Evanne Addams of Ben Avon were awarded the Gold Cross of Merit.

"I was thrilled to death to get that award," Ms. Walat said. "It was really something. The reception was beautiful. The Polish Embassy was beautiful. It was just wonderful."

Ms. Walat is involved with the Bal Polonaise, an annual debutante ball. Next year will be the 20th anniversary of the ball, and Ms. Walat said she hopes to bring back former debutantes to mark the occasion.

She works as a cashier in the Polish kitchen during Polish Days at Kennywood, and she reads and speaks Polish.

Ms. Zioncheck was born and raised in Poland, but she has lived in Pittsburgh for 20 years. She said her volunteer efforts are centered around letting Polish-Americans know what's going on in Poland.

Few Polish people in Pittsburgh are native to Poland, she said, but a lot of Americans in Pittsburgh have Polish heritage.

"I really enjoy working with the Polish-Americans, the older generation that maybe identifies with Poland but doesn't know what's going on in Poland right now," she said. "That's something that I think is very important in our volunteer work."

Her efforts began when she first moved to Pittsburgh. She would organize events for Polish-speaking friends at her home.

"It was very sweet because we all spoke Polish," she said.

But she wanted to connect with everyone of Polish heritage in Pittsburgh, so she became more active in the Polish Cultural Council, where she is currently a board member. She works on everything from fundraisers to bringing Polish films to the Three Rivers Film Festival.

"Any kind of Polish event, I help out," she said.

Ms. Staszkiewicz, executive director of the Polish Cultural Council, said the effort to bring Polish films to the film festival isn't just about preserving Polish culture -- it's about introducing Polish culture to Americans.

"This is not only for the Polish community, but for American audiences," she said.

She said the Polish Cultural Council works hard to bring Polish artists to Pittsburgh. Cities with Polish embassies have easier access to events organized by Polish government entities, she said, so it's up to the council to draw events here.

"Pittsburgh is on the fringes, so somebody has to step up," she said. "We're trying our best to show different aspects of Polish culture."

Ms. Addams and her husband, Chester Wawrzonek, started the Karuzela Polish-American Folk Ensemble in 1986, and they help to organize the Bal Polonaise every year.

"We have two boys who have been dancing since they could walk," she said, adding that the ball is a great event to draw young people involved in Polish cultural events.

"The most important thing is to keep these young people interested, because they're the ones who have to turn around and do this for us," she said.

"These are all major events that they've worked on over the years," said Rick Pierchalski, president of the Polish Cultural Council in Pittsburgh. "We've got to give recognition to people who have expanded Polish culture."