Christmas help large orchestra
The Great Orchestra of Christmas Aid ( Polish Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy , WOŚP) is a large non-governmental charity in Poland . It was founded as a foundation in 1993 by Jerzy Owsiak , Lidia Niedźwiedzka-Owsiak, Bohdan Maruszewski and Piotr Burczyński .
Every first or second Sunday in the new year, the orchestra begins the grand finale of its fundraising campaign. Throughout the day over 120,000 volunteers across the country collect money for medical care (especially equipment) for certain groups of sick people (initially mainly children, later also seniors). Each year the funds are donated to a different purpose. All people who donated money receive a big red heart (sticker) as a thank you. In addition, items that were often donated by prominent personalities (musicians, politicians, actors, clergy) are auctioned in accompanying campaigns. By the orchestra's 16th finale, $ 93,374,926.94 had been raised. At the 2015 final, over 50 million zlotys (11 million euros) were collected.
The money is also collected from Polish emigrants at various locations abroad.
The orchestra also organizes the Pol'and'Rock Festival every August (until 2017 Woodstock stop ) to thank everyone who helped with the orchestra's finale.
Until 2016, the fundraising campaign was supported by the authorities, public radio and television and the army. The fundraiser on January 15, 2017 took place for the first time without this help. Nevertheless, the fundraising campaign brought in a record amount again.
During a fundraising event in Gdansk on January 13, 2019, the mayor of Gdansk, Paweł Adamowicz , was stabbed by a perpetrator and died the next day in hospital. Impressed by the tragic event, Owsiak announced that after 27 years he would be resigning the management of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Aid. Due to numerous requests, including the wife of the deceased, he remained president.
history
| date | Subject / purpose | Collected sum |
|---|---|---|
| January 3, 1993 | Treatment of children with heart disease | $ 1,535,440.68 |
| January 2, 1994 | hospitals specializing in newborn babies | $ 1,930,726.93 |
| January 8, 1995 | oncological clinics | $ 2,816,465.36 |
| January 7, 1996 | Rescuing children after accidents | $ 2,543,413.59 |
| January 5, 1997 | children with heart disease | $ 3,062,067.29 |
| January 4, 1998 | Rescuing children after accidents | $ 3,543,276.74 |
| January 10, 1999 | Treatment of newborns | $ 4,515,020.82 |
| January 9, 2000 | Treatment of children with kidney disease | $ 6,089,390.91 |
| January 7, 2001 | Diagnostics of newborns and infants | $ 6,112,642.74 |
| January 13, 2002 | Treatment of children with congenital diseases, especially surgical interventions on newborns and babies | $ 6,848,998.85 |
| January 12, 2003 | Equipment of neonatal wards | $ 7,695,614.16 |
| January 11, 2004 | Equipment of neonatal wards | $ 6,923,443.22 |
| January 9, 2005 | Neonatology and pediatrics | $ 9,864,292.87 |
| January 8, 2006 | Rescuing children after accidents, first aid | $ 9,660,691.00 |
| January 14, 2007 | Rescuing children after accidents, first aid | $ 9,349,814.65 |
| January 13, 2008 | Treatment of children with laryngological diseases | $ 13,883,627.13 |
| January 11, 2009 | Early detection of cancers in children | $ 11,011,771.01 |
| January 10, 2010 | Equipment of pediatric oncology clinics | $ 14,090,521.06 |
| January 9, 2011 | Treatment of children with nephrological and urological diseases | 47,248,415.05 zloty |
| January 9, 2012 | Treatment of premature babies, insulin pumps for pregnant women with diabetes | 50,638,801.30 zlotys |
| January 13, 2013 | Child life saving and treatment of the elderly | 50,657,747.68 zlotys |
| January 12, 2014 | Child life saving and treatment of the elderly | 52,448,765.49 zlotys |
| January 11, 2015 | Equipping pediatric and pediatric oncology wards, treatment of seniors | 53,109,702.83 zlotys |
| January 10, 2016 | Equipment of pediatric wards, treatment of seniors | 72,696,501.53 zlotys |
| 15th January 2017 | Equipment of pediatric wards, treatment of seniors | 105,570,801.49 zlotys |
| January 14, 2018 | Equal opportunities in neonatal medicine | 126,373,804.34 zlotys |
| January 13, 2019 | Equipment of pediatric wards, treatment of infants | 175,938,717.56 zlotys |
| January 12, 2020 | Ensuring the highest diagnostic and therapeutic standards in pediatric intervention medicine | 186,133,610 zloty |
