Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity
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The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (GOCC, Polish Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy, WOŚP) is one of the biggest, non-governmental, non-profit, charity organizations in Poland. The GOCC Foundation has an American Heart Association Certification in providing of CPR and ECC courses - and using the high technology for the medical lifesaving.
[edit] History
It was founded in 1993 by Jerzy Owsiak, Lidia Niedźwiedzka-Owsiak, Bohdan Maruszewski, and Piotr Burczyński. The main objective of it, at that time, was "Health-Protection, and Children Lives' Saving through Providing Medical Equipment for Public Hospitals" (from the foundation status establishment). During the first Finale (in service of pediatric cardio-surgery) in the same year, the foundation collected a total of 1 535 440,68 USD. Every year, millions of Poles decide to donate their money to the foundation and between 1993 and 2005, they have collected more than 60 million USD for Public Hospitals in Poland.
Apart from The Great Finale, the foundation also throws one of the biggest rock concerts in Poland, The Woodstock Stop, and it started the Peace Patrol, a young volunteers' group trained in first aid by the GOCC, the Polish Red Cross and the local police from a city of Szadowo.
[edit] The Great Finale
The Great Finale takes place on the first or second Sunday of every new year. Sponsored by many polish and world-wide companies, it is a one day long, nation-wide, money gathering event. Volunteers from all around Poland go out on the street and collect money to special cans which are labeled with a red heart, with a text: "Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy" (Polish for The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity). Also, they have identification cards, thanks to which anyone can report suspected people collecting money to the police. Everyone who gives the volunteers any amount of money, gets a red heart sticker in return.
During this one day, huge parties are thrown around the country (and in other places, where the Polish citizens live). The volunteers are organizing them, except for the biggest party which takes place under the Pałac Kultury i Nauki, in the very center of Warsaw, which is supervised by the GOCC themselves.
During thirteen Great Finales, the foundation collected 63 480 794,16 USD for cardio-surgery, neonatology, pediatric oncology, Kidneys' diseases, congenital defects, newborns and children under 5 years old.
| Finale | Date | Project aims & subjects | Collected money (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | January 3, 1993 | Childrens cardio-surgery | 1 535 440,68 |
| II | January 2, 1994 | Neonatology | 1 930 726,93 |
| III | January 8, 1995 | Pediatric oncology | 2 816 465,36 |
| IV | January 7, 1996 | Rescue of accidents victims | 2 543 413,59 |
| V | January 5, 1997 | Childrens cardio-surgery | 3 062 067,29 |
| VI | January 4, 1998 | Rescue of accidents victims | 3 543 276,74 |
| VII | January 10, 1999 | Neonatology | 4 515 020,82 |
| VIII | January 9, 2000 | Kids kidneys diseases | 6 089 390,91 |
| IX | January 7, 2001 | Newborns and children under 5 years old | 6 112 642,74 |
| X | January 13, 2002 | Congenital defects | 6 848 998,85 |
| XI | January 12, 2003 | Newborns and children under 5 years old | 7 695 614,16 |
| XII | January 11, 2004 | Newborns and children under 5 years old | 6 923 443,22 |
| XIII | January 9, 2005 | Progressive methods of diagnostics and treatment in neonatology and pediatrics | 9 864 292,87 |
| XIV | January 8, 2006 | Saving lives of children injured in accidents and for teaching CPR and first aid | 9 660 691,63 |
| XV | January 14, 2007 | Saving lives of children injured in accidents and providing CPR education | 9 551 191,41 |
| TOTAL: |
 USD |
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