The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity

The Foundation has been officially established in 1993, after the first ever, extremely successful fundraiser. The initiators of the action decided that they needed to establish an official entity to manage the funds and donations.  

We have decided to support Polish doctors with 160 incubators for neonatal wards across the country, so we have contributed to a rapid leap in neonatal care in Poland. 

Something we are still very proud of - first MRI scanner has been officially unveiled in 1995. 

We descend on Czymanowo to hold first ever Woodstock Festival Poland. Inspired by what went on in the US in the 60s we aim to resurrect the ideas of peace, love, and friendship. 

We have sent 157 lorries with aid for flood-stricken regions in the south of the country. 

The fourth edition of the festival took place in Żary on 7-9.08.1998. 

We have organized a direct aid convoy for Albanian refugees. Despite many obstacles, we have managed to deliver medicine to their camp. 

The fifth edition of the festival took place in Żary on 6-7.08.1999. 

We held two beautiful concerts at the wonderful building of the National Opera House in Warsaw. 

Wild Woodstock took place in Lębork. City authorities backed out from hosting the festival, but the festival-goers arrived there anyway. 

We have established a medical programme aiming to ensure that we can treat and prevent eye defects caused by premature birth. We have purchased laser surgery equipment and establish specialistic units across the country. 

We decided to improve the quality of life of youngest patients with diabetes by renting them personal insulin pumps. The programme has been soon taken over the Ministry of Health, and we are proud to say that our initiative has been going strong! 

The seventh edition of the festival took place in Żary on 11-12.08.2001. 

We got to celebrate Christmas with our friends in the atmosphere of music and creativity! 

We have launched what has proven to be the best nationwide medical initiative in the world. We can now ensure that each child born in Poland has its hearing tested. 

Having considered the needs of children's hospices we decided to purchase cars to help doctors and professionals reach their little patients in their own homes. 

The eighth edition of the festival took place in Żary on 2-3.08.2002. 

First ever unique coin gets introduced into circulation - it's a lucky holed coin. We also receive a collector's item -  a silver 10 PLN coin. 

At first, we dubbed this programme 'Infant Flow' and it continues to revolutionize the methods of providing breathing support to newborns. 

The ninth edition of the festival took place in Żary on 1-2.08.2003. 

Our training centre, located in the beautiful area surrounding the town of Kwidzyn, will welcome thousands of future volunteers in the coming years. 

We decided to help women with diabetes to have a healthy pregnancy which would result in the birth of a healthy infant by launching an initiative of renting personal insulin pumps to mothers-to-be. 

We were entered into the register as a public benefit organization on September the first. 

When we were asked by a Krakow hospital about lending our name to their neonatal ward, we could not have been more honoured to give our consent. 

We were delighted to serve as an inspiration for a memorial stamp, issued by the Polish Post. The first stamp depicted beautiful sunflowers. The post has designed 7 different stamps since then. 

The tenth edition of the festival took place in Kostrzyn nad Odrą on 30-31.07.2004. 

We used money raised in 1% tax donation drive to boy 100 AEDs. We donated the defibrillators to various public places, such as museums. 

The eleventh edition of the festival took place in Kostrzyn nad Odrą on 5-6 August 2005. 

After the tsunami struck Sri Lanka, we decided to help people affected by this natural disaster and bought equipment for 5 hospitals in the area. 

We invited specialists and instructors from American Heart Association to teach us first aid, marking the beginning of very effective cooperation. 

We bought 120 AEDs and supported the launch of our CPR for Schools initiative with the money raised in 1% tax donation drive. 

The twelfth edition of the festival took place in Kostrzyn nad Odrą on 28-29.07.2006.  

The educational programme introduces the basics of CPR and first aid to primary school children. Our AHA-qualified instructors educate teachers, who in turn teach children how they can save lives. The Foundation provides training and teaching materials for free. 

In cooperation with major food manufacturers, we decided that it was high time to make diabetics' life easier and introduce handy insulin intake dosages on the packaging. 

In a bid to promote the use of automated electric defibrillators, we have purchased first 120 machines for different public institutions in the country, such as museums, train stations, universities. 

After a fatal accident in Katowice we decided to support first responders on the scene - Polish fire services. 

The thirteenth edition of the festival took place in Kostrzyn nad Odrą on 3-4.08.2007.  

We used money raised through a 1% tax donation to support the running of our CPR for Schools initiative. 

We launched our new medical initiative setting a new goal for Polish oncology to diagnose cancer and begin its treatment as soon as it is possible. We believe that it would increase the chances of curing the smallest patients. 

Poland has been struck by some disastrous floods. In a bid to provide first responders with necessary equipment, we have held a unique summer fundraiser. Our generous donors received blue hearts in return for their donations. 

Commercial giant - TVN television decides to broadcast the Grand Finale. 

Another commemorative coin had a truly unique shape of a heart. Another collector's coin featured a rockin' design of guitar. 

We decided to deliver special Braille typewriters for visually impaired pupils of Rwandan school. 

We held a conference on how NGOs can make use of new media, the internet and social networks in their work. 

We have zero tolerance for violence towards children and we decided to make it clear by hosting a 'Teddy's Tale' initiative for the first time. The idea was to display injured and bandaged toys in public places to draw the attention to this burning issue. 

Jurek Owsiak received a medal from the hands of Muhammad Yunus. 

Agency Young & Rubicam Brands discovered that the Foundation is the most recognizable brand in Poland.  

A portal aiming to collect and document all the "good sides" of the World Wide Web. Focusing on relevant third sector digital initiatives we aim to showcase the best practices we stumbled upon online. 

In cooperation with Ministry of Health, we launch the work of joint committee aiming to improve the procedures followed by emergency dispatchers in Poland. 

Jurek Owsiak was lauded as the best festival promoter during the prestigious Music Industry Awards in Los Angeles. 

We have been delighted to hear about a community initiative to name a charming cul-de-sac after our Foundation. The street named after the charity is located in Oborniki Śląskie.  

We have celebrated 5 million children having been tested for hearing defects in Poland. We are so happy to be there to welcome them into the world! 

Our 25th fundraiser was unique for many reasons. It took place in a specially designed studio in central Warsaw and, what is more important, it brought about a fabulous, record breaking sum - all in aid of children's medicine and geriatrics!  

We launched this initiative in 2019. This new initiative aims to equip Paediatric Rheumatology Centres with medical equipment, ensuring that all children have access to professional treatment and care. We have bought sophisticated ultrasound systems for 14 Rheumatology Centres. We also aim to raise awareness and educate parents and doctors about children’s rheumatic diseases symptoms and treatment.

Fundraiser theme: purchase of medical equipment for specialized paediatric hospitals 

The preliminary result of the fundraiser: PLN 92 143 798 

Result of the fundraiser: PLN 175 938 717, 56 

In 27 years of our activity, we have raised over PLN 1 000 000 000! 

Fundraiser theme: raise money to purchase equipment for children's surgery and treatment 

The preliminary sum raised: PLN 115 362 894 

The result of the fundraiser: PLN 186 133 610,66 

Our charity decided to use its resources to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. 

In order to address equipment shortage, especially regarding protective equipment for frontline medical staff, we have purchased: 

• Surgical masks 
• Heart rate monitors 
• ICU beds 
• Face shields for EMTs and other ambulance station staff 
• Face shields for other medical facilities 
• Transport venitllators 
• Face masks from Decathlon
• Ultrasonography machines from Philips Poland 
• PPE suits - hospitals and clinics 

The GOCC Foundation pledged a total of PLN 70 million to purchase medical equipment within the "POMAGAMY" [Eng. "We help"] action. We supported nearly 1,000 medical units. 

The pandemic made us throw the Most Beautiful House Party in the World - we held the 26th edition of Pol'and'Rock Festival online! It was broadcast live from our studio in Warsaw between 30 July - 1 August 2020. The transmission was nearly 70 hours long. See the map of all the "house parties" held in 2020.

Raising standards of care for children in Polish hospitals.

The theme of the 29th Grand Finale fundraiser was: Heads-up! We "played" to raise funds for medical equipment for children's laryngology, otolaryngology, and head diagnostics. 

RESULT OF THE FUNDRAISER:

The declared amount - PLN 127,495,626

The final result of the fundraiser - PLN 210,813,830.10 (EUR 46,645,387.79 - according to the average bid rate of exchange of 2021) 

- Donations made to Collection Boxes: PLN 75,583,135.42 (36.09% of the total sum)

- Donations made electronically: PLN 133,870,715.29 (63.91% of the total sum)

- In-kind donations: PLN 1,359,979.39 (0.65% of the total sum) 

MOST GENEROUS BENEFACTORS AUCTIONS:

Gold Hearts no.1-3 went to:

1. Bio-Gen Łódź for PLN 677,777 
2. InPost for PLN 402,000 
3. JBL 310 for PLN 444 
Total of: PLN 4,156,772 

Golden SIM Cards went to:

1. ITA TOOLS for PLN 181,818 
2. K&B&M for PLN 177,777 
3. NalezySie for PLN 163,000 
Total of: PLN 1,633,211 

KEY FACTS

 - 1,362 registered Collection Centres )local hubs of activity), incl. 79 International Collection Centres in 28 countries

- 120,000 locations where you could support the aim ofthe Grand Finale:  

- 75,204 volunteers

- 19,352 Stationary Collection Boxes placed in stores and institutions

- 550 terminals in 239 places

- 22,206 eCollection Boxes powered by Mastercard (319,161 donations were made)  

Charity Auctions held by Allegro:

the record breaking number of all charity auctions: 205,180, and the record breaking sum raised: PLN 30,135,000

Live stream in numbers:

* Facebook: av. 800,000 views

* YouTube: concerts - 124,100 views, studio - 49,200 views

* TV: av. 1,291,109 views 

To ensure high standards of treatment for children.

The 27th edition of the Most Beautiful Festival in the World took place between 29-21 July 2021 in a new location - at the Makowice-Płoty Airfield in West Pomeranian Voivodeship. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and new safety and sanitary regulations, the entire festival area was fenced off. The entry fee was introduced to cover the costs of testing for the coronavirus. 

The events at the Main Stage and the Academy of the Finest of Arts' Tent were live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, and Internet media platforms Onet and Antyradio. The live stream lasted a total of over 50 hours. 

There were 50 music concerts, 9 AFA guest meetings, 444 workshops, and a comedy show on the agenda. 

Readers of Newsweek weekly celebrated the 20th anniversary of the publication by choosing leaders of social change and people they see as key actors in creating the society in Poland as we know it now. Jurek Owsiak was awarded as a leading influential citizen. 

On the 76th anniversary of the United Nations (on 24th October 2021) during the UN Day Gala, Jerzy Owsiak was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of the UN Sustainable Development and received the UN Sustainable Development Architect Award.

The humanitarian aid point in Michałowo has been launched in cooperation with the Polish Red Cross and the office of an Ombudsman. The aid point aims to support volunteers and organizations engaged in providing humanitarian help to refugees stranded on the border between Poland and Belarus.

THEME AND OBJECTIVE:

See the light! We “played” to raise funds for medical equipment for children's laryngology, otolaryngology, and head diagnostics. 

RESULT OF THE FUNDRAISER:

The declared amount - PLN 136,282,325

The final result of the fundraiser - PLN 224,376,706.35 (EUR 47,719,418.62- according to the average bid rate of exchange of March, 28, 2022) 

MOST GENEROUS BENEFACTORS AUCTIONS:

Gold Hearts no.1-3 went to:

1. Bio-Gen Łódź for PLN 777,777 
2. Wkręt-met Klimas: PLN 400,000 
3. JBL: PLN 233,444 

Golden SIM Cards went to:

1. ITA TOOLS for PLN 600,001 
2. Twój Cel To for PLN 600,000
3. Polska Energia Grupa Kapitałowa & PG OZE for PLN 60,000
 

KEY FACTS

- 1,633 registered Collection Centres (local hubs of activity), incl. 90 International Collection Centres in 29 countries

- 102,555 volunteers

- 550 terminals 

- 41,711 eCollection Boxes powered by Mastercard (20,000 more than last year)  

- 4,056 participants in the Warsaw “Get Even with Diabetes” Run

- 9,270 participants in the virtual “Get Even with Diabetes” Run

To equip emergency medical services in Poland and continue to fulfill the Foundation's statutory objectives.

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity took immediate action after Russia's brutal attack on Ukraine to help our neighbours by purchasing medical devices and disposables. 

• In response to submitted requests, we bought devices and disposables for Ukrainian hospitals, as well as Polish medical facilities admitting refugees.
• We have purchased i.a.: 90 heart monitors, 33 ventilators, 7 anaesthetic machines, 12 oxygen concentrators, 61 pulse oximeters, 14 USG, 10 ECG, 3,500 individual first aid kits. 

• In March 2022 we have teamed up with the Warsaw city council to establish a shelter for Ukrainians arriving at the Warsaw East railway station. We ran the second aid point on the border crossing of Shegini, where many Ukrainian refugees were fleeing to Poland.   

• In order to show our solidarity with fighting Ukraine, we held the 28th Pol'and'Rock Festival under the slogan: NO WAR!

In June 2022 in Centrum Praskie Koneser, the Foundation prepared an exhibition of 49 special photographs telling an amazing history of 30 years of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity.