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.

[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 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.