Annual charity fund raiser collects over 8 million euro for health care - Fundraising in Poland

The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOSP), Poland's largest annual fundraising event, has so far collected over 35 million zloty (8.5 million euro) for pediatric and elderly care. 
 

A firework show on Sunday evening at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw,  organised by WOSP. 

Although donations can continue until the beginning of March, by Monday morning over 35.4 million zloty (8.5 million euros, US $11.5 million) had been raised.

“Even if we were to have just this money on WOSP's bank account, we'll still be able to do a great deal,” organiser Jerzy Owsiak commented.

About 120,000 volunteers took to the streets in Poland and abroad to collect money for WOSP, handing out the charity's distinctive heart-shaped red stickers.

Polish media outlets gave broad coverage to the event on Sunday, with concerts taking place nationwide, celebrity auctions with a firework display in Warsaw ending the fund raiser last night.

The army was among the many participants, offering bidders the opportunity to take part in parachute jumps and specially organised training manoeuvres.

Celebrities and politicians, including Prime Minister Donald Tusk, donated items that could be sold off.

This year, the main goals were to raise money for equipment on emergency wards for children, as well as to continue last year's bid to create better geriatric care in Poland.

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Philanthropy's New Frontier

Once reviled, charitable giving is growing in China, thanks to a new generation of wealthy individuals

Mao Zedong formed the People's Republic of China in 1949 after a long and bloody civil war. Among the revolutionary leader's many victims was philanthropy.

In the communist nation he established, the government oversaw citizens' welfare from cradle to grave, while private giving was reviled as a symbol of elitist wealth and an affront to the classless society Mao preached.

Six decades later, Chinese philanthropy is re-emerging.

Thanks to its state-run capitalism, China is experiencing massive economic growth. New millionaires are being created at roughly the same pace as in the United States. While many of the affluent are known for their lavish way of life, members of this growing generation of wealthy Chinese are developing a taste for charity.

From 2003 to 2006, mainland China's five most-generous individuals gave at least $640-million to charitable causes, says the Hurun Report, an Asian personal-finance magazine that creates an annual list of the country's biggest donors.

Perhaps the best-known philanthropist is East Asia's wealthiest man, Li Ka-shing. Mr. Li, who lives in Hong Kong, which is part of China but operates under different laws, has donated more than $1-billion during the past four decades in hopes of inspiring a "culture of giving" among Chinese.

"I respect anyone who is willing to contribute his time, energy, and resources to helping the needy," he said in an interview with The Chronicle.

Giving Up

Health care Philanthropy in Russia - Many Russian businesses have grown fat, but attempts to share the bounty often die on the altar of bureaucracy or indifference.