Jerzy Owsiak, who founded the charity in the early 1990s, said on Wednesday that the campaign raised PLN 281.88 million this year, PLN 38 million more than in 2023.
The drive, backed by celebrities, reached its peak in late January, with fundraising efforts across Poland and a host of other countries with Polish communities, including Britain, the United States and Australia.
The money collected will be used to support healthcare and buy modern medical equipment, according to organizers.
This year’s fundraiser was the 32nd of its kind. It focused on helping hospitals buy equipment to diagnose, monitor, and treat pulmonary diseases among children and adults after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Celebrities and sports stars, including soccer player Robert Lewandowski and tennis ace Iga Świątek, pitched in by putting up personal items for a charity auction.
The foundation behind the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity drive says it has raised more than PLN 2 billion (EUR 460 million, USD 500 million) in funds for pediatric and elderly healthcare and bought more than 71,500 pieces of medical equipment since the effort was launched in 1992.
Last year, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity collected more than PLN 243 million (EUR 52 million) for medical equipment to help diagnose and prevent sepsis, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
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Source: IAR, PAP
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek.