While it seems that I kind of missed the boat last week in giving you ‘information,’ so to speak, I still feel the need to tell you about the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, especially when I came into the office this morning and heard that Poland’s largest charity drive took in over 32 million zloty – about eight million euro – just on Sunday's Great Finale push.

Presented by Magdalena Jensen.

Now, I too wanted to join the masses and wear my red heart of honour, so I too threw a five zloty coin into the coffer on my way to yoga class yesterday. I thought I was being, you know, generous, considering that we are living in a post-Christmas sales world that is cleaved with economic recession. But, upon hearing how much money was raised by the Polish nation, I am in true admiration – either people gave more money than me, or almost every single person in Poland’s country of 38 million gave one zloty.

So, this charity drive that I am raving on about is well-ingrained into Poles’ minds – it have been taking place for the past 17 years. The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity that has, in its total existence before this year, netted over 60 million US dollars. The event not only takes place in Poland but also in Polish communities all over the world. The founder of the event’s daughter, Ola Owsiak, told me last week that the primary goal of the foundation is to raise funds for medical equipment for hospitals – especially for treating children with cancer. But besides that, the event has become a staple for the people of Poland and all across the world. Wherever there’s a Polish community, there is something going on the day of the Great Finale.

The Orchestra – though not actually an orchestra at all – takes the form of an all-day telethon in Poland. While the name in English – the great Orchestra of Christmas Charity – recalls some Dickensian ghost of Christmas past, there is nothing spooky about it. Rather, it is overwhelmingly positive.

The idea of the drive is this - while Poles sit at home and are entertained by various performers on their television screens, volunteers hit the streets and catch those people going about their business to donate a few zloty and receive a sticker – the red heart that has become the largest charitable symbol in Poland. The finale, a motivating force that encourages people to throw some extra cash into the organizations coffers, serves as a lovely reminder of Poles’ charitable spirit. Actually, it was shocking to walk down the street yesterday, not only in the centre of the city but in the largely blue-collar neighborhoods of the Praga district, and see almost everyone proudly flaunting their red heart sticker. Literally everyone was wearing one – hooligans, children, women in fur coats, men in Canadian tuxedos. While I didn’t have the privilege of being outside of Warsaw yesterday to see how the event was going in other parts of the country, I can imagine that there were just as many red hearts flashing off of peoples coats as well.

The telethon takes place in cities all over the country – well, really, there are free open-air concerts in cities all over the country that are broadcast on the public and private TV channels. These concerts serve as a motivating force to donate – in a similar way that America’s Public Broadcasting Service uses their telethons. While this is not something I understand – how a minor celebrity on TV can motivate one to donate their hard-earned dollars, it seems to work. The Great Orchestra, however, motivates people to donate in many other ways – even in ways that appeal to me. For example, walking the streets in the wintery sun yesterday, I saw children of all ages and in all sorts of dress – read: both gothic style and uber-preppy style – with green badges and cans approaching everyone they came across and fearlessly asking for money. It seemed that all of Poland’s youth was motivated to get out and collect funds to help their mates with cancer. It was, truly, inspiring, especially since I have this idea that Polish youth – or maybe youth the world over – has a tendency towards apathy.

Another remarkable aspect of the event is the timing – it seems extremely illogical to me to hold a huge charity drive right after Christmas – a time when people have pushed themselves to their financial limits to buy gifts for everyone under the sun. Yet, maintains Ms. Owsiak, the timing has proved for the last seventeen years to be perfectly fine. Rather, she claims, it is the perfect anecdote to beat the post-holiday gloom that people might fall into. As well, she adds, it is a remarkable sign of Poles’ solidarity – people are simply willing and eager to help the organization raise money for cancer patients.

So, while the Great Finale took place on Sunday, your opportunity to get join the Polish masses in their largest charity drive – and add to the 8 million euro collected  - really, I am stunned by this figure – is not over. The organization English-language website will direct you how to give further. And they hold a summer event – a Polish version of Woodstock – surely an event not to be missed if you like rock music. So check out http://www.en.wosp.org.pl/final/ for more information.