StampNews.com is glad to inform that Polish Post celebrates the 23th Final of The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity with a great stamp issue. The stamp was released and put into circulation on the 7th of January.
The Grand Orchestra of Christmas Charity is one of the biggest, non-governmental, non-profit, charity organizations in Poland. The GOCC Foundation has American Heart Association Certification for providing courses in CPR and ECC, and use of high technology for medical lifesaving.
The Grand Finale takes place on the first or second Sunday of every new year. Sponsored by many Polish and worldwide companies, it is a one-day long, nationwide, money-raising event. Volunteers from all around Poland go out on the street and collect money in special cans which are labeled with a red heart and text: “Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy” (Polish for The Grand Orchestra of Christmas Charity).
During this one day, huge parties are thrown around the country (and at other places where Polish people live). Throughout seventeen Grand Finales, the Foundation collected over $100 million for cardio-surgery, neonatology, pediatric oncology, kidney diseases, congenital defects, newborns and children under 5 years of age.