How did you come up with the idea to set up the Orchestra?
Actually, the Orchestra is the work of chance. I participated in a conversation during which somebody said that the Children’s Memorial Health Institute needed equipment. The conversation was with physicians, my age, in an open atmosphere and with good contact. Obviously, the concept of the Orchestra as it is today had not occurred to us yet, at that time nobody would even think in the categories of an action like ours. Back then we had only just survived the period of communism; if there were any charity campaigns going on, they involved petty issues, sometimes they were not even true, sometimes they had a political dimension. People didn’t trust that if they gave their money to some organizations it would have any positive effect. When we launched the Orchestra, we didn’t have any expectations, any assumptions that we would get it off the ground; that if I said anything about it, the whole machine would start. We were not prepared for it in administrational and formal terms. At the beginning there was just the slogan, but luckily it was directed to young people, who caught it immediately. The way of talking to young people, the way of collecting money, was so new, so wholehearted, that we didn’t have to ask anybody about anything, we just did what we were supposed to do and we did it well. The arrangement of the planets was favourable because I hosted a TV show and radio programmes. This way people learnt about the action. The first edition of the Orchestra we did really well, just as the following ones. We have been doing it for 20 years now. Only after several years did we learn that there were some legal regulations concerning public fundraising events that we had been unaware of. We didn’t even think about censorship, it never occurred to us that perhaps we couldn’t do something or couldn’t go any further. We did everything instinctively, and later on it turned out that the principles we created were the simplest, the most legible and the easiest for people to accept.
Is it difficult to expand a project that everybody knows and everyone has got used to?
On the contrary – it is easy, because you are trusted by many people. People are open to new proposals. We used to collect money and spend it on medical devices. Today we expand our assistance and we haven’t felt any objections from our donors, who would say that they are willing to donate to one purpose, but not so much to another. We look for specific needs which haven’t been satisfied yet, narrow gaps and issues, and we verify what else we could do for people. Non-governmental organisations in other countries operate in a similar manner. For example, fighting cancer in rich countries is the responsibility of the government, but most funds come from private foundations. The situation is similar with Alzheimer’s disease or many other illnesses. If we undertake a project, if we do anything, we do it 100%. Nobody is disregarded, overlooked. If we examine children who suffer from a certain disease, we examine all of them. We also take care of our image, we talk about our achievements. We emphasise that in logistic terms we operate like a very well structured business or trading company. Whatever we do, we try as much as we can to do it as best as we can.
Have you ever thought about exporting the orchestra, and if so, would it be to the west or rather to our eastern neighbours?
We have already exported it. For five years now money has been collected in Ukraine, we have the same campaign there as in Poland. It is supported by Polish businessmen who got involved in transferring our idea to the east. The campaign is called “Heart to Heart”. This year its volunteers collected the equivalent of about 800 thousand dollars. Considering Ukrainian conditions, considering the extent to which voluntary services have developed in Ukraine so far, it seems to me that what we are dealing with here is a wonderful phenomenon and the direction of developing the project which we really like. People engaged in the Ukrainian charity campaign also prepared the first Ukrainian Woodstock this year. Near Lvov, in Winnica, they will organise a festival similar to ours. With the watchword of no violence, no drugs, where you don’t have to buy any tickets and where people gather with the same purpose as in Poland. Coming back to volunteering – in the west there are plenty of non-governmental organisations and associations that collect money for specific purposes. They know how to collect money, why to collect it, they know how to do it, they have very precise regulations pertaining to charity fundraising events and spending the collected money. The only thing they envy us for are the emotions, because there they are extremely rare in the scale of the emotions we feel during the Finale of the Orchestra. Americans act ad hoc. If for example whales are stranded on the shore or people suffer some natural disaster, everybody bands together to help. But nobody does what we do on a regular basis. No organisation which collects money for others makes the country look like a Brazilian fiesta in the middle of cold winter. The eastern direction of our expansion is great. Recently we have even received a question from the Bulgarian embassy how we prepare our campaign, whether we could advise or suggest anything. In situations like this one we are always very open to sharing our ideas with others.
When the period of the last 20 years is summarised, it is often heard that Poles have failed to create good which would be a global value. But those who formulate this conclusion most often refer to a fashionable mobile phone or a German car. Meanwhile, perhaps soon Poland will have an internationally recognised brand, only it will not be a technological but cultural brand – I’m not only thinking about the Orchestra, but most of all the Woodstock Festival. I know that activities promoting the festival beyond the Polish borders are systematically undertaken.
What you are saying is very important. We always say, whether during the Finale of the Orchestra or Woodstock Festival, that it is “Made in Poland”. We really want the methods and principles of our activities to be talked about abroad with this information: that it is a Polish concept and organisation, a Polish style. We often have discussions in talks with journalists, with the Polish media, which discredit our activities, try to find quarrel in a straw, who don’t get involved with our idea or do it insufficiently. Let me refer to our annual conversations with Mr. Pacewicz from “Gazeta Wyborcza”, who believes that the Finale of the Orchestra is a boring and predictable moment. Everybody knows people will collect money, everybody knows they will have fun and that all of Poland will be join the fundraising. “And what comes of it?” some journalists ask. Mr. Pacewicz believes it is a boring ritual, so he writes about it on the sixth page of his newspaper. When I say that, I don’t want to satisfy my ego, I don’t have to, it has never even occurred to me because I have been very satisfied with what is going on. I am just trying to explain that Poles very often discredit themselves, the result of which is the frenzy during the Euro. All of the sudden, we started saying that we are nice and cheerful. This is a standard for other nations. It seems to me that also the day of the Great Orchestra shows that Poles can have great fun, and at the same time they learn how to be for others, they learn how to be volunteers – these moments and traits are worth manifesting. Perhaps that is why I may sometimes seem disappointed, but once again, it is not because I want to satisfy my hunger for popularity. I just want to remind people: be proud that year after year several million people stand side by side with the Orchestra and the Foundation of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity gives no reasons for any anxiety, time shows us that there have been no scandals. It is very important to say that it is “Made in Poland”, that it is absolutely ours, it has been our own idea and atmosphere right from the start that attracts and causes interest. Numerous institutions emphasise this fact. In the calendars of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in all sorts of publications about Poland the theme of the Great Orchestra is present. It is an event worth demonstrating, displaying, as on one hand an element of our daily life, and on the other – help for others and a great celebration of millions of Poles.
What does the Teraz Polska distinction mean to you?
I got a most beautiful statuette, truly magnificent. It is a work of art that stands on our conference table. It is the only statuette displayed in such a prominent place, so that everybody could read why it has been awarded to us. Nevertheless, we are very careful not to touch it as it is a true masterpiece. But most of all, for me this award means that we belong to a group of distinguished entities. For us the Teraz Polska award is a sign that we maintain very high standards which eventually translate into high quality. The king of Spain was the head of an organisation supporting animals for 40 years. When he was noticed with a rifle on a hunting trip, he was removed from his position. In my opinion Teraz Polska would also have the right to take the award away from anyone who has suddenly lowered their standards. It is an important award, recognised by all Poles. We are happy to receive it after 20 years, and I believe quite deservedly. It will be an important item among the awards which are the most important for us.
Photo © Kamil Broszko/ Manual F
The Foundation of the Polish Promotional Emblem „Teraz Polska”
