Jurek Owsiak published a statement, which he started with an appeal: “You are playing, thank you very much and respect! If you are not playing, don't interfere!” He noted that the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation was met with “an incredible festival of lies and insults.”
“It would never have occurred to us that we would encounter such an incredible festival of lies and insults not only to our Foundation, but to everyone who helped with the flood,” we read in Jurek Owsiak's statement.
“We are still helping. It would seem that our documented settlement (in accordance with the Act, sent last year to the Ministry of Interior and Administration and available on the website zbiorki.gov.pl) is enough, but if the lies are in full swing, we react and thank everyone, who also react to this insolence,” Owsiak wrote.
He also addressed people who had benefited from the foundation's help. “Hands up all those who received our help. In any way. Did anyone use the toilet, shower, laundry room we installed, or did the Peace Patrol team chisel plaster, pump water, clean a flooded house? Did any of the municipalities received a shipment of items from one of the many warehouses where our aid was sent?” – he emphasized.
“You want to settle accounts, let's start”
The head of WOŚP mentioned, among others, dehumidifiers, pressure washers and generators. In the statement, he also asked whether anyone had benefited from immediate assistance such as water, food, cleaning products, hygiene products or household chemicals.
“Hands up whoever in Nysa collected equipment for WOPR rescuers and water rescue units from us. Hands up who stretched the non-woven fabric bought by the Foundation on the flood embankments in Brzeg Dolny,” Owsiak appealed to the recipients.
“If you want to settle accounts, let's start,” he said, pointing to a letter from the Volunteer Water Emergency Service of the Opole Voivodeship addressed to him as the president of WOŚP.
The Opole WOPR stated in a letter that its unit in Nysa received from the foundation specialized equipment for rescuers worth PLN 15,000 per rescuer. These include – as mentioned – dry suits, shoes, special vests, helmets, generators. The unit added that in recent months, other WOPR units throughout Poland that participated in activities during the 2024 flood could count on the foundation's support.
WOŚP has been supporting health care for over 30 years
The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity has been supporting Polish healthcare since 1993. During 32 finals, WOŚP collected nearly PLN 2.3 billion and purchased 72,000 devices. The last collection was dedicated to lung diseases. Over PLN 281 million was collected then and it was another record.
This year, the final will be organized on January 26, and the funds collected will support pediatric oncology and hematology.
Main photo source: PAP/Tomasz Gzell