A gold-coloured heart from the Student Science Club “Inwestor” Staff
Around 5 tonnes of coins filled the shimmering gold heart, which, as every year, students from the Student Science Club “Inwestor” operating at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology built together with the local community. There was no shortage of volunteers, including those who donated entire bags of pennies collected especially for the occasion. The staff also organised a charity concert and auction with the Grazyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz University of Music in Łódź. Thanks to these efforts, they have donated PLN 74,215.76 to the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOŚP) this year.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in this year's "Let's Build a Heart Together" project for their presence and support. We were delighted to see so many smiles, expressions of kindness and words of encouragement. This shows how important and necessary our initiative is
– concludes Natalia Nosek, coordinator of the Student Science Club “Inwestor” and she adds:
Preparations for the event took a long time, but it was definitely worth it. Both the Project Finale and the charity concert took place in a great atmosphere, while the auction, which has been organised for the first time, generated great interest and contributed significantly to the final result.
After the event, it took almost two weeks to sort and tally all the collected funds. Although it required a lot of work, it was accompanied by immense satisfaction and joy in the result of our collective effort. We are delighted that our project is becoming more and more recognisable each year and that so many people want to participate and actively support its implementation.
Almost half a million zloty from the WOŚP Staff of the University of Lodz
The University of Lodz Staff, also founded by students at our university, gathered 375 volunteers, including members of the University of Lodz community, their families and friends, who collected donations on the streets of Lodz during the finale. Dr hab. Krzysztof Pabis, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz and the UniLodz Vice-Rector for Popularisation of Science and Education as well as the #UniLodz Ambassadors also joined the efforts.
As part of the activities of the WOŚP Staff of University of Lodz, our Student Science Clubs prepared special stands with scientific attractions on the day of the Finale. The auctions were also very popular. Bids for items such as a ride with the Rector to the exam, workshops and meetings prepared by the University of Lodz Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, and a session in the apitherapy house prepared by the SPATIUM Student Student Science Club from the Faculty of Economics and Sociology were available. Additionally, bids were placed on items prepared by the University of Lodz Library: a VIP Library Card, a special tour of our library, and a unique copy of "A Treatise on Good Work" by Tadeusz Kotarbiński – the first Rector of the University of Lodz and one of the most important thinkers in Polish humanities. This 1969 edition has been specially crafted by the University of Lodz Library Bookbinding Workshop, making it a true collector’s item.
The University of Lodz WOŚP Staff raised a total of PLN 467,218.75 this year, which will support children suffering from gastroenterological conditions. Maja Janicka, the staff coordinator, summarises this year's activities:
The excitement of the 34th Grand Finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity has long since subsided, and at the beginning of March, the final tally arrived. The University of Lodz WOŚP Staff raised PLN 467,218.75 – including a whopping PLN 346,838.10 from street collections! It was thanks to the incredible energy and commitment of volunteers that such a huge amount was raised. Despite the unusually cold January, the University of Lodz community showed that they can always be counted on. I wholeheartedly thank everyone involved in the implementation of the 34th Grand Finale of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. See you next year!
Cooperation and commitment are our superpowers
The University of Lodz is made up of people. We have diverse interests, sometimes we look at the same topic from different perspectives, we engage in various initiatives and we work in different fields. Once again, we have joined forces because we want to help. Together, we can do more!
A huge round of applause to our students and their friends who formed the teams, and to all the involved members. We sincerely thank everyone who joined them. Our collective efforts are powerful.
Source and photos: WOŚP Staff of the University of Lodz; Staff of the Student Science Club “Inwestor”; Education and Student Affairs Centre, University of Lodz; Centre for External Relations and Social Responsibility of the University, University of Lodz
