Upon the request of the Kharkiv ambulance station, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation purchased a fully-equipped type B ambulance. The purchase of the ambulance and its equipment was made possible thanks to the generosity of the UPS Company and tennis player Hubert Hurkacz.
At 12:30, a symbolic handover of the ambulance, created on a VW Crafter vehicle base, took place on the GOCC Foundation’s premises. Later today, the procedure related to customs clearance of the ambulance will begin, followed by a journey to Kharkiv, a city that was recently recaptured from Russian troops.
The total value of the ambulance for Kharkiv, including equipment, is PLN 684,972.49. The funds come from a grant offered by UPS and from tennis player Hubert Hurkacz, who made a special donation for every service ace he served during his holiday tournaments. The remaining amount is funds received from the public, thanks to contributions to a dedicated account in support of Ukraine.
Jurek Owsiak inside the ambulance for Ukraine, photo: Bartosz Chodorwski
Grant from UPS
UPS is an international brand that GOCC Foundation has been working with for many years. It was UPS that decided to provide the Foundation with a grant of PLN 615,634.80, which was used to purchase an ambulance and most of the ambulance equipment.
#acesforaid - Hubert Hurkacz's action
Tennis player Hubert Hurkacz decided to donate 100 euros to the GOCC Foundation for every serve his match opponent was unable to receive (the so-called ace). The action concerned tennis tournaments played during the summer - Wimbledon and the US Open Series tournaments played in Washington, Montreal, Cincinnati and New York (US Open).
In sports, competing is very important, but for me, it is also essential to do something good for others. That is why I joined the GOCC initiative
- Hubert Hurkacz
All donations from the #acesforaid action were pledged to help Ukraine. The total number of 'Hurkacz’s Aces' was 171, and the equivalent of unclaimed serves was €17,100, or PLN 80,430. These funds allowed the GOCC Foundation to purchase ambulance equipment and disposable materials for Kharkiv (PLN 56,594.40) and disposable medical equipment, which was still being sent to the Regional Children's Hospital in Ivano-Frankivsk in October (PLN 23,835.60).
Board of the GOCC Foundation presenting the ambulance during a press conference, photo: Łukasz Widziszowski
More than PLN 23 million to support Ukraine
In any emergency, or crisis situation, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Foundation makes every effort to provide support for those in need. Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, the Foundation has been constantly involved in helping our neighbours. To date, the GOCC has donated more than PLN 23 million to purchase medical equipment for hospitals in Ukraine and Poland where refugees are being received. The Foundation has set up and run two humanitarian aid points - one near the border in Szegini and the other in Warsaw. The World's Most Beautiful Festival, which took place in the summer, was held under the slogan "NO WAR", opposing Russia's unjustified aggression against Ukraine.
The Foundation managed to equip 19 Ukrainian hospitals in 15 locations with the necessary equipment and disposable materials. Among the equipment purchased were heart monitors, ventilators, anaesthetic machines, oxygen concentrators, pulse oximeters, USG, ECG, and professional first aid kits.
Aid from the GOCC reached the following locations in Ukraine: Uzhhorod, Rivne, Ternopil, Lutsk, Chervonohrad, Novovolynsk, Kyiv, Odesa, Yavoriv, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kharkiv.
