May your charity increase as much as your wealth
AmCham CHARITY FUND REPORT AmCham and its Foundation has charitable endeavors since 1995. In sum over a 19 year period the AmCham Charity Drive delivered goods to nine orphanages and two family shelters. We transported over 1500 cartons of goods to the children from all over Poland and helped more than 1000 children. The total amount of money raised and distributed by the Foundation is 187,085.76 PLN.
AmCham and its Foundation has charitable endeavors since 1995. The first charity actions supported by the Foundation included co-organizing a concert for the flood victims at the Royal Castle in 1997, participating in Caritas charity drives, promoting the charity program “Toys for Tots” organized by the US Marines, and donating money to promote education about AIDS. In 1997 AmCham began organizing a Christmas Charity Drive for children from an orphanage in Otwock. Over the next few years, this drive spread to seven homes located in Poland’s most economically depressed areas: Świebodzin, Chociule, Grabinek, Łęknica, Otwock, Białystok, Rzeszów, and Bochnia. In the 19 years of its existence this drive has become an important community service for members who trust AmCham as a clearing house for needy causes, but it is also a necessary part of our work as a Foundation. Our charity program is run very hands-on with the aim of reaching out to specific needs and supporting developmental programs. Thanks to this engagement and the relationships built we can help in ways that really matter.
We collect most of our charity income during the Christmas season and then purchase items specifically identified by the organizations we support. In addition, we collect a wide variety of goods from member companies (shampoo, juice, books) and distribute them according to need. Some companies donate products they produce, others buy gifts and specific items, or deposit cash donations in an account specifically set up for this purpose. Since 2007, AmCham has partnered with a single mothers shelter in Słomczyn near Warsaw. We have had a tremendous impact here as the conditions of living for several families is dire. We provided them with every-
day articles such as sugar, milk, clothes, and even coal for winter as they did have a central heating system. Apart from the in-kind or financial donations that we receive from our members for charity purposes our second greatest source of income comes from the 4th of July Picnic Raffle (the proceeds started from 7,000 PLN in 2005 to 24 000 PLN in 2014). We use this to make additional and ad hoc purchases and have recently done more to support English lessons for particular children or to pay for their summer camps. Traditionally, we also donate part of these funds to our NGO picnic partners who build a booth and provide attractions for our guests. Their presence at the picnic gives them needed exposure, shows AmCham support and concern for NGOs and their role in society and we are happy to support them with much needed assistance. The money we collect during the charity drives, including the 4th of July raffle, we try to distributed between the orphanages throughout the year, covering some of their most important needs. Also, what is quite important, we do not to send money directly to the orphanages, rather we ask them to invoice us for the purchase of goods such as: heating equipment, furniture, special medical equipment, etc. We also buy books for children, pay for their winter and summer holidays, language courses, etc. Furthermore, we are in direct contact with the directors of the orphanages so they tell us what their current needs are.
2010 In 2010 AmCham raised a total of 14,420 PLN from our 4th of July Picnic Raffle and 5350 PLN from the
Christmas drive. The proceeds, 10,000 PLN, were donated to the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity and Akogo Foundation. We distributed a total of 27, 511. 03 PLN to a variety of organizations, but our primary recipients were orphanages in Świebodzin, Grabinek, Otwock, Białystok, Rzeszów and Bochnia. In 2010 we purchased a refrigerator for the shelter for single mothers in Slomczyn for 1810 PLN and we put 2880 PLN towards a sport summer camp (for 7 children). We have also delivered Christmas gifts for children living there. Most critically for them, we have put 2500 pln towards purchasing coal for the shelter for their winter heating. Otherwise, we responded to ad hoc and small requests from local grade schools, spending a total of 5625 PLN towards sponsoring meals for children at school in Oborniki Śląskie and financing a school trip for them.
the children home in Białystok, and funded summer camp for 3 children from the single mothers shelter. Our most generous sponsors in 2010 were: Abbot Laboratories Poland, Air Products, Avon, Boeing, CB Richard Ellis, Coca-Cola, Crown Relocations, Disney, HBO, the Hyatt Regency, the InterContinental Warsaw, Johnson & Johnson Poland, Łaszczuk & Partners, Mars, McDonald’s, MetLife, Procter & Gamble, the Sheraton Warsaw, the Sofitel Warsaw Victoria, UPS, the Westin Warsaw, and X-Press Couriers, which transported the goods to their destinations.
2011 In 2011 AmCham provided assistance in cash and in kind to the single mothers shelter in Słomczyn and a shelter for victims of domestic violence in Brochów—and eight orphanages across the country (two in Bochnia and one each in Białystok, Grabinek, Otwock, Rzeszów, Świebodzin, Dom Dziecka nr. 2 in Warszaw and Świebodzin-Chociule). In 2011 we raised 12,770 from the AmCham 4th of July Picnic raffle and 7630 from the Christmas Drive. We bought Christmas gifts for children residing in the Slomczyn single mother’s shelter and bought coal for the winter for 2520 PLN and financed kitchen equipment for 2239 PLN. With the great financial support of EuRoPol Gaz S.A. we were able to provide gas installation for the Shelter in the winter of 2011. We also sponsored summer camp for children from the orphanage in Bochnia and helped with the renovation of the floor in the orphanage in Rzeszów for 5000 PLN. Our profits from the Annual Charity drive went to the Ronald McDonald Foundation (5000 PLN) and to the United Way Polska Foundation (5000 PLN).
During the AmCham Christmas collection we received in-kind goods from our member companies and managed to dispatch over 70 boxes of goods to the children homes that we support. Among many types of aid rendered throughout the Charity Drive 2010, AmCham delivered 8 TV sets, one refrigerator and two washing machines to a shelter for single mothers in Słomczyn, repaired floor in
Our major donors in 2011 were: Boeing International Corporation; CB Richard Ellis; Colgate-Palmolive (Poland); Crown Relocations; Debenedetti, Majewski, Szcześniak; Estee Lauder; EurRoPol Gaz S.A.; GE International; Hyatt Regency Warsaw; InterContinental Warsaw; Łaszczuk & Wspólnicy; Maersk; Mars Polska; Pannatoni Europe; Sheraton Hotel;The Walt Disney Company Polska and UPC Polska.
The most generous donor this year was ColgatePalmolive Poland who provided 6 full pallets of cleaning products and sent Santa Claus to distribute Christmas presents to the children at the orphanage in Bochnia.
New Gas Contracting Company donated 100 brandnew winter jackets to this same orphanage as well. Worth mentioning are also LeasePlan who sponsored the Christmas gifts that were mentioned in the individual letters to Santa Claus, written by the children from foster home in Bochnia and X-Press Couriers and Siódemka Courier Company for delivering all the gifts to their destinations.
2013 2012 In 2012 we raised 14680 PLN from the 4th of July raffle and raised 5,182 from the Christmas Drive. This time we donated profits from the raffle to the Stamma Foundation and to the Former Association of Soccer Players (Chaired by Dariusz Dziekanowski). This year AmCham Charity Drive delivered assistance to the single mothers shelter in Słomczyn, a shelter for victims of domestic violence in Brochów - and eight foster homes across the country (two in Bochnia and one each in Białystok, Grabinek, Otwock, Rzeszów, Swiebodzin and Warsaw). We continued our support of the single mothers shelter in Słomczyn and provided them with basic articles lie coal for winter heating.and the kitchen goods. We also donated Christmas gifts for the children living there. With additional financial help from EuRoPol Gaz the shelter was able renovate its roof and paint its walls. This year with the help of Boeing we bought a washing machine, TV-set and school supplies for children from the orphanage in Białystok. The most generous donor this year was Procter & Gamble, which provided 4 full pallets of cleaning products. Panattoni Europe, who donated the proceeds from its annual business party to the AmCham Charity Drive, donated a plasma TV and educational items to the children from an orphanage. Boeing International bought physical therapy equipment for the children and
In 2013 we raised 22,510 PLN from the 4th of July raffle and raised 14,192 from the ChristmasDrive. We continued our help to the single mothers shelter in Słomczyn (bought them a refrigerator and coal for winter). We also financed transport for the sports summer camp for the children from the Orphanage House in Bochnia. We also bought educational toys for the children from the Down Association and Association of Autistic Children (739 PLN). This year the AmCham Charity Drive aimed to help children from seven orphanages across the country (in Białystok, Świebodzin, Rzeszów, Otwock, Warsaw and two in Bochnia) This year we continued our support for the single mothers’ shelter in Słomczyn providing them with the basic articles, like coal for winter heating and we also bought them a large refrigerator. We also bought individual Christmas gifts to all the children living in the shelter. The most generous donors this year were: Panattoni Europe, who donated the proceeds from its annual business party to our charity drive and furnished the rooms in Rzeszów orphanage and Boeing who chose the Białystok orphanage to finance the winter camp. Thanks to Mattel and Walt Disney’s generosity the children enjoyed brand-new toys and books with their favorite Disney heroes. Once again, LeasePlan sponsored all the Christmas gifts that were mentioned in the individual letters to Santa Claus written by the children from the orphanage in Bochnia.
2014
In 2014 we raised 24,080 PLN from the 4th of July raffle and raised 14,000 PLN from Christmas drive. The proceeds from the raffle went this year to the Ronald McDonald Foundation who built a Ronald McDonald House in Krakow for families to stay while their children are being treated at a nearby hospital.
During our Christmas charity drive we collected a wide variety of goods from member companies and distributed them according to need to help children from six orphanages across the country (in Białystok, Świebodzin, Rzeszów, Warsaw and two in Bochnia.) and a single mothers shelter in Słomczyn. For the first time we also deliverd part of our charity goods to the Association of single mothers, “Wspołnymi siłami” in Warsaw
AmCham was extremely grateful to Procter & Gamble for donating large amounts of laundry detergent,
toothpaste, and other personal care items all of which are extremely needed by the supported organizations. Furthermore, with the help of Boeing and Panattoni, AmCham financed summer and winter camps for an orphanage in Białystok and the sports summer camp for the children in Bochnia. Leaseplan bought Christmas gifts according to the letters that were sent to Santa Claus by the children from the Bochnia orphanage. X-Press Couriers and Sky Net Worldwide for sponsoring Christmas gifts for the children from the Białystok orphanage and for delivering our gifts all over Poland. Other major donors this year included Boeing and Panattoni who respectively financed a winter camp for the children from the orphanage in Białystok and renovated their bathrooms (14000 PLN). We also covered the cost of the summer camps for the Children in Bochnia and covered the transport cost for children from Ukraine coming for summer vacations to Poland from the Freya Foundation (11,450 PLN) and rehabilitation camp.