More than 4 thousand euros were raised in favor of people with autism at the 11th charity auction of decorated Christmas balls organized by the Synapsis Foundation which took place on December 7 at the Warsaw Sheraton Hotel.
This annual fundraising event was organized by the Synapsis Foundation together with the Sheraton Hotel and constitutes an example of well-working corporate-nonprofit cooperation. Through out the year the Sheraton Hotel asked many of its VIP guests to decorate and sign Christmas ball ornaments and collected them to sell at the event. The Foundation also asked many important and famous Polish people as well as artists and actors from abroad to do the same. All these balls were then put up for the charity auction to support the treatment of children with autism.
There were balls decorated by the Polish president and prime minister, the presidents of Ukraine, Georgia or Estonia, the former Polish president Lech Walesa and many other Polish politicians and stars. Among the balls decorated by foreign artists there was even a ball signed by Chris de Burgh.
The highest price – 250 euros – was paid for the ball decorated by Szymon Majewski, Polish journalist, showman, TV and radio presenter, satirist, TV and film actor. In second place came Lech Walesa’s ball – the ever famous Polish politician, leader of Solidarity and the recipient of Nobel Peace Price.
Perhaps not surprisingly the guests, mainly made up of businessmen, were willing to pay much more for balls decorated and signed by actors and actresses and soap opera stars than for balls signed by European presidents or prime ministers, however considering the 4,250 euros raised the organisers consider the event a success.
Find out more: http://en.synapsis.pl
About the author
Agnieszka Rymsza, PhD, is a sociologist and currently works as manager of the Advocacy Department at the Synapsis Foundation, a Polish
foundation that works with people with autism and their
families. The Synapsis foundation also created the first social enterprise in Poland for adults with autism.
