The organization of the Finale began with an announcement of separation. In October, Henryk Jasiński was unanimously chosen as head of the headquarters Henryk Jasiński, but in November the “WOŚP veterans,” as they called themselves, completely withdrew from any activities connected with organizing the 20th Finale in Bolesławiec.
“When I worked with Jasiński for WOŚP last year, I thought he was an excellent organizer and served the Orchestra’s cause perfectly,” says Łukasz Ludwikowski, one of the veterans who left the headquarters. “We chose him as head, and we were surprised by how he changed.”
Henryk Jasiński did not publicly regard this split as important. He informed everyone that he was suffering from multiple sclerosis and that this Finale would be his last. Sympathy for a person suffering from an incurable illness, though human, proved fatal in this case.
My Finale will be magnificent
The head of the headquarters began preparing for the event and talked about increasingly new ideas for an unbelievably rich and magnificent 20th Finale. According to his plans—which now turn out to have been fantasies—Jurek Owsiak himself was supposed to come to Bolesławiec. He was to be lured to the town by the longest invitation letter written by the people of Bolesławiec. A tank from Świętoszów was supposed to enter Bolesławiec, while the light to heaven was to be released from a several-dozen-metre-high crane standing at a construction site (the former Piast Hotel).
Jurek did not appear; the light to heaven was released from the construction site beneath the crane. Volunteers and people assisting with the Finale unanimously say that there was neither a program nor an idea for organizing it.
“This wasn’t even improvisation; it was a major failure,” says one of the volunteers. “And although Finales always have organizational problems because volunteers work on them, this event was one huge mess.”
Respect your volunteer as you respect yourself
At one meeting with volunteers, two girls dared to send text messages. Henryk Jasiński allegedly approached them and threatened that the next time they did so, he would write a complaint to their parents and school.
Intimidation, threats, poor treatment and unpleasant remarks were experienced by almost everyone who prepared something during this Finale and had contact with Henryk Jasiński. The young people complained and spoke openly about how much stress this Finale had caused them.
Janina Majewska, who has supported WOŚP for years, genuinely took care of the volunteers and defended Jasiński the longest. But even she could not endure it.
“Working with Jasiński was tragic,” says Janina Majewska. “I did as much as I could on my own. I fed the kids bigos and bread from sponsors, gave them warm tea and coffee, and looked after them like a mother. The most important thing is that the kids managed and, as every year, were wonderful.”
WOŚP’s Torn Heart
Janina Majewska said that Henryk Jasiński should step down. She believes that his serious illness prevented him from organizing the Finale. It is true that Jasiński informed everyone he spoke to about his health. It seems that, out of sympathy, many people either remained silent or gritted their teeth.
But the frustration of those who worked hard for WOŚP is visible. They felt responsible for the Finale while the event’s organization was falling apart before their eyes. As Majewska says, they adopted a strategy of taking care only of their own tasks. She handled the lottery and volunteers, others collected money, and still others operated the stage.
Now they need a meeting with the head of the headquarters and a serious discussion about what happened. It would be better if this time Henryk Jasiński did not talk about his illness but listened to what the volunteers want to tell him. We were unable to contact him this evening.
The Orchestra does not have a heart as its symbol without reason. It is organized by good people. This year they played with a torn heart for expectant mothers with diabetes. They collected approximately PLN 50,000 (data from 9:00 p.m.). That is an excellent result considering what they had to go through. We warmly congratulate everyone.
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)