SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Dec. 16 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The gala to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ‘Tenerife Isla Solidaria’ program hosted the delivery ceremony of the ‘2022 Solidarity Awards’ on Thursday night, with which the voluntary work of people and entities from different fields has been distinguished social.
The event was attended by the third vice president and island councilor for Social Action, Marián Franquet, the CEO of Citizen Participation and Diversity, Nauzet Gugliotta, and the mayor of El Sauzal, Mariano Pérez, among other authorities.
The awards ceremony took place at the El Sauzal Theater during the gala celebration under the slogan ‘Volunteering is in Gala’, in which the work of individuals, entities, companies, educational centers, media communication and administrations, as well as volunteers, including women who have led initiatives and projects of general interest.
Nauzet Gugliotta highlighted that “a total of 14 honorable mentions and 2 second prizes have been awarded, reflecting the different ways of volunteering that surely serve as an example for other people.”
Gugliotta valued the work carried out from ‘Tenerife Isla Solidaria’ “helping entities in their solidarity work and noble causes in society”.
During these 25 years of activity, he said, “training has been a basic pillar to train the voluntary nature of individuals and entities, entities have also been provided with equipment and infrastructure, and this coming year from the item planned for the program, 1,332,400 euros, a total of 620,064 euros are allocated to the digital transformation project of the entities, so that they can continue with their work in the best conditions”.
Marián Franquet highlighted, for her part, “the involvement of Tenerife society, which has always shown ample signs of solidarity, especially in difficult and complicated situations such as the one experienced during the pandemic”.
He also added that “with these recognitions the ‘Tenerife Isla Solidaria’ program wants to make visible and thank the voluntary collaboration of the different social agents, both public and private, as well as anonymous people, for the benefit of citizens and the community “.
During the Gala, the trajectory of the Promemar association was recognized, for its projects in defense of the marine environment and underwater cleaning.
The Kaua de Taco youth and cultural association was also awarded for its actions to promote culture, healthy lifestyle habits and responsible leisure alternatives among young people.
For the work carried out in caring for migrants, the José Luis Montesinos Canary Islands Foundation was distinguished. The entity has been developing different social projects since 2014, such as training young people in social exclusion or managing the municipal food bank of Puerto de la Cruz.
The recognized volunteers have been Juan Enrique Hernández, for his dedication to training in social skills and employability of people in vulnerable situations, giving workshops in the Proyecto Hombre Day Centers for 15 years and Dácil Molina, for his voluntary action in Apanate and care for people with ASD with high support needs.
Two women leaders in projects and initiatives of general interest have also received a special mention: Soukeina Ndiaye, a volunteer in the refugee camps of Tindouf and Tenerife assisting migrant and refugee women and Fermina Gutiérrez, head of the association ‘We want to move’ from Güímar , for his defense of the rights of people with disabilities.
CAIXABANK AND MERCADONA, AWARDED
The award-winning companies have been Caixabank, for its collaboration with entities in projects and initiatives, and Mercadona Supermarkets, which has collaborated with food distribution entities on the island.
In the educational field, the work of CEO Betencourt Molina has been distinguished, for his actions in defense of diversity and respect for the LGTBIQ+ collective, as well as the Hispano-Inglés College, for its volunteer actions among students.
In the category of public administration, the Military Logistics Support Group No. 81 (AALOG 81) has been recognized, which has been helping entities with the transfers and movements of merchandise for more than a decade. 13,000 people on the island have benefited from their work.
The work of the online radio program ‘La Vida es Bella’, directed by Anelio Ramón, a person with a disability who since 2013 has created this space to make disability and solidarity action visible, has also been recognized.
As well as the Digital Newspaper of the University of La Laguna, directed by José Luis Zurita, which writes all its information in inclusive language and reinforces in its content the sense of commitment to the community.
In addition, two second prizes have been awarded, one to Hilda Siverio, for her values of support, commitment and solidarity.
Siverio has created a Facebook page, ‘Make a smile out of cancer’, which has helped thousands of people who are in the same situation or in similar living conditions.
The other second prize went to CEIP Camino Largo, recently distinguished for developing projects that promote values of solidarity and commitment to the 2030 Agenda, as well as for its awareness-raising actions in the educational community.
