In three countries, 115 institutions receive donations
In three countries, 115 institutions receive donations
“(Apaspi) thinks in the same way as the words of Dr. Celso Charuri, (founder of PRÓ-VIDA): to create a different world, we need different and special people. And here, I thank PRÓ-VIDA, (…) because you are not people who wait for paradise: with strength and dedication, you build it. We want to thank you so, so much for not waiting and for giving us this gift. We are not just going back home with a gift, but with a life lesson.”
These are the words of Gisele Somensi Silvestri, president of the Parents and Friends Association of the Deaf – Apaspi, from Paraí, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, one of the 115 charitable institutions that received donations from the Centers for the Tithe PRÓ-VIDA in September. They also illustrate that the more than 13,000 donations to philanthropic organizations made over 45 years represent more than material goods — they are the manifestation of an idea, the materialization of an example, the mark of the possibility of a more altruistic world.
In September, four donation ceremonies took place in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
Baradero, Argentina
At the PRÓ-VIDA Club in Baradero, Argentina, five ceremonies were benefited on September 21 by the Central del Diezmo of Buenos Aires (CD-PV). Among them is the Migrant Care Center in Isidro Casanova, Buenos Aires province, represented by Sister Andri Vilas Boas. “We are grateful for this alliance, this opportunity to give and receive. (…) I believe that love is this: hands that intertwine, bonds that join in the construction of love and communion,” she said.
The path to this feeling she refers to is made possible by acts that unite rather than divide, as commented by Roberto Carr Rollitt, speaking on behalf of the CD-PV. “In these times, when so many build walls to divide, to separate, we come to build bridges to unite,” explained Rollitt.
Santiago, Chile
At the PRÓ-VIDA Center in Santiago, Chile, four institutions were benefited in the ceremony held on the 28th by the Central del Diezmo of Chile, with donations of hundreds of items, including a vehicle for passenger transport, as well as furniture, appliances, musical instruments, hospital, school, and therapeutic care materials.
Among the institutions is the Agrupación Padres y Familiares Autismo de Rancagua in Santiago, represented by Elizabeth Escobedo, who is also the president of the Fundación Inclusión Azul. Expressing her gratitude, she commented that “(…) the emotion and gratitude will be eternal. Thank you for what you do.”
Representing the CD-PV of Chile, Roberto Laso explained that Dr. Celso studied human nature deeply, pointing out the factors in life that lead people to suffering, such as selfishness, and at the same time, showed the path to happiness. Roberto emphasized the power of individual action in building a better world. “(…) if you speak words that are not accompanied by action, they sound empty. On the contrary, if you speak words that are accompanied by action, they become verbs, they create, they have weight,” said Roberto.
Indaiatuba, Brazil
In the state of São Paulo, Brazil, an event held on the 28th formalized the donation of more than 94,000 items from the General Center for the Tithe PRÓ-VIDA and its 24 affiliates in Brazil to 101 institutions.
In sign language, through an interpreter, Gisele Somensi Silvestri, president of the Parents and Friends Association of the Deaf – Apaspi, from Paraí, thanked not only for the items received but also for the example, which she considered a life lesson.
It was Dr. Celso Charuri, founder of PRÓ-VIDA, who taught us that only better people can build a better world, as recalled by Alexandre Aiello, speaking on behalf of the CGD-PV. “And with that in mind, following this reasoning, Dr. Celso conceived and created PRÓ-VIDA, a philosophical movement where the mind can be trained, developed, evolved. (…) And that is why we make donations like this. We are not just giving material goods, but mainly we are giving an example of fraternity, of solidarity,” commented Aiello.
Mendoza, Argentina
At a ceremony held at the PRÓ-VIDA Center in Mendoza, also on the 28th, the Central del Diezmo of Argentina benefited five institutions with hundreds of items, including appliances, electronics, sports equipment, furniture, and even shipping containers.
In their speeches, the representatives spoke about how much the donations will help the institutions continue to serve people well. Andrea González, representing Espacio Multimedia, Radio Sin Avisar, from the Carlos Pereyra Mental Health School Hospital in Mendoza, believes that a new phase is beginning now. “Today, for us, the panorama changes completely because with just one phone and sharing mobile data, we could do little. From now on, we will do a lot,” she explained.
Representing the CD-PV of Argentina, Ricardo Videla recalled the creation of the CGD-PV in 1979 and a simple lesson left by Dr. Celso: “those who have more give to those who have less.” “We discovered that wealth exists in matter only if it is given and ha,s the principle of goodness in matter,” said Ricardo.
