More than a thousand people are expected at the spiedo dinner scheduled for Sunday, February 3rd to support the social cooperative «Cvl» in Lumezzane in bringing moments of joy and relief to disabled people and their families. The Gruppo spiedo solidale has stepped in to back the cooperative's initiative, which now faces an uncertain future due to shrinking public funding. The goal is to finance the "Respite Support" project, created years ago to address a two-fold need: to give families breaks from the daily demands of caregiving—so they can recover and regain energy—and to let disabled people experience new recreational outings. To that end, Cvl has organized both recreational weekends and special Saturday programs at its day center in Lumezzane. Some of these initiatives receive regional funding, but demand, as is often the case, exceeds what the government provides.
«We decided to organize a fundraiser to keep these invaluable experiences going,» explains coordinator Sandro Bicelli. «The respite projects were launched by the Region years ago, but lately funding comes and goes. So we took matters into our own hands—and this way, we can add to whatever money the region might eventually allocate.» The aim is to guarantee respite moments regardless of public funding, and the spiedo group's response was immediate. This is actually their first fundraiser since their original mission, which formed to help victims of the Amatrice earthquake. «We started in 2016, after that disaster struck Central Italy,» recalls Roberta Bertarini, one of the founders. «This is the first event we're doing for other causes, but there will be more. We'd like to organize events for people throughout the region. It's something we're trying out.» The committee brings together the Alpini of Sarezzo, the Gaim, the Andersen Association of Gardone, the Penne Nere, the San Sebastiano Oratory in Lumezzane, and the Liupard Sband—all energetic groups with plenty of ideas, who join forces for major events.
Everyone is invited to Sunday, February 3rd at 12:30 p.m. in the Paolo VI hall for spiedo and polenta starting at 10 euros. To reserve, call 339 5990343 or 366 7138948.
Source: Brescia Oggi