"Friends of Simone" is a volunteer association inspired by Catholic faith, registered with the regional authority as a nonprofit organization. It was founded in December 2006, born from the life and faith of Simone, a young man in the parish of S. Giustino in the Alessandrino neighborhood of Rome.
Simone died on Christmas Day 2005, at just 29 years old. He left behind a witness to living with enthusiasm and joy, fully present even amid difficulty and suffering. A rare genetic illness had gradually confined him to complete physical paralysis. Yet Simone embraced his condition and lived it by meeting Jesus daily in the Eucharist, surrounded always by friends from his parish community. Though he could not speak, his eyes alone conveyed an undeniable joy in living. Around his bedside, something took shape that would become the Association "Friends of Simone." Its mission is to support young people with disabilities and their families in the parish, and to foster their integration into the wider community.
Simone's example—and his family's continued presence as a resource to the community despite disability—encourages other parents in the association to open their hearts, to become advocates for neighboring families in practical need, and above all to overcome the fear of revealing their children's fragility. In practice, group outings to the cinema, day trips, and various activities create a sense of normalcy and make social inclusion possible in settings that families had once kept at a distance.
Our work as an association draws inspiration from a prayer of St. John Paul II, the pope so beloved by Simone: "Be His hands and His heart. His heart to love and pray. His hands to work, to build, and to serve." Our volunteers serve by following the Gospel; to form ourselves in Christian voluntary service, we gather each month to listen to God's Word and pray together. We also hold an annual spiritual retreat and a formative workshop.
The association has several divisions that work together across all phases of our life as a community: legal and administrative, social services, spiritual care, nursing, social relations, and technology.
Our activities are wide-ranging: handling social service paperwork, supporting students at school and in parish catechism classes, accompanying people to Mass, and assisting at parish outings and events.
One of our signature projects is "The Joy Factory"—a gathering for children and young people with and without disabilities that includes catechetical activities, games, music, theater, and hands-on crafts.
We also offer music therapy, where participants learn to express themselves together through music, sound, and dance; and equine therapy, which stimulates psychological and motor development through interaction with horses. To strengthen bonds among the families we serve, the association organizes day trips, longer outings, and various community events.
On the tenth anniversary of Simone's death, the association honored him with a musical about his life, interviews with lifelong friends, photographs, a biographical booklet and comic, and a brief television interview. All of this is available on our website (www.amicidisimone.it) and on our Facebook page (Adv Amici di Simone).
Contributed by the Association Friends of Simone
