The 15 finalists were celebrated and the five “WEmbracers” of the second edition of the Charity Gala Dinner were awarded. Special recognition also goes to Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee.
The event was organized by art4sport, the non-profit association created by Bebe Vio Grandis and her parents Teresa Grandis and Ruggero Vio, and took place on Thursday 21 March at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan.
An evening dedicated to sharing, storytelling and inclusion for the WEmbrace Awards 2024, the Charity Gala Dinner organized by art4sport, the non-profit association founded in 2009 on the initiative of Beatrice “Bebe” Vio Grandis and her parents Teresa Grandis and Roger Vio.
During the event, the 15 finalist stories were celebrated, chosen by an exceptional jury and divided into their respective “spheres of interest”, which represent concrete experiences of innovation, inclusion and valorisation of diversity.
Among them, five were awarded by the same Jury as WEmbracer 2024 and introduced by the words of the celebrants Gabriele Corsi, Giorgio Pasotti, Helen Nonini, Katia Follesa and Massimiliano Rosolino. These are App Be My Eyes (SFERA TECHNOLOGY), Massimo Pieraccini – NOPC (SFERA ACTION), Centro Train de Vie (SFERA OTHERS), Insieme a te (SFERA OURSELVES) and Talitha Kum (SFERA THE WORLD).
The WEmbrace Awards were also enhanced by the presence of Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, who on the occasion received a special award given to him by Bebe Vio Grandis.
The proceeds from the WEmbrace Awards are donated to support children and young people with prosthetic limbs that the art4sport ONLUS Association has been following and supporting since its inception.
The event and the WEmbracers 2024 – The initiative, conceived by art4sport with the important collaboration of the author Valentina Malfa and the creative director Andrea Celi, had as its central theme “WHYNOT?!”, which represented a statement, an affirmation of possibility, an intention that becomes action and change, an unstoppable movement that, starting from different directions, unites everyone in the pursuit of the purpose of the event, that of “embracing” and including.
For SFERA TECHNOLOGY, the Be My Eyes App was awarded, introduced by Gabriele Corsi, television and radio host, comedian and actor. This is an app born from the idea of Hans Jorgen Wiberg with the aim of offering assistance to all those who need visual guidance. By taking advantage of video calling technology and human connection, the Be My Eyes app allows you to bring sight to people who have lost it.
Katia Follesa, comedian, television and radio presenter, then took the floor and presented the story awarded for SFERA ACTION, that of Massimo Pieraccini. In 1993 Massimo Pieraccini, “an angel of transplants”, founded the Florence Civil Protection Operations Unit (NOPC), a voluntary association that began with organ transport services for transplants and then specialized in the transport of bone marrow from one continent to another.
Afterwards, the actor and director Giorgio Pasotti introduced the history of the Centro Train de Vie, awarded for the SFERA OTHERS. In an increasingly complex, demanding and fragmented world, the Centro Train de Vie cooperative, through the work of a multidisciplinary team, dedicates itself to modern emergencies affecting minors, families, schools and institutions. The cooperative’s initiatives represent a 360-degree management of the psychological distress of adolescents, ranging from school refusal to self-isolation to suicide attempts, trying to build a shared path towards their own identity and existence.
For the OURSELVES SFERA, the television personality and former swimmer Massimiliano Rosolino presented the story of Insieme a te. The Insieme a Te Odv Association, founded in 2017 starting from the story of Dario Alvisi, from Faenza suffering from ALS, and his family, has been managing a bathing establishment dedicated to people with serious disabilities since 2018 and organizes awareness-raising initiatives on the topic also and especially with children and young people from schools of all levels.
In conclusion, Brand Advisor and Strategic Consultant Helen Nonini introduced Talitha Kum, the story awarded by SFERA THE WORLD, i.e. the International Network of Consecrated Life against Human Trafficking. Formally founded in 2009 at the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) as an international initiative against human trafficking and exploitation, Talitha Kum promotes collaboration between networks organized at national, regional and continental levels, actively supporting victims, survivors and people at risk in over 97 countries around the world.
The other finalist stories celebrated during the event were App SymChat and App Viola (SFERA TECHOLOGY), Filippo Cogliandro – Chef and Marco Bartoletti – BB Spa (SFERA ACTION), Fondazione Tetrabondi and Niccolò Campriani (SFERA OTHERS), Alis Focacceria and Baby Gang of Lemonade (SFERA OURSELVES), Emergenza Sorrisi ETS and Slums Dunk (SFERA THE WORLD).
The Jury featured exceptional personalities from the Italian and international scene:
Barbara Stefanelli (Deputy Deputy Director of Corriere della Sera);
Beatrice Vio Grandis (Paralympic foil champion);
Giovanni Malagò (President of CONI and the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, IOC member);
Guido Harari (Photographer);
Laura Pausini (Grammy, Latin Grammy, Golden Globe rewarded Artist and Oscar Nominee);
Luca Pancalli (President of CIP, Vice President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, Member of the IPC Governing Board);
Luca Parmitano (ESA Astronaut);
Maria Grazia Chiuri (Artistic Director of the Dior women’s Haute Couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections);
Nicoletta Mantovani (President of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation);
Shiva Ahmadi (Iranian-American artist and professor of Art at the University of California);
Telmo Pievani (Philosopher of biology, evolutionist, essayist, television and theater author).
To enrich the program of the event, a choir of twenty young people was added who, with their voices and their hands, performed in a unique performance in English and in SSE, sign supported English. They are the students of the Centro Teatro Attivo of Milan, directed by Carlotta Michelato, musical theater teacher. The students of this historic Milanese school, founded in 1981 by Nicoletta Ramorino, have the opportunity to study all disciplines related to the world of theater with exceptional teachers. For several years the CTA has collaborated with the Eloiseloro social cooperative to create shows accessible to all, thanks to the use of Italian, signed Italian and sign language. For a theater for everyone.
At the end of the event, the evening ended with the afterparty accompanied by a DJ set starring SARAFINE, winner of the seventeenth Italian edition of X Factor, and Milangeles.
The partners of the 2024 edition – The event was able to count on the patronage of the Municipality of Milan and the support of the Main Partners Algida, Costa Crociere, Damiani, Hotel VIU Milan, Humangest, Rilastil, Sorgenia, Toyota and Venini, on that of the Corporate Partner ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, Alfaparf Milan, Barilla G. e R. Fratelli SpA, BGG SpA, Capgemini, Consulcesi, CORE: Milan, Dior, ERRE Company, Gruppo Montenegro, Horus Capital Partners Srl, Leonardo Assicurazioni Srl Benefit Company, L’Oreal Paris, McCann Worldgroup, OMEGA, Quadro Advertising, Robotti’s Friends and Volvo Penta, the Wine&Beverage Partners Ferrari Trento, Tenute Lunelli and Surgiva and the Technical Partners Broggi, Villeroy&Boch and Zafferano. Special thanks also go to Chef Daniel Canzian, Chef patron of the Daniel Canzian Ristorante, and to the Location Fabbrica del Vapore, a prestigious space reserved for events designed and created to promote values that make the place a true accelerator center of the language of contemporaneity .
Beatrice “Bebe” Vio Grandis, paralympic foil champion: “The WEmbrace Awards were created to send a message of inclusion, but also to inspire change in each of us, because we can all make a difference in our daily lives. The stories we have celebrated are testimony to how, from a simple idea, passion and work can bring incredible results and benefits in both the short and long term. The emotions were many and strong, a huge thank you goes to all those who participated and who made this evening possible.”
Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety: “The WEmbrace Awards are a source of inspiration and a shining example that no matter what challenges people face, there is a place for them in sport. Furthermore, with determination and perseverance they can overcome these challenges. They can show the way forward for others, bring about change, reminding us that our challenges do not determine where we go, but only where we start from. The WEmbrace Awards show us how people are more than their disability and also what they can achieve despite it, thanks to their determination and courage.”
“The WEmbrace Awards 2024 recognize the merit of those who make a difference every day in many areas of daily life. Among these there is certainly sport and above all accessible and inclusive sport, in line with what art4sport ONLUS does every day in our city, promoting sport as therapy and making it something completely natural. In Milan, and beyond, there are many organizations that offer innovative models to bring people closer to sport. Telling these stories and making known the experiences rewarded with the WEmbrace Awards is necessary to ensure that the desire to make a difference arises in the new generations, even when the results seem impossible to achieve”, comments the Sports Councilor of the Municipality of Milan Martina Riva.
Photo Bizzi Team
2024-03-24 13:39:00
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