A total of 61,000 euros in prize money went to the seven winning entities in the Archipelago
They work in the areas of mental health, the fight against youth unemployment and the treatment of autism, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia or deaf-blindness
This morning, the Fundación Cepsa held its 2016 Social Value Awards in the Canary Islands. The event was attended by Jerónimo Saavedra, Ombudsman and Chairman of the Jury; Cristina Valido, Councillor for Employment, Social Policies and Housing of the Canary Islands Government; Óscar García, Councillor for Social Affairs of Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council; Beatriz Sicilia, head of the Tenerife Solidarity Program; and José Manuel Fernández-Sabugo, Director of Cepsa in the Canary Islands.
The entities that received their award today are the ATELSAM Mental Health Association, represented by its president, Tomas Martin, the entity AFES Mental Health, represented by its Chairman Enrique Gonzalez, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Hemophilia Association (AHETE), whose social worker and coordinator for the winning project, Beatriz Garcia, collected the award; the Spanish Deaf-blindness Association (ASOCIDE Canarias), with its territorial delegate, Tania Izquierdo; the ADSIS Foundation; and the Oliver Mayor Foundation against Cystic Fibrosis in the Canary Islands, represented by its Chairman, Benito Mayor.
The Deputy Chairman of the Parents of People with Autism of Tenerife (APANATE) Association, José Luis Barquín, received one of the three “Special Employee Prizes”, granted by the Fundación Cepsa, after the jury voted it as one of the finalists from the organizations in Spain, Portugal, Colombia and Brazil where the awards are held.
During the meeting, the organizations were supported by their respective solidarity sponsors, Cepsa professionals who endorsed their projects. Fernández-Sabugo spoke of the work done by the 49 entities presented in the Canary Islands at this edition of the Awards. “Without their efforts, each in its own field, the world would be a very different place; they work hard and provide a real and necessary service to society," said the Cepsa representative during his speech.
Award-winning entities and projects The ATELSAM Mental Health Association, sponsored by José Quintana, carries out its “Taking care of me” project to improve the quality of life of the relatives of people with mental health problems, reducing the emotional cost, helping to empower them as an essential part of the rehabilitation plan for their sick relatives.
AFES Mental Health, sponsored by Nauzet González, runs a project called “Promotion and training of volunteers in mental health” to promote the involvement of society in volunteering aimed at improving the quality of life of people with serious mental disorder. They have taken the innovative step of getting the patients themselves to take part in the volunteer program, so helping them to recover.
The Santa Cruz de Tenerife Hemophilia Association (AHETE), sponsored by Maite Núñez, will allocate the amount of the Prize to an initiative called “Acceptance of hemophilia in the infantile stage”. The idea is to normalize the disease at an early age and to allow the children to familiarize themselves with the group of hemophilia professionals (hematologists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, physiotherapists...)
The Spanish Deaf-blindness Association (ASOCIDE Canarias)will carry out the “Deaf and blind people care service” in Gran Canaria, to offer specific advice and guidance on the common problems associated with this disability, mainly in relation to communication and mobility issues. This program is sponsored by Rosa Santoro.
The ADSIS Foundation, sponsored by Juan Hernandez, will launch the “Fusion-Restaurants” initiative, providing unemployed young people with specific training in the restaurant and catering business. They will first explore the real needs of large companies in the sector, seeking synergies between business and training.
The Oliver Mayor Foundation Against Cystic Fibrosis in the Canary Isles, sponsored by Jorge Lemus, will launch a program called “Physiotherapeutic respiratory education for people with cystic fibrosis and their families”, so that the disease can also be treated at home.
The Parents of People with Autism of Tenerife Association - APANATE (Special Employee Award), sponsored by Alberto Sancho, will launch an “Early Care Program for Children with Autism”, aimed at 64 children between 2 and 12 years, to improve their autonomy and communication. The Social Value Awards have been held nine times, with 279,000 euros in funds going to the Canary Islands for the 36 winning projects out of 380 submitted in total since 2008. This is part of a global initiative driven by the Cepsa Foundation, which in 2016 alone distributed nearly 400,000 euros among the 39 entities that won the Social Value Awards in Spain, Portugal, Colombia and Brazil.