Merry Christmas

The Agape Staff Plus Francesca

Many of you know that for Christmas presents to most friends and family, I chose instead to up my giving to two organizations. One is the Tanzania group, spearheaded in Sciacca by Rino Marinello, my friend and former landlord, and a doctor who not only was helpful to Fran when she was ill, and to me when I needed an operation, but also who spent time in Tanzania volunteering his skills to the people there.

The Board President Checks Out the Pastry at the party.

He is also the city minister in charge of services for the differently abled, and as such had to chain himself to the doors of city hall until they again promised to put in an elevator so that he could reach his office! Truly a good man.


The other is Agape, a non profit organization here in Sciacca that tries to provide day programming for differently abled adults. I say tries to, because it is not always easy. They had to fight to get space that had been promised them by the local, partly empty hospital, to provide the programming and therapy. They had to make the little building they were given to use accessible. They have to fight to get the funding they are supposed to get from the region and the nation, and they have to beg the city for additional funding. This also means that they must charge the families a fee for their service, and not all families are wealthy enough to pay for the service.









So each year I have made a donation to them, and somehow because of that, I have become a part of their family. Now you too are a part of their family, because by not getting a Christmas gift from me, you made a donation to them.

The Best Adapted
Physical Education
Teacher I have met
EVER

His whole attitude is infectious

At the Christmas Party this year, I was torn in two directions by the folks. They wanted me to take their pictures, and they wanted me to eat the pizza and arancini that they had. We finally settled on putting a sack of pizza and arancini in my car, leaving me free to take pictures.

The pictures start with the staff together, along with Francesca, who always greats me with a big smile, and tries to punch whoever comes up to me next. We are wise to her ways, and she does not get the punch in, then she smiles, gives me a big kiss on the cheek, and wanders on to get into other trouble. The pictures end with the last picture I took. The young man is wheelchair bound, and has one of the biggest smiles I know. I saw him the first year we were in Sciacca, at an Agape dance sponsored by the boy scouts. He was being carried around the dance floor by the physical education teacher, and he was as happy as could be. He is becoming more verbal, although it takes a lot of concentration on his part to form the words he wants to use. The wish he gave me is printed below his picture, which was taken just after he said it. It basically means 'Best Wishes', and is a common, all purpose, festive greeting.

auguri !!