A very special anniversary for AVIS Castelfiorentino, which is preparing to celebrate its 80th anniversary with a grand celebration. On Monday 7 September, tradition takes centre stage with the revival of the legendary ‘Rificolona’, which, starting at 6 pm (Piazza Gramsci), will see children taking the lead in creating these charming crafts, using their imagination and colours. In the evening (9.00 p.m.), there will be a parade of all the “rificolone”, setting off at 9.30 p.m. from the Church of San Francesco and arriving in Piazza Gramsci, accompanied by the music of the “G. Verdi” Philharmonic Orchestra.
On Saturday 12 September, the celebrations for the 80th anniversary will begin with a procession setting off from Piazza Gramsci (at 5.30 p.m.) and proceeding to the Church of Santa Maria della Marca (again accompanied by the “G. Verdi” Philharmonic Orchestra), where Holy Mass will be celebrated in memory of twenty deceased donors. At 8.00 p.m., in the hall of the Church of Santa Maria della Marca, there will be an AperiAVIS event for all donors (booking essential), followed by the awards ceremony. Specifically, 27 donors will receive bronze awards (for at least 8 donations), 31 donors will receive silver awards (for at least 16 donations) and 32 donors will receive gold-plated silver awards (for at least 25 donations).
On Sunday 13 September, all the sister organisations are due to gather at the AVIS headquarters in Piazza Gramsci (at 8.30 a.m.), followed at 9.30 a.m. by the departure of the procession of the respective AVIS delegations, accompanied by the historical group of musicians and flag-wavers “Caracosta”. The procession will pay tribute to the first AVIS headquarters in Castelfiorentino, which opened in 1946 on the ground floor of the Town Hall (where there was also a district prison), before continuing along Via Volontari del Sangue, where a laurel wreath will be laid at the plaque commemorating all donors. At 10.30 a.m., at the Teatro del Popolo (Piazza Gramsci), the official ceremony marking the 80th anniversary will take place, featuring speeches by the authorities.
In attendance will be the Mayor, Francesca Giannì; the Councillor for Volunteering, Federica Parisi; the President of AVIS Castelfiorentino, Silvia Zannelli; the Regional President of AVIS, Claudia Firenze, Regional Councillor Brenda Barnini, Dr Paolo Amico (Director of Organisational Coordination for the area, AUSL Toscana Centro), Dr Franco Vocioni (Director of the Department of Immunohaematology and Transfusion Medicine, AUSL Toscana Centro), Simona Carli (Director of the Regional Blood Centre) and other dignitaries. This was followed by the presentation of awards to donors, with the Gold awards (60 donors with at least 50 donations), Gold with Ruby awards (23 donors with at least 75 donations) and Gold with Emerald awards (16 donors with at least 100 donations) being presented.
“A special anniversary for AVIS and for the entire population of Castelfiorentino,” emphasises the Mayor, Francesca Giannì, “who have always been keen to donate, even though the demand for blood – and plasma in particular – has risen steadily in recent years. This is also why we are renewing our appeal to the public – starting with those who have not yet done so – to make this choice: a noble gesture that helps support the treatment of numerous conditions and very often helps to save people’s lives. Between Saturday and Sunday, AVIS will present over 150 awards to our fellow citizens, to whom we extend our gratitude on behalf of the entire community of Castelfiorentino”.
At 1.00 pm, following the awards ceremony, a community lunch open to all is scheduled at the “F. Enriques” Secondary School (booking essential). For information and bookings: +39 0571 628032, +39 347 5369928 / +39 333 6887761
The 80th anniversary of AVIS is organised in collaboration with Ente Cambiano Spca, Fondazione Teatro del Popolo, Prociv Arci and Rav, and under the patronage of Castelfiorentino Town Council.
