A 52-hour volleyball marathon yesterday kicked off in aid of Dar tal-Providenza in Siggiewi in a mammoth effort to raise funds for the home.
Dar tal-Providenza was founded by Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi in 1965 with the hope of offering a home with a warm and friendly family-like environment for people with a disability who could not remain in their own family home.
Since those humble beginnings, the home has expanded to offer all kinds of services for people with a disability and their families, but it does not come cheap.
The home currently has some 100 residents between the age of 9 and 80, and has some 200 employees and a similar amount of volunteers who help run the home and see to the needs of its residents.
Not only is it a residential home, but it offers respite care services to families of persons with disabilities, offering them support to keep their disabled family member within their natural environment.
It takes about EUR3.5 million per year to keep the home going. While the figure might sounds steep, the actual value which it gives to the residents and their families is priceless and is surely worth every cent. To really put it into context, one must do the arithmetic to figure out that the home requires a budget of EUR13,000 to run every day. In 2008, despite the many donations and the revenue it manages to generate itself, Dar tal-Providenza registered a financial deficit.
As a result, a 52-hour volleyball marathon has been organized and will be broadcast live on television. The home traditionally sees a considerable drop in donations and this event, which has taken a lot of organizing and logistical support should help drum up some much needed cash flow.
The organizers said that the focus of this event should be on the commitment and dedication of the volunteers who will be playing, and also those who will simply be lending a hand. Make no mistake, there are refs, people to fetch water, people to make food, people to operate the lighting systems. The list goes on and on and each and every one of these people should be commended for their efforts.
It has been five years since the marathon was last held and it is no big secret that it has been sorely missed, not only because of the funds it generates, but also because it had become an event on the summer calendar.
On this note, we again commend all those who are taking part in whatever capacity, no matter how small or large. It is the end of July and we are in for searing temperatures over the weekend, yet people have chosen to give up the beach and air conditioning in order to help give something back to the community.
Of course, not everyone can take part, some might have work commitments, others might be infirm, but we encourage each and every person to give a small donation. In today’s day and age, we are used to forking out donations for animals, the starving of Africa, political parties (that’s another story entirely) and God knows what else. We should do a little soul searching and realise that if there ever was a worthy cause, it is this one. Charity begins at home. Times are tough for each and every one of us, but they are much, much tougher, every day, for the residents of Dar tal - Providenza.