A record €2,531,540 were raised in air of Dar tal-Providenza on New Year’s Day, a sum which included a €500,000 donation by the foreign sponsors of Sliema Wanderers, which was presented on their behalf by former Opposition Leader Adrian Delia.

The former PN Leader first presented a donation of €27,000 raised by his own team, but reappeared a few moments later to present the unprecedented donation from Catco Group Capital Investment.

Delia said he had been introduced to the group by Sliema Wanderers president Jeffrey Farrugia. He then read out a message by the group, and said this was not a one-off but the group wants to create a structure to make regular donations to Dar tal-Providenza.

Jeffrey Farrugia has been involved with many of Malta’s major football clubs. The chairman of Catco, Fisal Abdullah Alokla, has been appointed chairman of the Sliema Wanderers club.

The Tunisian-based company is a player in oil, gas and the automotive industry in the Middle East, Africa, and the Gulf States.

Speaking during the marathon, which was televised on the three local television stations, Dar tal-Providenza director Fr Martin Micallef said he was moved with the generosity and solidarity shown by the Maltese people.

Micallef handled incoming telephone calls and made a number of interventions from his office using Skype.

He continued to say that notwithstanding the Covid-19 and the uncertainties that followed, the Maltese population has again done big things with Dar tal-Providenza that in the last few months witnessed a substantial drop in revenue due to cancelled fundraising events such as the volleyball marathon. This was indeed a message of hope in a time of disheartenment by this pandemic.

Fr Martin said the home needs the funds to continue to provide the best residential services to 115 persons with disability that live in the Siġġiewi residence or its other community homes.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic situation the country is in, the whole programme as well as the venue for the activity had to be changed. In order to ensure the wellbeing and the security of the residents, which have been a top priority since last March, nothing happened at the Home’s Siġġiewi car park except for a ‘drive-through’ where persons wanting to make a donation did so without getting out of their car.

The important fundraising aspect of “Festa ta’ Ġenerożità” including appeals, telephone and on-line donations were done at the We studios in Qormi between noon and midnight.

During the marathon, visitors to the studios included President George Vella and Mrs Vella, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Galea-Curmi, President Emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and, through Skype, Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma and the Leader of the Opposition Bernard Grech.

Also present were ministers and Members of Parliament from both sides of the House, delegations representing the main political parties, various personalities and representatives of constituted bodies who also took time to answer the phones.

As has now been the custom, various parishes in Malta and Gozo made special collections during church celebrations that were donated to the Home on behalf of the community some of them also using Skype.

The first official visitor was Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna who also celebrated Mass in the Home’s chapel on the feast of Mary, Mother of God.

The Archbishop said that those who have been to Dar tal-Providenza easily understand that the Lord uses simple people to do big things. He did this when he used Mgr. Mikiel Azzopardi to work on founding a home for persons with disability and for the last fifty-five years the residents found a home that respected their rights and dignity. He thanked all the carers, workers and volunteers who for the last ten pandemic months have been protecting and caring for the residents and keeping them safe as well as their co-workers.

Mgr. Scicluna referred to the pandemic situation and said that taking the vaccine was not obligatory but was also a duty to show that we, as citizens, are capable of taking care of ourselves and of each other.