“Bringing food parcels to those in need helped me get through the Covid period.” In the city there are 19 groups, more than 1800 members, of which almost 1500 are Alpine and the rest are “aggregates”.
Rocco Coletta, a retired soldier, is the director of the Trento section of the National Alpine Association (ANA). Volunteering is a passion that he has known since he was a boy, when he helped with the activities of his parish, and which he then cultivated as a scout leader while he worked.
How many years has your association existed? How is it structured?
Our section has existed since 1920. To celebrate these 104 years of activity we are organizing initiatives. In the municipal territory we are organized into 19 groups and in 2023 there were more than 1800 members (1857), of which almost 1500 (1475) are Alpine and the remaining (382) are “aggregates”, i.e. civilians who sympathize with our association. The latter also participate in our initiatives. The only difference with the members is being able to wear an Alpine hat, even if being an Alpine member has a deeper meaning than having a hat or not. All together we dedicated ourselves to volunteering for more than 18 thousand hours and we raised 24 thousand euros to give to charity.
Furthermore, as the Trento section, we take care of collecting the data from the other sections of the Province, therefore the number of members, the hours dedicated to volunteering and the amount of money donated to charity, and all this is then reported in our “Book green” annual. In this regard, in Trentino we have over 22 thousand members, including Alpine soldiers (16 thousand) and members, we have dedicated over 120 thousand (123,662) hours to voluntary activities and we have collected more than 24 thousand euros in donations. Then there are also our Alpine volunteer units (Nu.Vol.A.), active above all in the field of Civil Protection, which were active for approximately 13 thousand hours (13,360).
How did you start volunteering for the association? What does he do?
I approached the association during the meeting in Trento to help and then, once I retired, I dedicated myself more actively. Now I lend a hand where needed in the various initiatives, however I mainly deal with the administrative functioning in synergy with the president and the three vice-presidents.
What does the association do?
The ANA carries out various activities, from organizing food collections to fixing up parks and paths through to volunteering during Alpine celebrations. We are also committed to raising funds for emergency situations, as we did after the recent flood in Emilia-Romagna, managing to donate around 30 thousand euros. Or, after the Vaia storm in 2018, we organized a charity sale of panettone with which we raised 27 thousand euros to build the Memory Forest in Tenna, a concrete way to restore part of the destroyed green areas.
Can you tell us something significant for you related to your volunteering activity?
A particularly intense period, but not only for me, was Covid. From March to May we Alpine troops took action, bringing food parcels to people in difficulty indicated to us by the Municipality of Trento. I remember that I and others traveled 8 thousand kilometers in the city. There were only us and the police around. The fact of being able to leave the house to contribute made us feel useful and allowed us to go through that difficult period. In this sense, helping others was therapeutic. It must also be said that we risked a lot since we went out with masks produced by us based on our military experience because they were not easily found. However, it was important that we did this because there were so many people in the city waiting for our food parcel.
What does it give you to spend your time on a completely free activity?
Kisses and hugs. You volunteer without expecting anything in return, but it is equally true that doing so gives you great personal pleasure and people appreciate your commitment. And I saw this especially when I was a scout leader, because children often came to me to say: “Thank you Rocco”. This exchange between different generations in volunteering is also very beautiful in my opinion. Inside the ANA there are several people older than me who still work hard and their dedication is truly admirable for me and for the other younger people in the association.
Do you have any requests, any suggestions to help volunteers in your sector? Is there any need you would like to point out to us?
As with all military associations, ours also has the problem of generational turnover due to the fact that compulsory military service has been eliminated. For example, only 0.94 percent of our association is under 40. However, as mentioned, even those who have not served in the military can be part of our association as an aggregate and make their contribution to our voluntary activities. .
Volunteering makes me happy because…
It recharges me. Maybe you start the day feeling a little down, but then you come back recharged because you meet different people and do good.
Can you give me some contacts for your association for those interested in joining it?
All information about the association and our activities are on our website www.ana.tn.it/ita. Then anyone who wants can stay updated by always reading our quarterly on the site Doss Trento.
