Ptaste of the gavel, this evening, bro Rebecca Annicchiarico And Valentina Simeone, both students of Battaglini scientific high school, who take turns as president of the Leo club Taranto Aragonese, the only high school club in Puglia, one of the very few in Italy.
The ceremony, which will be attended by the outgoing and incoming presidents of the Leo 108AB – Puglia district, Simona Bani And Alessia De Vincentis, both from Taranto, seals a very intense social year which saw the very young high school students, often in collaboration with Aragonese Lions puppies (a strong type of association in the USA but almost absent in Italy, it groups together children and young people from 6 to 12 years of age) and with the Aragonese Lions itself, carry out interventions in all the operational areas indicated by the Lions International and excel in fundraisers, in cultural events, in demonstrations of solidarity firsthand, in prevention. And despite the minor age of all its members, in the intense participation in the life of the Apulian district, of multiple district 108 Italy and to initiatives and events outside the Region, such as the audience with the Holy Father organized by Lions Two Seas with the participation of members of various Lions Leo and Cuccioli clubs, or outside the borders, such as the twinning in Tirana between the Aragonese Lions and the Tirana Host.
The numbers collected were impressive for the national operational theme of the Leos, the electronic cane for the blind and partially sighted; in the sight area, the dinner in the dark (to let able-bodied people experience blindness) organized with the sponsoring Lions and the Blind Union, together with participation in the collection of used glasses to be regenerated, was important. It’s still, last summer, welcome to the children of the international youth exchanges, with whom trips were organised, visits to the Cathedral, the Museum, the Superintendence, the Castle and a day at the seaside with disabled people of Anffas (in collaboration with the Cuccioli and the sponsoring Lions); the subscription of a study grant for the international study conference on Magna Graecia; participation in the project Fairy taleLeo (creation of a booklet of fairy tales for pediatric oncology patients, then extended by the Leo Italy Multiple District to other pediatric departments throughout Italy), with writing of a fairy tale and graphic creation and printing of the booklet; collection of medicines and stoves for Ukraine (one of the first clubs in Italy for contributions collected); participation in the “suspended backpack” service (collection of school materials to be donated via Caritas to children of families in need); collection and donation of toys for children from disadvantaged families; collections of contributions for the Lcif, Lions International Foundation which finances emergency interventions and long-term development programs around the world; organization of a concert to raise funds for Ant, the national cancer association; numerous meetings in schools on traffic education, youth cancer prevention, life-saving measures; participation, with the Lions Phalanto, at the piñata party with the guests of the San Cataldo reception centre; donation of children’s books to the children of prisoners; Kairòs project in collaboration with Cuccioli (a series of “games” that allow able-bodied people to simulate various physical disabilities); free blood sugar screening and organization of the blue lighting of city monuments to draw attention to the fight against diabetes day; and again, again, again…
Founded in June 2019 by the Taranto Aragonese Lions club, when presidentte of the club was a past president of the historic Leo club Taranto, Michele Rossetti, in collaboration with the Battaglini high school (whose head teacher, Patrizia Arzeni, he wanted to personally take on the role of school advisor for the club, while he has represented the sponsoring Lions in recent years Giuseppe Mazzarino, who had been a founding member and president of Leo Taranto), the Aragonese brilliantly passed the test of Covid-19 and confinement; a particularly difficult task for a school club which has seen schools closed for two abundant social years. But the boys didn’t give up; for example, they have organized collections of refurbished used computers to be donated to students in need who are therefore having difficulty with distance learning; telematic bingo and a thousand other initiatives. Then with the return to normality, activities exploded, providing the Leos of Aragonese with well-deserved regional, national and international recognition.
They have presided over the club in recent years Vitamaria D’Alessio, Nicla Chialà, Guglielmo Gigante (who at 19 joined the sponsoring Lions club as Leo-Lions) and the very young Federico De Martinis And Rebecca Annicchiarico (who took office after just 15 years). Now it’s Valentina Simeone’s turn, seventeen years old, who will have Rebecca Annicchiarico past president in her team, Ginevra Cosenza vice president, Marita Villanova treasurer, Mauro Lami master of ceremony, Federico De Martinis president of the members committee (Nicolai Peluso, Lavinia Zaccaria And Fabrizio Bondanese members), while the sponsoring Lions will be represented Francesca Donnaloia, who as Lions president promoted, among other things, the birth of the Cub club – Cuccioli Lions dell’Aragonese in December 2022. A triune club, the Aragonese, as the president of the Aragonese Lions 24/25, Giuseppe Mazzarino, likes to define it, which unites in a single social solidarity project people from the six and a half years of the smallest Cub to the almost 91 of the Lions member less young; and all in mutual respect of absolute equality, in the name of the joy of living and being together, in support of those who, temporarily or structurally, are in need. And always smiling, without ever taking himself too seriously.
