The Rotary Club of Cuneo was born in 1925 from the merger of the Rotary Club Cuneo with the Rotary Club Cuneo-Alpi del Mare.
Claudio Grossi and Giacomo Gaiotti they handed over the baton to Luigi Fontana, in the handover ceremony held yesterday evening at the Hotel la Ruota in Pianfei.
After greeting those present he spoke Luca EveningDeputy Mayor of the Municipality of Cuneo: “Thank you for the support received over the years from this association made up of great professionals. Today the Cuneo Rotary groups join forces, making their mark on the territory even stronger” declared Serale. “The commitment and dedication of the Rotary members have made it possible to carry out numerous projects which have left a tangible mark in our community.“
Serale recalled that in the morning he had the honor of welcoming Mrs. Esther ValliItalian-Argentine, of the Rotary Club Santa Fe, twinned with the Rotary of Cuneo, witness of another important twinning, who thanks for the warm welcome received “every time I return to Italy I come to Cuneo, it is an honor to be here with you”.
President Grossi invited the President of the Rotaract Club Cuneo Provincia Granda Manuel Giraudo for a greeting: “I want to underline the importance of the relationship of trust established by you with Rotaract over the years, many services have seen us as partners” declared Giraudo, “for us there has always been only one ROTARY of Cuneo, because both Clubs they were close and participated in our initiatives and a strong bond of friendship was created highlighted by the large presence at each other’s events, and now I wish Luigi Fontana much success in his next presidency”.
Taking the floor again, Claudio Grossi declared that “Today we celebrate a unique moment in the history of our club. This year’s handover will not be a simple change, but will see two Presidents handing over the baton together to our dear Luigi Fontana. This event is the result of a year of intense work carried out in close collaboration with Giacomo Gaiotti, to whom I extend my most sincere thanks.”
The latter commented “I express profound gratitude to all the members for the support received, I extend particular thanks to Adriano Spada and Corrado Dogliani, I applaud them for having achieved the result of reunification between the two clubs, I report the motto of the international president of Rotary, Gordon McInally: “Bringing peace and creating peace.” “This motto does not only refer to wars, but also to everyday life situations. We have worked precisely in this spirit this year and I want to remember in particular the service developed in synergy between the Cuneo Rotary, the Mondovì and Saluzzo Rotary and the Cuneo Social Welfare Consortium to combat youth hardship and bring peace to young people in difficulty. A good Rotary was done, we managed to make an impact, make a difference through projects, and achieve the objectives by working as a team with the collaboration of the. Municipality of Cuneo and I want to thank the Mayor Patrizia Manassero and the Councilors Luca Serale and Cristina Clerico for their closeness to the Club.”
Regarding the merger of the clubs, Gaiotti underlined: “from today onwards we will express the professionalism and skills of the members through a single voice: President Luigi Fontana”.
President Grossi recalled the award given to Gabriella Giordano on the occasion of the Alba Congress, prize to celebrate examples of “Friendship Pura” established in memory of DGN Massimiliano Rye di Sangallo and Gabriella is welcomed with warm applause.
In his closing speech of his term, Claudio Grossi reflected on a year of presidency: “It has been a complicated but beautiful presidency,” said Grossi, “thanks to the wise company of Giacomo and Manuel, who have always supported me. The events organized have been of a high level, and many have seen our own Members as speakers. I also remember that thanks to Manuela Vico and District 2032 we organized the event “Creating Bridges”, an opportunity to meet with the French Clubs here in Cuneo”.
Grossi expressed profound gratitude to his Board of Directors and to all the members of the Rotary Club, underlining the importance of collaboration during his mandate. He also fondly remembered two deceased members, Eraldo Luciano and Pier Bordiga, paying homage to their contribution and memory.
In his speech, Grossi reiterated a fundamental concept for Rotary: “Rotary does not do charity, but takes care of making it less necessary”.
The role of President was then handed over to Luigi Fontana, Specialist in Diseases of the Cardiovascular System, National Councilor and regional representative for Piedmont of the Society of Permanent Training of Specialized Medicine (SIFo.P.), Instructor of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Defibrillator early (Basic Life Support – DAE), Provincial Medical Director of AVIS of the Province of Cuneo, Medical Director of the Italian Red Cross of Busca, Medical Director of AVIS of Busca, member of the Health Commission of the Rotary District 2032.
Luigi Fontana gave his first speech as the new president of the Rotary Club, “I have the honor of representing one of the oldest clubs, which will celebrate 100 years next year – Fontana declared -: I thank my predecessors, Claudio Grossi and Giacomo Gaiotti, for their commitment and for having managed to bring the clubs together, I thank my Board of Directors and the members of the commissions for their availability. The theme of my year will be ‘The Magic of Rotary’, which means being able, where there are difficult projects, to realize them. I underline the importance of listening, a value often overlooked in modern society, today we always listen little; we have a duty to listen where there are needs, and I thank from now on all the Members who want to give me suggestions. The next meetings in the month of July will give space to culture and will see the participation of illustrious guests such as Giulio Valesini, journalist, Dr. Piermario Giordano, President of the Council of the Alpi Marittime Protected Areas Management Body, the journalist Enrica Roddolo with Alberto Repossi.
In my year I will also develop projects related to health, and I mention in particular the initiative to bring the school to the pediatric hospital of Savigliano and digital medicine”.
The meeting marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Rotary Club of Cuneo 1925, with a strong commitment to enhancing projects and listening to the needs of the community, in the name of the “Magic of Rotary”. During the evening, 4 Phaul Harris were delivered to members who actively collaborated in the Club: the Treasurer Marco Caviglioli, the Secretary Salvatore Linguanti, the Prefect Michele Mestriner and the Councilor Alberto Peluttiero.
The evening was enlivened by Sister Arch, a wonderful string trio, composed of Eleonora Cavigliasso (first violin), Ilaria Bogetti (second violin) and Arianna Di Raimondo (cello).
