The Children of Spring bloom all year long with a new Day Center in Veria

With the inauguration of the second Children of Spring Day Center, this one in the northern Greek city of Veria, a dream of many years has now become a reality. The Center, which will accommodate more than 50 people with disabilities from all over the prefecture, is the result of a collaborative effort, with significant support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), local government, businesses, and private individuals.

The inauguration ceremony, which took place on Sunday, October 9, kicked off with a touching opening speech by the President of the Association of Parents & Guardians of People with Disabilities of Imathia, Eleonora Sarkatzi.

SNF Senior Program Officer Aristi Stathakopoulou, also gave a speech, saying, “At the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), we firmly believe that every person is entitled to equal opportunities in all essential areas, from education to health—to life itself. As a philanthropic organization, we always strive—to the full extent of our capabilities—to offer our support to those in need and to contribute to efforts that work towards a world with less social inequality, with inclusion and a genuine acceptance of the type of diversity that makes each and every one of us special; a world with equal opportunities for all, without exception. And we could not possibly ask for a better and more powerful expression of this wonderful uniqueness than the Children of Spring, who never become complacent.”

At SNF, we have had the honor and the pleasure collaborating with the Children of Spring in the past, supporting its purchase of two school buses and the construction of its new Center in Alexandria in the northern Greek region of Imathia to replace its temporary facilities. This previous grant was part of SNF’s Grants Against the Greek Crisis initiative.