An Association dedicated to promoting the culture of donation has been operating in Bologna for over 70 years, supporting hospital centres not only in the management of donors, but also in a constant awareness-raising activity. Because blood is not produced, it is donated. Lucrezia Lanzani interviews Luciano Signorin, chairman of FIDAS Bologna, for FARE INSIEME Charity
FARE INSIEME CHARITY is the spin-off of the FARE INSIEME project dedicated to the presentation of some onlus and non-profit associations with roots in the area around Bologna, Ferrara and Modena and that carry out extraordinarily important and crucial work for the entire community. Here are some of their stories
by Lucrezia Lanzani*
“Donation: the action of donating, what is given or received without receiving anything in return; it can be a material or spiritual good”
It was 1951 when a new reality of donation was born in Bologna: from a split with AVIS, a small group of volunteers decided to act in the face of the growing need for blood for the patients of the Sant’Orsola Hospital. This is how the Association of Voluntary Blood Donors (Associazione Donatori Volontari di Sangue - ADVS) took shape, which today we know as FIDAS Bologna and is part of the national federation of the same name FIDAS (Federazione Italiana Associazioni Donatori di Sangue - Italian Federation of Blood Donor Associations).
«Today, FIDAS Bologna continues to play a fundamental role in promoting the culture of donation, supporting hospital centres not only in the management of donors, but also in constant awareness-raising activities. Because blood is not produced, it is donated. And the generosity of one person is often the salvation of another», begins Luciano Signorin, chairman of the Association.
With around 5,000 active members every year and a team of around forty volunteers, FIDAS carries out a difficult but necessary work: «We ask people to physically donate a piece of themselves to us. It is a gesture that may seem small, but on the other hand it can mean life», continues Signorin.
The Association, however, has chosen to invest in the new generations, aware that without a generational change there can be no future for any reality, especially this one. This is how projects with schools were born, aimed at raising awareness among students about the importance of giving, and the “academic quarters of an hour”, designed for universities: fifteen minutes before the start of lessons we meet to talk about giving, about health and social responsibility, with the participation of active donors and volunteers. Also for young people, the “Che Classe” competition is active, aimed at boys and girls between 14 and 25 years old living in Bologna and the province, to tell – through words, images or videos – what the beauty of giving in general represents for them.
«We always remain active in the territory. Every year we participate in public events, information stands, sporting events (such as the Bologna Marathon), and initiatives with local institutions and companies; this is to continue to maintain contact with people. In September, for example, we will also be present at FARETE, the two-day event organised by Confindustria Emilia at BolognaFiere, to bring the business world closer to the topic of donation. And on 28th September, during our Social Festival, we will also organise a small award ceremony for the most active donors», continues the chairman of FIDAS Bologna.
On Saturday, 14th June, on the occasion of the World Blood Donor Day, FIDAS Bologna will be present in the transfusion centres with small gadgets and information materials to celebrate donors together and attract new ones during the summer period, when the shortage of blood is felt. From 4 pm, the Association will also be a guest at the Vialarga Shopping Centre in Bologna, with an information stand and many free events that will liven up the afternoon including: a seminar with a nutrition biologist, a yoga lesson, the awards ceremony of the "Che Classe" competition and, in the evening, a solidarity walk through the streets of the San Donato and San Vitale neighbourhoods, all of this organised and managed by volunteers.
In parallel to the promotional and collection activity, FIDAS Bologna has also started a civil protection group, now composed of 13 volunteers, with the aim of being ready to respond in case of emergencies, even outside the healthcare field.
«Donating is simple: anyone can become a donor if they are between 18 and 59 years old, weigh at least 50 kg and are in good general health. Just contact the Association and schedule a fitness check-up and begin this journey of concrete altruism, all the information can also be found on www.fidasbologna.org. In Italy, almost 1,800 patients are transfused every day, thanks to the generosity of many donors. The blood used for emergency transfusions, the ones you see in the movies, is only 3% of that collected. The remaining 97% is used in various hospital departments: from surgical rooms to transplants, from gynaecological departments to oncological departments, up to the burns departments and thalassemic patients, just to mention a few examples. It is a real life-saving medicine and its availability makes the difference between life and death», concludes Luciano Signorin.
Today FIDAS Bologna is present in the Bologna area, cooperating with the transfusion centres of the S. Orsola and Bellaria hospitals and with various collection points active in the province. Furthermore, it also collaborates with other donation associations (such as those of bone marrow and organs), because the goal is common and, thanks to this network of simple gestures, we can guarantee everyone a healthy future.
*Lucrezia Lanzani is a student at the Steam Emilia High School. She is seventeen years old and has always been interested in social issues. She has been volunteering for three years in different organisations in her community.
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