$600,000 of worldwide sales of his book Moonshot will go to foundations and organizations in memory of his mother. Albert Burla.

“He didn’t have the financial means to contribute money, but he had a kind soul to want to help and go to the rescue, having worked for these institutions many times,” the Pfizer CEO recalled today.

In a book titled Moonshot, Mr Burla describes his vision of the pandemic and the race to develop a vaccine to fight Covid-19.

In fact, Thessaloniki will be the first city in the world to receive support from the proceeds of a book translated into 16 languages. It will also be the largest revenue earner from “Moonshot”, which means “very high ball” in Greek (other cities around the world will also benefit from the revenue).

How did writing start?

“In the summer of 2021, I decided to chronicle what I consider the most difficult period of my life – and not only my life. The reason I decided to write this book was because I knew that these events would be part of history, and as we know history is written from different perspectives each time. I wanted to be sure to leave a legacy of our own view of how events happened,” said Mr. Burla, referring to “Moon Shot”, while recalling that with the pandemic began a huge adventure for humanity, the adventure of spreading fake news and history (about the pandemic and vaccines).

US Consul General

In her welcoming speech at the event, US Consul General in Thessaloniki Elizabeth Lee noted that “although the city is widely known for its rich history, landmarks like the White Tower, and delicious desserts like the Panoramic Triangles, its most enduring legacy is its people, their innovation, their determination and the contribution they make not only to Greece but to the world.”

As US Consul General over the past two years, he stressed, he had come to know and love the city and its people. “My wife is from Thessaloniki and my son Alexandros was born here two months ago. I deeply admire the resilience and strength that I see in Thessaloniki in the face of the pandemic, as well as the dedication of those who love Thessaloniki, as noted by Albert Burla and said that he is proud that the American company Pfizer offers the city and offered jobs to more than 700 young people Greek men and women, many of whom return to Greece to work for a company that inspires innovation and hope.

Sincerely

During his welcoming speech at the event, Deputy Interior Minister (Macedonia-Thrace) Stavros Kalafatis highlighted the fact that Albert Burla does not forget his roots and Thessaloniki which is in his heart, while he described the Pfizer CEO as one of the people striving for the collective good.

Governor of Central Macedonia Apostolos Tsitsikostas noted that “Albert Burla has brought back a piece of his soul to the city he started from, both through the creation of the Pfizer Center for Digital Innovation (CDI) in Thessaloniki, through the distribution of proceeds from his book and with dozens of other movements, which are not widely known. He expressed his assessment that Albert Bjorla’s decision to establish the CDI in Thessaloniki may have started as a “movement of the soul”, but in the next three to four years it will turn out to be a very smart business move.

Thessaloniki Mayor Konstantinos Zervas mentioned Pfizer’s contribution both to bringing more big companies to the city and to fighting the pandemic by creating a vaccine.

10 institutions and agencies and how they will use the donation

The 10 institutions and bodies to which the $600,000 will be distributed are:

• Children’s home for girls “Melissa”, in which 25 pupils, mostly teenagers. The orphanage was represented by President Argiro Stoila, who indicated that the donation will be used to continue and expand cooperation with the psychological support group for girls.
• A Greek children’s village in Filiro with 51 beneficiaries, represented by President Elisabeth Parasou, who announced that the donated money would be used to reopen one of the houses in the village, which will house six children (and hire two carers).
• The Spastic Association of Northern Greece with 108 beneficiaries, represented by President Mantos Mastoridis, who emphasized that the money from the donation – combined with parents’ contributions and agency resources – will be used to gradually implement a housing program on the land provided by the municipality.
• Center for Special Education with 81 beneficiaries, presented by President Marina Panagiotou, who indicated that the goal of the organization is to create a supported shelter (SHEL) and the donation helps to make a big leap in this direction.
• Association for the Rehabilitation of Persons with Special Needs “O Sotir”, with 209 beneficiaries, represented by President Urania Liakopoulou. Ms. Lakopulou noted that the money will be used to include seven new residents in the roof of the institution in New Kallikratia Chalkidiki, as well as for equipment and partial renovation of SYD.
• SYZOI / Association of People with Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities, with 22 beneficiaries, represented by President Nikolaos Kazantzidis, who noted that the donation will be used to continue for one year the organization’s multi-sensory programs for children, as well as to expand and improve them.
• ELPIDA, an association of people with autism with 78 beneficiaries, represented by President Maria Castanopoulou, according to which the donation money will be used to cover the salaries and insurance premiums of the organization, which recently received a license to operate SYD for nine adults.
• ELEPAP/Thessaloniki branch with 130 beneficiaries, represented by President Eleni Skuteli and Secretary Vicky Haitoglu, who announced that the donation will be used to launch a robotics program, among other things.
• Chariseo nursing home with 110 beneficiaries, represented by CEO Panagiotis Georgakopoulos. The nursing home plans to bring children closer to the elderly, including through the creation of traffic training parks, where the former will drive special vehicles, and the latter will play the role of… traffic police.
• Charitable Foundation – Saul Modiano Nursing Home with a license to operate for 50 seniors, introduced by President Samuel Abastado. The donation will be used to cover the institution’s operating expenses and, in particular, inflexible expenses such as medicines, food and heating, and renovations.

Pfizer Hellas management was represented by Zaharias Ragusis, Pfizer President and CEO, CDI Head Nico Gariboldi, Pfizer CFO Antonis Hatzimanolakis, as well as representatives and members of beneficiary associations and institutions.