If a few days ago I had closed my eyes in the last row of the room where I sat and listened to the voice of Sotiris Tsiodras, I would have traveled back in time, thinking he was talking about vaccines. Fortunately, the era of the pandemic has passed, and the scientist who entered our hearts has entered the stage with another, no less noble mission: to present two of our outstanding fellow citizens, honored at the Together for the Child award ceremony. . It is an alliance of non-profit associations and institutions that have been working since 1996 to benefit children, youth and families facing poverty, disability, abuse and disease. This is a time-tested and respected institution by the Greek society, which has gathered around itself worthy people, sponsors, supporters, volunteers who support its work.

In turn, the Union has been thanking everyone who supports it for eight years at the annual ceremony, which for 2023 took place in the Concert Hall last Wednesday. First, the floor was taken by the head of Together for the Child, Alexandra Martinu, who emphasized that in recent years the Union has helped more than 90,000 children and their families in all areas of their lives. “We are going through a particularly difficult time for the solidarity sector. We are facing a society full of doubts and question marks,” he stressed. “We are here today to break out of the gray cloud of doubts and suspicions and show the beautiful side of our country, full of solidarity, progress, transparency, kindness and trust. Tonight we highlight the work of two people who, through their work and their social contributions, have and continue to have a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of our fellows.At the same time, we would like to thank all those who support, each in their own way, our actions and efforts to improve daily the lives of the children we embrace.”

Later Sotiris Tsiodras took over the baton and said a few words about two special people. Aristotelis Sidiropoulos – who sadly passed away last year – was an active citizen. Shocked by the famous disappearance of Alex a few years ago in his city of Veria, he founded the association “Initiative for a Child”. The aim was to protect children and young people, especially those most at risk, i.e. orphans or those from disadvantaged or single-parent families. In an atmosphere of great excitement, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to his wife Maria Kinikli.

The next winner was a young man, Dimitris Kontopidis, who, although suffering from cystic fibrosis and could lay down his arms, became an example of how a person with a chronic disease can appreciate, as he himself said, every day of life. his existence. The 40-year-old social entrepreneur and active member of civil society is actively involved in shaping health care policy as a patient representative, making sure that their “voice” is heard. He is the founder of the HUMANE Disability Support Network, Vice President of the Hellenic Patients Association and President of the European Lung Foundation.

As part of the ceremony, sponsors, ambassadors, individuals, volunteers and the media, who supported the work of “Together for Children” in the previous three years, were recognized. The awards and honors ceremony was presented by Together for the Child Ambassador Duchess Nomiku.