With the beginning of the new school year and the completion of a very successful season as motivation, I would like to wish personally, but also on behalf of the whole team of EXELIXI ZOIS, to all the friends and associates of the Organization, a good start and that they may return with great health, caution and optimism!
As you know, those of you who work directly with us, or just follow our actions, the educational year that ended, although special and unprecedented for everyone, did not find us unprepared and of course did not leave us indifferent.
At this point, with the beginning of the educational year as an opportunity, we consider it our duty to thank our sponsors from the bottom of our hearts, without whose help and contribution, we could not respond so immediately and with such success to the implementation of the programs, that continued even remotely - in all areas of our support and intervention.
None of the activities of the Organization could have taken place without our founding donor, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), who supported us in practice, ensuring that the whole team continues its work, even under these difficult conditions that we experienced worldwide.
In order for children and adolescents not to lose touch with the learning process during the period of compulsory confinement, with our ally both technology and our partners, we managed to redesign all our programs, educational, sports, even the art workshops. In collaboration with the excellent team of HIGGS, we designed online all the educational activities, for the completion of which, it lent to the collaborating institutions 10 PCs. At the same time, I would like to express my gratitude to the HERON Group, which in order to support the project of EXELIXI ZOIS, proceeded to the donation of PCs for the collaborating structures.
A big thank you also to the companies ENGIE Hellas and ALTER EGO Facilities Management, for the donation of personal protective equipment and items, such as masks, gloves and antiseptics, which covered the urgent needs caused by the pandemic, as well as for the disinfection of two of the structures.
In addition, I would like to thank our Ambassadors from the field of sports, Zoe Dimitrakou and Christos Koromilas, who undertook the training of children through a digital platform and of course KAE OLYMPIAKOS, which within the ONE TEAM program, continued coaching "digitally" the teenagers of "Stegi Agios Alexandros".
Of course, all the above would not have been possible, without the active participation, immediate reaction and adaptation, of all the collaborators of the Organization. Therefore, I would like to thank them personally, one by one since, for the coordination of the project in the field of education, we all participated, even online, when required!
Standard education, special education, parallel support teachers, vocational guidance counselors, a total of sixteen associates of the organization, with whom we share a common vision, for the development of a stable framework of action and intervention systems, were all present.
The unprecedented period of quarantine left us all with mixed emotions and formed a new daily life, which seems to last for a long time.
In the difficult situations we experience every day, solidarity and social contribution deserve promotion and congratulations. Let us not forget that raising awareness, sympathy and strengthening the common effort, aiming to achieve leaving a social footprint, are always at the forefront of solidarity actions, highlighting the values that strengthen society in times of crisis. Only through such actions and sincere love for fellow human beings, societies, being united are we able to overcome any crisis!
Wishing a good start to all!
The President and CEO,
Dimitra Kalantoni
& the team of EXELIXI ZOIS
