Archive for category: News

Mary Verzin, Gemma and her husband John Paris were three volunteers of Id-Dar tal-Providenza among the ninety-four persons nominated for the Active Ageing Awards 2019.
During the Awards giving ceremony held at Qawra Palace Hotel, all nominees were given a certificate in recognition for their work by H.E. The President, Dr George Vella in the presence of Mr Anthony Agius Decelis, Parliamentary Secretary for Persons with Disability and Active Ageing.
The winners of this year’s awards were the following:
The Married Couple Award went to Nikol and Mary Baldacchino. Paul P. Borg and Professor Stanley Fiorini received the Award for Academia in Ageing, and the Award for Sport in Ageing went to John Magri. Two musicians, Maestro Paul Abela and singer Freddie Portelli, received the Awards for Ideal Model and Culture in Ageing respectively. The Award for Intergenerational Solidarity went to Special Olympics Malta, and Anġlu Fenech and Maria Camilleri received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The winners were chosen by a board headed by Professor Carmel Borg.
Parliamentary Secretary Anthony Agius Decelis said that the record number of nominees “shows that the people appreciate the work being carried out by Government, and also that the policy of active ageing is being appreciated among the elderly.”
President George Vella expressed his appreciation at the steps being taken to alleviate the solitude which may affect some persons, particularly those who feel the absence of a family during the day. In this regard, President Vella also referred to activities organised at day centres for the elderly within the community.

The St. Paul Chamber Ensemble presented another vocal and instrumental concert at the parish church of Santa Luċija under the direction of Chev. Mro. Mark Agius. The concert was organised by the Santa Luċija Local Council in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza. Taking part were sopranos Karen Gatt Darmenia and Frances Catherine Farrugia, tenor Joseph Aquilina, baritone Louis Andrew Cassar and guest artist Louisa Buhagiar.
Present for the occasion were the Vice-Mayor, Mr Frederick Cutajar, the parish priest the Rev. Dr Joe Mizzi, the Director of Id-Dar tal-Providenza, Fr Martin Micallef and representatives of the Chinese Community in Malta. The concert was planned to take place at the Chinese Garden of Serenity in the locality of Santa Luċija but had to be moved to the church because of inclement weather.
The St. Paul Chamber Ensemble is one of Malta’s finest orchestras, bringing together some of the most talented musicians and singers on the island.

A group of Dar tal-Providenza residents took part in the “Festa Għeneb” organised by the Siġġiewi Local Council in the main square of the village on Sunday, 25th August 2019. They set up a stand where they could exhibit and sell food products that they themselves prepare at the St Isidore Agriculture Centre. ‘Friends of Id-Dar tal-Providenza’ also set up another stand selling drinks with the profits going towards the Home.

“Festa Għeneb” is a cultural activity to foster awareness of grapes and its ties with the village. Siġġiewi is the locality with the largest concentration of vineyards with hundreds of families involved in the processing of grapes.

“Festa Għeneb”, which is in its eighth year, is held with the collaboration of Id-Dar tal-Providenza and VitiMalta with the participation of various organisations based in Siġġiewi. The activity is in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza and the funds raised will be presented on New Year’s Day during the Feast of Generosity that is broadcast live on Malta’s main TV stations.

Entrepreneur Paul Gauci made a promise to Mgr Victor Grech 20 years ago as they sat together in Qawra that summer: that he would help Caritas – which the priest had run for a few decades by then – if he ever could. True to his word, Mr Gauci not only fulfilled that promise, helping Caritas but also Dar tal-Providenza, in an innovative way that he hopes will be taken up by other benefactors.

Id-Dar Tal-Providenza and Caritas received 750,000 shares each from his personal 75 per cent shareholding in PG plc, meaning that the two entities will receive not only the capital value of the shares, but also two dividends a year, subject to the performance of the company.

Although Caritas and Dar tal-Providenza receive bequests on a regular basis, the scale of this donation is considerably higher, enabling them to budget ahead, something that is notoriously difficult for entities to do when they rely so heavily on fundraising.

“I wanted to give them a tree, something that would give them fruit every year,” Mr Gauci explained, flanked by his family who were fully behind his donation.

“My father always used to tell me that charity never made anyone poor. A person’s legacy is never going to be defined by what they left behind in terms of material success, but by what good they did while they could,” he added.

His decision to give them shares, rather than a donation, was motivated by his huge respect for the two entities, which have a tremendous social role.

“When you give money, you are not always sure how it spent. Benefactors have a responsibility to scrutinise the entity that they want to support, and to ensure that there is transparency,” he said, clearly holding both entities in very high regard.

Fr Martin Micallef, Director of Id-Dar tal-Providenza, said that the emphasis placed by more and more companies on corporate social responsibility, symbolises the recognition that prosperity is best achieved in an inclusive society. “This is a new approach towards corporate social responsibility and as described by Mr. Paul Gauci during our talks in finalising this donation, we were given a tree, or perhaps a continuous drip

of water, to complement and sustain our orchard of generosity. We depend heavily on the generosity of companies like PG Group and on fund-raising initiatives and it’s thanks to people like Mr. Gauci, to whom we direct our heartfelt thanks, that we can continue to provide and improve our service to the 115 residents at id-Dar tal-Providenza” Fr Martin said.

Caritas Director, Mr. Anthony Gatt, said that it is through such initiatives and the generosity of the Maltese people in general that we rely on. “Maltese people always contributed and showed a great sense of generosity whenever it was called for and these funds will assist us to continue providing our extensive range of services to vulnerable members in our community” concluded Mr. Gatt.

The Together Couples Group raised €5,160 during their annual summer BBQ in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza. The Charity dinner was held at the Siġġiewi Home. Stefan Sant Portanier, coordinator of the group, thanked all those who attended and the companies that supported the event.

The Together Couples Group is a spiritual Catholic group for couples that aim to find the grace of God in their life, in couple relationships and family life.