- The organization, winner of a Social Value Award, has launched a day care center for people over 60
- This initiative avoids leaving them without this resource when they reach that age
Thanks to the latest edition of the Social Value Awards, an alternative has emerged this year, with the creation of this day care center opened in Güímar last June, where users’ psychological care will be strengthened thanks to this award. It is a versatile space where this organization can continue to be part of their lives, with specialized personnel and the necessary tools to accompany them in this new stage, so that their quality of life does not decrease and they can maintain their independence and autonomy.
This year, the project will benefit around 30 people with serious mental health problems, who will attend the Tajinaste Day Care Center to receive psychological care, participate in cognitive development and psychomotor activities, physical therapy sessions, as well as pilates and zumba classes to promote physical activity.
During the visit, the head of Fundación Cepsa in the Canary Islands, Belén Machado, who was accompanied by the project's sponsor at Cepsa, Fernando Hernández, underlined that “the work Atelsam does with this project is essential to guarantee quality aging, as well as maintaining the lifestyle they were used to. It allows them to have a purpose, to leave home and socialize every day, feel useful and stay active. Supporting initiatives like this, which addresses a real problem that is not receiving attention, and is also novel, fills us with enthusiasm, for the positive impact it has on the community.”
The manager of Atelsam, Ana Concepción, thanked Fundación Cepsa for its support and said that “we feel a deep gratitude for the boost that receiving a Social Value Award has meant for the opening and activity of the Tajinaste Day Care Center. This space will allow us to continue to support users and their families once they have crossed the threshold of 60 years. We don't want it to be just a space for activities, but to turn it into a space for everyday coexistence. Here, we can continue to provide support to people whom we have accompanied for much of their lives, in some cases for more than twenty years... and who now, simply because of their age, would have been left without our resources. From now on, this space will allow us to continue by their side, while providing them with active aging.”
About Atelsam Mental Health
Atelsam Mental Health is an organization that provides support and counselling in the recovery process to almost 400 people with severe mental disorders and their environment. Their work is fundamental to help create a more inclusive and just society, as it promotes the integration of users into the community and improves their quality of life.
Upcoming visits to 2023 winners
Fundación Cepsa has already visited the winning projects Envera and Atelsam Mental Health, and will soon visit the other winners of the latest edition of the 2023 Social Value Awards in the Canary Islands: Provivienda, Save the Children Foundation, and Asperger-TEA Canary Islands (AsperCan).
Social Value Awards
These annual awards, which began in 2005, are one of the stand-out initiatives of Fundación Cepsa. They are held in the Canary Islands, Madrid, Huelva, Campo de Gibraltar, Portugal, and Colombia, and are aimed at supporting disadvantaged people, groups and sectors, in addition to promoting solidarity values by involving Cepsa's professionals, who sponsor the projects presented by the non-profit organizations.
In the Canary Islands, a total of 74 projects have already been recognized as part of these awards, with a contribution of 712,000 euros from Fundación Cepsa in the Islands.
The period for submitting entries to the 2024 competition will start in the first few days of September.