MILAN – Over 100 enthusiastic and generous participants attended the charity auction for Don Gino Rigoldi's Associazione Bambini in Romania (Children's Association in Romania), organised by FC Internazionale and Pirelli in collaboration with Sotheby's.
The auction was held this evening at Pirelli Corso Venezia, the flagship store of the PZero industrial design project, with a number of Nerazzurri players in attendance. Claudia Dwek, Sotheby's Deputy Chairman Europe and Modern and Contemporary Art Chairman Italy, was the auctioneer. The 24 lots donated by Inter and the players, by Pirelli, and also by Samsung, Slide, Bric's and Forma: jerseys, gloves and boots, skis, bicycles and skateboards, but also one-off opportunities like a visit to the Formula 1 and Superbike paddocks or Inter's trophy room; for the kids, the chance to step out onto the pitch alongside the captains; designer items, like a personalised bar, autographed wheeled suitcases, a camera with a swivel display and a table football table.
Don Gino Rigoldi opened the evening by greeting the organisers and those who turned out to support the Children's Association in Romania, which - together with its Romanian partner association Inima pentru Inima (Heart for Heart) - looks after orphans, abandoned kids and those at risk of being abandoned, as well as children from hard-up families.The funds raised will help build education, cultural development and professional training facilities for children, while valuing the human resources of the families of origin in order to facilitate, where possible, the children's reintegration into their families.
Since 1999, the Children's Association in Romania has trained 2,000 volunteers in Italy, who have worked in orphanages in various Romanian provinces with the aim of offering an emotional and cultural exchange. Inter Campus has also contributed to the initiative, working alongside Children in Romania and Inima pentru Inima since 2000 to restore to children the right to play.