What better way to spend Christmas Eve than being close to the less fortunate members of our community?
“Amigos de los mayores” is an association whose work we have been following since its establishment in 2003. The association’s mission is to improve the life quality of elderly people by organizing home accompaniments and meetings where they are treated with dignity and respect as valuable members of the society.
We were privileged to host the award-winning team of volunteers of “Friends of the elderly” in our Madrid office and witness a model of altruism and kindness achieved by being of service to others.
“Friends of the elderly” has a long and established tradition of supporting communities. It dates back to 1946, just at the end of the Second World War when the association “Les petits freres des pauvres” was born in Paris. Because the city was in a state of destruction and most of the elderly have lost their relatives, Armand Marquiset created a group which then became an association that spread across France, and later Europe, US, Canada, Morocco and Mexico. In Spain, it first emerged under the name of “Amics de la Gent Gran”.
After having participated as volunteers in some of the delegations of the International Federation (Chicago and Paris), a group of volunteers decided to create in 2003 the Friends of the Elderly Foundation of Madrid.
The values that inspire the organisation are set out in the manifesto adopted at international level on November 30, 2002, and are as follows:
- The unique and irreplaceable value of each human being;
- Respect for every man and woman, whatever their origin, ideology and physical, mental or social state;
- The fundamental freedom of each person;
- Solidarity and social commitment.
If you’d like to contribute to the well-being of your community, consider volunteering for “Friends of the Elderly”. Sign-up for an initial discussion about the various ways in which you can support this cause.
