On Thursday, January 28th, the nonprofit cooperative “Chez nous, …le Cirque!”, from Cascina (Pisa), with the support of Kedrion Biopharma – which provided members of its staff as part of a corporate social responsibility campaign – brought their cheer to the San Francesco Hospital in Barga, The initiative was well received by the local health unit, Azienda USL Toscana Nord Ovest, especially by Michela Maielli, its healthcare coordinator for Lucca and the Valle del Serchio, and by Romana Lombardi, coordinator of the Valle del Serchio hospital facilities in Barga and Castelnuovo.
For years, the Cooperativa Sociale “Chez nous, …le cirque!” has been working in healthcare, staging hospital clown acts in Pontedera, Lucca, Pisa, Empoli and Massa. It is engaged in educational projects such as a circus school for children, adults and disabled people. In addition, “Chez nous, …le Cirque!” offers a Museum – Italy’s only one all about the world of circus – conferences, workshops, school projects, training courses, corporate teambuilding, shows and events: ways of bringing the public at large closer to a vast, profound and joyful reality, because the world of circus is a treasure-trove of art and culture that deserves to be protected and known better.
As part of the project, “Chez nous, …le Cirque!” also trained around 40 Kedrion Biopharma staff, who, in the course of the afternoon of January 28th, worked alongside the co-op’s own clown doctors in the “new” area of the hospital, which is situated on the first floor and includes the Paediatrics, Neonatology and Obstetrics wards. Meanwhile, another group of Kedrion staff tried their hands at interior decoration, posting bills and stickers with Disney pictures and photos donated by Kedrion Biopharma; lastly, a third group of people, made up of Kedrion and co-op staff, got busy with the gardening, replacing pots and flowerbeds outside the hospital.
“It is an interesting project for our hospital facilities in Barga and Castelnuovo Garfagnana – points out Michela Maielli –, which can help put a smile on the faces of children and adults in hospital and their families. In particular, having clown doctors in our facilities (in Lucca, it has now become a regular event) is always much appreciated by users and our staff alike. Such initiatives are opportunities to socialise, and to have fun, which make hospital stays easier to bear”.
Kedrion Biopharma has partnered “Chez nous, …le Cirque!”, and will join in with similar projects, because it subscribes to the idea that smiling and joy are of great help, and could therefore assist patients in getting better. Kedrion employees, along with other community members, will help bring joy to those who need it; the Company has always been keen to foster the wellbeing of those who benefit from its products, as well as that of the local communities in which it operates. This initiative is part of the annual projects which, from the United States to Hungary, Kedrion Biopharma promotes in partnership with nonprofit organisations. These are added value for patients and Company alike: the latter closer is brought closer to the community, with the ultimate goal of leaving any place better than it was found.
