€1.52 million collected in Dar tal-Providenza fundraiser

A charity telethon for Dar tal-Providenza, a church-run home for disabled people, yesterday raised over €1.52 million.

The home needs over €6.5 million a year, its director Fr Martin Micallef said at the start of a fundraising marathon on Monday.

Micallef urged people to support the home as the annual New Year’s Day Festa ta’ Ġenerożita charity telethon kicked off.

Fr Micallef emphasised that the home is committed to keep offering quality service to its residents. Its key objectives are to help residents become active participants in society.

The funds raised will help the home to continue providing the best residential services to 115 persons with disability that live in its homes, and finish refurbishing at Villa Papa Giovanni in Siġġiewi where extensive renovation works have already been done during the past year.

At the end of the 12-hour televised marathon, Micallef augured that the solidarity shown towards Dar tal Providenza on the first day of the new year would continue throughout the year with all those in our Maltese society who need support.

This year’s Festa ta’ Ġenerożità was broadcast from under a big tent purposely set up in the Home’s parking lot in Siġġiewi. It started off with a mass celebrated by H.G. The Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna in the Home’s chapel and went on till midnight. At the beginning of the celebration, which was attended by the President of Malta, George Vella and Mrs Vella, there was the traditional Christmas homily delivered by 10-year old Kate Prasel Caruana.

An art auction raised €39,042 from the sale of works of art.

Julia Farrugia Portelli, Minister for Inclusion, Voluntary Organisations and Consumer Rights, who represented the Prime Minister Robert Abela, donated €25,000 from the Good Causes Fund.

A number of parishes in Malta and Gozo organised special collections on New Year’s eve and New Year’s day that were then presented to Id-Dar tal-Providenza on behalf of the parish communities.

In his homily, Archbishop Scicluna focused on the five blessings that the national poet Dun Karm Psaila mentions in the National Anthem: wisdom, charity, health, unity and peace that should guide us through the year. He augured for peace in the hearts of all Maltese and Gozitans because whoever has no peace in his heart is a poor person whilst those embracing peace are very rich indeed.

In the concelebration, the Archbishop was assisted by Mgr Charles Cordina, Episcopal Vicar for Diaconia, Fr Josef Mifsud, Archpriest of Siġġiewi, and Fr Martin Micallef, Director, and Fr Trevor Fairclough, Spiritual Director of Id-Dar tral-Providenza.