On Saturday, 23rd May Sacmi Imola was awarded honorary citizenship of Finale Emilia following its decisive contribution in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of 2012. This donation was for the reconstruction of the new ‘Frassoni’ school complex Always a strong supporter of local and regional community projects, services and initiatives, Sacmi Imola won this acknowledgement during a special Finale Town Council session attended by representatives of the company’s board of directors and other organizations, associations and citizens who have, in recent years, offered the community of Finale their support.
In all, 38 people, organisations and companies received recognition from the Mayor, Fernando Ferioli. “Three years on from the dramatic events of May 2012 that affected our city so deeply yet also saw us witness heart-warming acts of kindness and solidarity”, stated the Mayor as he delivered the honours, “this town council wishes to begin a process that will strengthen its relationships with all those who, in their own special way, have generously extended a helping hand”.
“Once again, in 2014”, highlighted the President of Sacmi Imola, Paul Mongardi, “the cooperative allocated significant resources for local ‘quality of life’ projects aimed at enhancing health care, cultural initiatives, youth training and the essential community services that form society’s foundation, starting with investment in skills and opportunities for the young.” Given its commitment, in recent years, to supporting school facilities and workshops in the Imola area, Sacmi responded promptly to an appeal by Finale’s mayor by making a significant contribution to the purchase of scientific facilities for the new complex.
In keeping with its ‘mission’, Sacmi financed the purchase of the school campus modules that will host the technical workshops; these will be set up in the lower Modenese area which has a high concentration of manufacturing firms and is at the very heart of key industrial centres essential to the region's economy, the ceramic one included. “An area”, stated Ferioli at the time, “where people immediately rolled up their sleeves to get things going again, as underscored by those companies that instantly began ‘open-air’ operations without even a factory roof, showing their belief in this region’s potential by re-investing straight away”.
A key factor in this rebirth was the support given by local institutions and businesses to get industry and schools - the beating heart of every community – on their feet again. Built of course, to earthquake-resistant standards, the new ‘Frassoni’ school complex covers no less than 3000 m2 (12,000 cubic metres) and includes new laboratories, an auditorium and a lecture hall. Part of a broader project, also intended, says Mayor Ferioli, to give the city of Finale a new town planning look, this new institute will go on to host more than 300 children who have so far had to learn in a temporary facility built in the wake of the earthquake with funding from the Region of Emilia-Romagna.