Once again this year, the Pesenti Foundation supports the Giorgio Ambrosoli Civil Association in promoting Civil Virtue Day 2022.
The theme chosen for this year’s Civil Virtue Day is solidarity—the sense of brotherhood and mutual support that binds individuals within a community, united by shared interests and common goals.
The Covid-19 pandemic tragically revealed the urgency and concrete meaning of the concept of social solidarity, beginning with the duty to care for and assist the sick. From the moment the pandemic broke out in Italy, in February 2020, until today, the entire and complex national healthcare system has undergone an extremely demanding emergency period. During the terrible months of the first wave, Italian hospitals—especially in the hardest-hit areas—were overwhelmed with an unmanageable workload, prompting health authorities to issue a call for help to retired doctors. One of the first to respond to this call for solidarity was Gino Fasoli, who at 73 years old did not hesitate to return to the clinic to assist colleagues working in hospitals or who had fallen ill. Just a few days later, he himself contracted the virus and passed away on March 14, 2020.
The Giorgio Ambrosoli Civil Association dedicates Civil Virtue Day 2022, which will take place on November 24 at the “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatory in Milan, to Gino Fasoli, in honor of all the men and women of goodwill who dedicate themselves to offering help and comfort not only in hospitals, but in every situation of need—where economic, social, or political crises reveal the duty to “act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood,” as stated in Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
People like Gino Fasoli are invaluable witnesses to the principle of solidarity—whether in the form of large-scale humanitarian action in response to disasters like the Covid crisis or war, or in simple everyday gestures that bring relief to those in difficulty.
The Giorgio Ambrosoli Civil Association was founded by a group of citizens with the goal of emphasizing the need for personal commitment in developing a society that is just, free, and grounded in the principles of the Italian Constitution.
Every year, through Civil Virtue Day—held under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic—we seek to honor the memory of a citizen who chose to live out their profession and civic responsibility to the fullest, free from external pressures, in full respect of the fundamental values of democracy.