WIDE REWIND
BY 05/16
THE VESPA FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM ACQUIRES THE MICKEY MOUSE VESPA STATUE, CONTINUING ITS COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN. ALL THE PROCEEDS GO TO THE CREATION OF AREAS FOR CHILDREN IN HOSPITALS.
After a long tour around the main Italian cities, the 26 Mickey Mouse statues donated by Disney Italia to the ABIO Italia no-profit foundation were put up for auction in Milan. All the money raised has gone to ABIO for the creation of spaces for children in hospitals, notably the Children’s Neuropsychiatric Ward at the hospital in L’Aquila, the main medical centre for the areas hit by the earthquake in central Italy. The auction – at the Gala Hall at the Triennale in Milan on 22 November – was supported by many Italian celebrities, including Billy Costacurta, Martina Colombari, Marco Columbro, Camila Raznovich and Ezio Greggio, who joined the representatives of the companies who made donations to the charity initiative.
Vespa for Children, the Piaggio Group humanitarian program, made a concrete contribution to the success of the auction by buying the Mickey Mouse Vespa statue, which will go on display in the Vespa collection at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera. The statue shows Mickey Mouse in perfect rider style, ready to get on his Vespa scooter. It’s easy to imagine the most famous resident of Mouseton riding round town on a Vespa scooter, because they share a love of the outdoors, a dynamic lifestyle, and a desire to go out and discover the world. So the statue shows Mickey ready for new adventures, on the world’s most famous and most popular two-wheeler.
The auction in Milan, conducted by Filippo Lotti, CEO of Sotheby’s Italy, concluded the TOPOLINO E L’ITALIA initiative launched in Milan on 22 April,which was warmly received at every stop (Milan, Bologna, Naples, Rome and Turin) and seen by more than 4 million Italians and tourists. The proceeds went to the ABIO Italia Foundation. Established in 1978, the no-profit foundation helps children in hospital thanks to the presence across Italy of 5,000 qualified volunteers and the creation of special spaces for children. In addition to the three works personalised directly by Disney Italia, the statues “signed” by the top brands, including Vespa, that took part in the initiative, celebrating Italy's long history with the Disney icon, were also put up for auction.
VESPA FOR CHILDREN. Launched by the Piaggio Group in 2013, Vespa for Children is a humanitarian initiative for charity, which, with the involvement of the Group companies, organises social solidarity projects providing health and welfare services for children. The first Vespa for Children project was in Vietnam, where the Hanoi National Hospital for Pediatrics and the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome set up a new cooperation program thanks to the support of Piaggio Vietnam. The purpose is to develop assistance for children with complex urological conditions who require surgery, dialysis and kidney transplants.
