Let’s get to know the non-profit organization “Un sorriso in più” a little better, founded by the Canclini family, through the words of Laura Bricola

Who are you and what do you do with the non-profit organization “Un Sorriso In Più”? For us at Un Sorriso In Più, no one should feel alone. The Association Un Sorriso In Più was founded in 2004 by the Canclini family to support elderly people and children in difficult situations.

The team includes Marcella, coordinator of the Association, responsible for administrative aspects, the team, and volunteers, and a point of reference for nursing homes; Barbara, who is the Promoter of giving, in charge of communication and fundraising, relations with companies and supporters; Francesca, Social Custodian, involved in coordinating projects and volunteers at home; and Laura, who is responsible for projects and training. Today, the non-profit organization has about 130 volunteers.

What do you do for children? For children, the volunteers of the non-profit organization support the operators of local educational communities in managing daily activities: homework, self-care, meal management, bedtime, recreational activities, sports, outings… The volunteers enrich the network of relationships and experiences of “normal life” that children, removed from their families, can have.

And for the elderly? In the elderly sector, our activity takes place in nursing homes in the provinces of Como, Varese, and Monza Brianza, and at home in the municipalities of Guanzate, Cadorago, and Rovellasca, and in hospitals. The volunteers complement the activities of the animation-education team.

We meet the elderly in places where they would rather not be, in hospitals or residences. We often meet them in situations of fragility, illness, or confusion, in contexts where they feel like just another number, their uniqueness, identity, and specialness unrecognized. Meeting a volunteer, they rejoice above all in being SEEN for who they were and who they still are; they are happy to share their passions, interests, what still makes their eyes sparkle; the activities proposed by the operators and volunteers are meaningful and make them happy, allowing them to feel capable and useful once more. Creating conditions so that the other can express the best of themselves, which is equivalent to happiness.

Tell us about some projects… In 2018, the project Nipoti di Babbo Natale (Santa’s Grandchildren) was born, through which we bring emotions and affection to the elderly in nursing homes throughout Italy: thanks to this project, the elderly can express a wish and entrust it to our website www.nipotidibabbonatale.it, waiting for a grandchild (anyone can be one) to choose to fulfill it.

After experiencing the beauty of this project, we created Nipoti di penna (Pen Pals) www.nipotidipenna.it, a project that allows the elderly and grandchildren to cultivate a pen-friendship. It is increasingly rare to open the mailbox and find a letter written just for you, but when it happens, you take it in your hands with disbelief, rejoice at a familiar handwriting, smile at the smell of the paper, and look for the perfect place to open it and read it all at once. That “Dear…” is more than a formula, it is already a hug that makes you feel that the message is full of affection, a profound, intimate gesture that brings people closer, unites them. Nipoti di penna aims to give this emotion to the elderly in nursing homes throughout Italy and to many “grandchildren” who want to experience the joy of a pen-friendship: two strangers who slowly reveal themselves and become special to each other.

Are these projects national? Yes, exactly. Thanks to these national projects, we have met very competent operators, and together with them, we have reflected on the theme of desire as a new approach to personal care. For this reason, we created the Desideri cantiere (Desires Workshop) project to open a place for meeting and discussion among professionals who, within residences and services for the elderly, take care of the educational project. These are willing, capable people interested in promoting the best approach, the best strategies for caring for the elderly frail person, overcoming the isolation in which one often finds oneself operating.

Does this lead you to be a reality that also conducts research and training, then? We have always passionately dedicated ourselves to the training of our volunteers. We are convinced that the first way to take care of the elderly is to support those who take care of them, offering tools and support, ensuring they feel understood and never alone.

A strength of our Association is openness and creativity: we are constantly willing to get involved, to learn from our own and others’ experiences. We treasure the viewpoints of our volunteers, the organizations we collaborate with, and local entities. We participate in a community development project titled Senior, a world designed for the elderly, to promote active aging and the creation of a Community that takes care of its elderly, especially when they are in difficulty.

We promote training and information sessions in the territory, hoping that more and more people feel involved in developing a Dementia-Friendly society where no one feels alone or suffers the stigma and isolation due to illness.

You do a lot for elderly people, but what idea do you have of the elderly? Our President, Dr. Canclini, constantly reminds us of the values for which the Association was founded: the well-being of the elderly and the care of the relationship that arises with volunteers.

For us at Un Sorriso In Più, being close to elderly people is a great privilege. It is the opportunity to traverse life stories, epochs we do not know, forgotten values. Like those who read a lot, those who listen to the elderly live more than one life.

The encounter between volunteers and elderly people is one of mutual care and enrichment. We nourish each other’s affection and beauty. It is the opportunity to express the best of oneself.

Elderly people help us look at the world with wise eyes: they help us restore the proper value to things, recognize the essential, take things more lightly, appreciate the little things, and rejoice in beautiful things.

What can you tell us about the impact of the project? We are in the seventh edition. Year after year, the project has seen the number of participating residences and the number of elderly people involved multiply. Last year we concluded with 450 RSA and about 9,000 wishes fulfilled. This year, almost 500 nursing homes have enrolled. On the first day, more than 2,000 wishes were reserved.

National media and radio stations have given great prominence to the initiative. Photos of fulfilled wishes, happy faces of the elderly, and stories of grandchildren flood social media during the Christmas period.

Precisely because the privileged channels for promoting the project are IG and FB pages, many young and very young grandchildren respond. People who commit their time and money to make a grandparent they don’t know happy and sometimes travel hundreds of kilometers to deliver their gift in person.

Is there really still a lot of young people with authentic values and a desire to get involved?! At the time of choosing the wish, the grandchildren leave sweet, funny, enthusiastic messages, waiting to be contacted by nursing homes to start the adventure of finding the perfect gift or organizing the experience.

The wonder of this project lies not so much in the economic value of the gift but in the beauty of meaningful relationships that arise between these young grandchildren and elderly people. It is the fascinating discovery of their respective worlds, the encounter between interesting, intriguing people who have something to learn from each other.

CASUAL MOMENT: a wish that stayed with you and you want to share with us… I will never forget Apollonia (but everyone called her Maria), 100 years old: her smile was a sun! Clinging to her educator Michela’s arm, she revealed the secret of her longevity: “I always ate badly, and I’m fine! always polenta and cheese.”

When told that young “grandchildren” wanted to give her a Christmas gift, she was moved and somewhat incredulous, and replied, “A little surprise… but small, though!!” Maria met Deborah, who prepared a lovely package for her to unwrap and a card that still makes me emotional. Deborah continued to be her Santa’s granddaughter even in the following years, until the end. Deborah is sure that the gift was for herself.