The recently renovated CHPG Blood Transfusion Center has welcomed Serbian AS Monaco Basketball coach Sasa Obradovic for a blood donation. It’s part of increased efforts to boost blood banks in the Principality.
“This is the first time I am giving blood,” said Sasa. “In Serbia and Russia, I have never had the opportunity to do so because of the movement and sequence of matches. I see that this is an important cause that helps people in trouble and I think everyone should give their blood.”
The aim of the action, which is also part of the Convention signed between the Government and the Principality’s professional basketball club, is to raise awareness among the Roca Team fans about this important health issue.
In the lead up to the Formula 1 Grand Prix, taking place from 23rd to 26th May, it is necessary for the CHPG teams to increase their blood supply. With this in mind, two collections will be held at the Blood Transfusion Centre on Tuesday 21stMay from 8am to 2pm and on Wednesday 22nd May from 10am to 3pm.
Each year, 5,000 donations of blood are needed for the 800 patients transfused in the Principality.
Details of this year’s Celebrity Fight Night in Italy have been revealed and it is, once again, destined to be one of the nation’s most exciting elite charity events of the year.
Credit: Luca Rossetti
Celebrity Fight Night is a star-studded evening that was annually presented in honour of their featured guest, Muhammad Ali, for more than 20 years. Founded in 2014, the event was born from a close friendship between Muhammad Ali and maestro Andrea Bocelli who, together with American organisers and Andrea’s wife Veronica, decided to bring the initiative to Italy.
Veronica Bocelli and Muhammad Ali. Credit: Phil Gudenschwager
The aim is to offer international donors a journey through the excellence of ‘Made in Italy’: music, art, fashion, style, food and all the best the country has to offer. Year after year, the event benefits from the most magnificent locations, the greatest musical talents and exclusive experiences.
Andrea Bocelli will be performing with friends during the concert. Credit: Luca Rossetti
Funds raised support the Andrea Bocelli Foundation and its educational projects in Italy and Haiti. Money raised during the Italian edition of the Celebrity Fight Night is also supporting the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Centre in Phoenix.
Andrea and Veronica Bocelli with their son in Haiti. Credit: Luca Rossetti
Over the years, the event has been supported by a host of celebrities including George Clooney, Richard Gere, Morgan Freeman, Sharon Stone, Susan Sarandon, Nicolas Cage, Antonio Banderas, Michael Caine, Sophia Loren, Elton John and many others.
Members of royal families, political and financial leaders and many important entrepreneurs have also taken part in CFN.
The first event this year will be held on 25th and 27th July with a gourmet dinner and concert at the Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico, Pisa. Teatro del Silenzio is an open-air theatre in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, which is open for just a few hours each year. Its terraces face the small town of Lajatico in Valdera where Bocelli was born and raised.
The 2019 event will follow the same winning formula as ‘The night of Andrea Bocelli’ in 2017 at the Colosseum in Rome and in 2018 at the Arena di Verona.
Credit: Luca Rossetti
The second event will be an exclusive dinner at the Bocelli family’s villa in Forte dei Marmi by the sea on 28th July. Around 400 guests will have the opportunity to experience an entire night at Maestro Bocelli’s private house where he currently lives with his family.
The dinner will be followed by a fun-filled evening with music and dance with maestro Bocelli and many friends who will share the stage with him for an unforgettable night.
The dress code for the night is ‘white with a touch of gold’, and it will also see the auction of few selected items.
A special concert is being held in the Cathedral of Monaco to recognise the important contribution that the Rotary Club of Monaco made last year to the Rainier III Academy.
Last November, the Rotary Club of Monaco made a significant donation to the academy, which allowed it to finance the purchase of five video projectors. The director of the Academy, Christian Tourniaire, together with Karyn Ardisson Salopek, Deputy Mayor and Delegate at the Academy, wanted to organise a large concert in the Cathedral on Tuesday 7th May at 7pm to thank their generous donor.
Students of the International Professional Formation of Choir Artists (FIPAC) of Monaco, under the guidance of their teacher Marie-Anne Losco, will open the evening before giving way to the organ students of Olivier Vernet, holder of the great organ of the Cathedral of Monaco. In closing, a program of soundtracks will be played by the Aerophonics ensemble, directed by Ludovic Tallarico.
Admission is free.
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