- The first shipment was the double bass of a Venezuelan musician who emigrated to Madrid.
Madrid | January 8, 2024
In the early hours of January 6, while many families were waking up with the illusion that provokes the arrival of one of the most magical days of the year, a melody ran through Terminal 4 of the Adolfo Suárez Madrid - Barajas Airport. The notes of Jhorjan Bolívar's double bass announced that a miracle had just taken place, a dream come true on Three Kings Day itself.
But this story began ten months ago, when the musician Jhorjan Bolívar left Venezuela for Spain. Once in Madrid, he joined the Carlos Cruz-Díez Orchestra, composed of professional Venezuelan musicians who work in Spain in whatever they can, and which bears the name of the artist who flooded with color the terminal of the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas where so many travelers leave in the hope of returning someday.
Although fortunately and thanks to this orchestra Jhorjan has been able to continue dedicating himself to music, he has always felt that something was missing. When the musician left Venezuela he left "a part of myself", as he acknowledges. He was unable to bring his double bass, the instrument he had played so many times and which is part of his life.
Throughout these years, in order to continue with the music and participate in the Cruz - Diez, in each concert Jhorjan has been forced to make a large investment to rent a double bass to third parties. Until last Epiphany when the miracle was worked.
Envera, with the help of Iberia, and the will of several people, including Jhorjan's family and friends in Caracas, made it possible for the musician to recover his instrument thanks to the 'Alas comprometidas' (Committed Wings) project with which Envera organizes solidarity shipments and which is led by volunteer Begoña Ontiveros, who is also an Iberia flight attendant.
With the support of Ontiveros, our queen magician, Envera and Iberia coordinated the transport of the double bass to Madrid. An operation that began at 4.30 p.m. on January 5 and involved the entire Iberia flight crew, the personnel at the stopover in Caracas and Jhorjan's family.
Iberia's firm commitment to the punctuality of its flights and the large dimensions of the box protecting the instrument (the double bass is the largest of the string family), made for some tense moments before boarding, but the enthusiasm, professionalism and good work of the Iberia crew made it possible for the plane to take off as planned.
It was half past seven in the morning of the 6th when the flight landed in the Spanish capital. And as solidarity is contagious, a spontaneous collaborator also joined in and did not hesitate to help unload the crate protecting the instrument from the luggage belt and lend his luggage rack to move it to the airport exit.
Jhorjan was waiting there, who did not hesitate to unpack the instrument, his long-awaited double bass, and start playing to the surprise and delight of the passengers walking through the terminal.
Excited, the musician wanted to convey his "eternal gratitude from the bottom of my heart for the support and for making what seemed a very distant dream come true. Thanks to the Envera and Iberia families, my family, friends, colleagues and a wonderful orchestra that always supports me -the Carlos Cruz-Diez- for making this miracle possible, this gift of life. Truly, I am very happy, so much so that I cried with emotion and the feeling is indescribable".
Envera, a non-profit organization that serves 5,000 people with disabilities every year, employs more than 850 people and develops various social responsibility projects, says that "it is a pleasure and an honor, hand in hand with Iberia, to collaborate with the musicians of the Carlos Cruz-Díez Orchestra in this messaging of our project Alas Comprometidas, which, led by an exemplary volunteer, aims to take solidarity further and higher so that the dreams of those who need it most can be fulfilled".
With this delivery Envera inaugurates its volunteer project 'Alas Comprometidas', an initiative that already has important precedents such as the different shipments of sports equipment that have been made since 2019 to the 'Vicente del Bosque' Soccer School in Senegal or the eight tons of humanitarian aid that were sent to the interior of Ukraine at the beginning of the Russian invasion.
'Committed Wings' joins the initiatives that Envera carries out in collaboration with other organizations, such as its Solidarity Recycling Center or Envera Inclusion Point, and with which it manages to impact 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, and provides emergency assistance to more than 25,000 vulnerable people.
The transport of Jhorjan's double bass is not just the recovery of an instrument. It is a clear example that together it is possible to improve people's lives.
