Madrid | January 26, 2017
Envera, an Association that was born 40 years ago with the mission of accompanying people with disabilities throughout their life cycle, celebrates the anniversary of its foundation, which has the support of Her Majesty Queen Letizia as Honorary President, by awarding recognition to the most influential people and entities for their commitment to inclusion and improvement of the quality of life of people with functional diversity.
The President of Envera, José Antonio Quintero, wanted to summarize these 40 years: "we went from being parents of handicapped children to having able-bodied children and today we have influencers, yes influencers, because many of those children are today influential men and women with the power to change people's lives, with enough strength to transform society".
With these awards, grouped into ten categories, Envera wanted to highlight the personal, professional or corporate work of the winners in favor of social and labor integration, equal opportunities and contributing to build a society of which we can all feel proud. For this reason, the Association recognized Cristina Cifuentes (most influential political personality) for her commitment to integration and equal opportunities; the Madrid City Council for being the most influential public institution, for its commitment to the most vulnerable and their families, for its work in favor of social inclusion and for promoting equal opportunities across the board; Concepción Dancausa (most influential representative of the State Administration) for her commitment to breaking down prejudices and building policies capable of improving the lives of citizens based on equal opportunities and the dignity of the individual; Ferrovial (most influential Spanish company) for its social responsibility and commitment to promoting integration and equal opportunities; Madrid Foro Empresarial as the most influential association of businessmen, managers and professionals for its commitment to labor integration, equal opportunities and job creation for people with disabilities; Televisión Española as the most influential audiovisual media for its commitment to the social integration of people with disabilities throughout its history; El Confidencial as the most influential written media for its commitment to integration, equal opportunities and social justice; to Ángel Expósito as the most influential journalist in Spanish radio for his commitment to the most vulnerable, whoever they are and wherever they are; to the Atlético de Madrid Foundation for its commitment to improving the lives of people with intellectual disabilities; and to Huecco as the most influential artist for his deep commitment to the most vulnerable and for making music a flag that crosses borders promoting integration, equal opportunities and social justice.
The awards were presented at the Influential Personalities Gala, which took place in the auditorium of the Government Delegation in Madrid, with the intervention of José Antonio Quintero, President of Envera, and Luis Gallego, President of Iberia, the company whose employees gave birth to the Association and with which it has been closely linked during these four decades. In addition, the Envera beneficiaries who starred in the new Envera spot, which was presented during the gala, also participated in the event.
Quintero especially acknowledged "Iberia's commitment to Envera, which has driven us for so long to reach so far and so high" and said that "Envera now faces the culmination of four decades of social progress and does so as a consolidated welfare and labor integration project, serving 2,500 people with disabilities and their families and providing employment for half a thousand of them.
Finally, the President of Envera encouraged public administrations and companies to continue working "because we are convinced that we can all be the best at something and we have to ensure that no one is left behind, that no one feels excluded, so that those who are simply different can find their place in the world with dignity".
The event, which could be followed live on Persicope, was the starting point of the #PersonasInfluyentes campaign that starts on the same day 26 through social networks and whose objective is to highlight those people with different abilities who have the power to influence the lives of others.
