Alessandro Zanardi - Good people exist ! 31.01.2010: It has been a while since I have last written here, Christmas Wishes were certainly out of date and I decided to write something even if it is certainly not what a lot of you were waiting for (i.e. some

Dear Friends,

It has been a while since I have last written here, Christmas Wishes were certainly out of date and I decided to write something even if it is certainly not what a lot of you were waiting for (i.e. some news on my sportive commitments for the season). On this subject, I can only say to be close to the final decision and within ten days I will let you know everything.

What I want to tell you about is a nice party I took part to, whereby I met simple and nice people that amazed me with an unexpected generosity gesture.

For a lot of people, what happened during my life marked me with the "role" of testimonial for themes with high social impact and receiving invitations for parties, conferences or meetings of every kind is certainly part of my daily life.

Despite being proud of receiving these requests that witness the high respect people has for me, it is often a full-time "job" just answering to emails, letters or phone calls that I receive every day and this is also the reason why I invited you not to leave invitations on the "back and forth" section of the website.

Of all invitations I receive, some of them have a very high relevance, others for which I realize that my participation would be fundamental to "shake still waters" helping a social project that I am asked to be patron of.

Then there are several personal stories, parents or relatives' appeals, or simply friends that, torn apart by the feeling of helplessness in the moment when a loved one has been victim of a serious accident and think that a meeting with myself could improve things.

Moreover, clubs, sportive associations, companies that organize motivational courses for their employees, road saefety events, student meetings, and so on and so forth...

It is not really possible to say yes to everybody and sometimes it is possible to feel a bit of "chill" when I announce I cannot make it. In those instants, my listeners perceive that beyond my negative answer there is indifference and carelessness on the proposed theme and, believe me, this makes me feel really bad.

Anyway, being forced to make some choices I try to favour all the social and solidarity activities where working for free is at least in favour of someone really in need. Regarding party invitations or company meetings I usually ask for a "token" to substain solidariety projects and this is the way, for example, we make the project Bimbingamba work.

Someone might ask why I wrote all this preface. The reason is because sometimes it happens to be contacted by clubs made of rich members arriving with their Ferraris and Rolex wrist watches and that would like to have you as a guest for an evening but then decline the invitation, shocked because you asked them to devolve a certain amount of money to a charity.

Then it might also happen that, to do a favour to a friend, you decide accept the invitation of a "simple" karting club, you go all the way up to Bolzano convinced that you are making an effort to please someone, and instead you have a good evening with friends, you have fun, meet nice people that without falsity shows you the genuine pleasure of being with you and finally, when you think it is time to say goodbye and go home.

Well, at that point, Mirella, the nice "factotum" of the Karting Club Alto Adige Sudtirol tells me: "Alex, just a final thing: we searched our pockets and, in our possibilities, we thought about Bimbingamba." And shows you the magnified copy of a bank transfer of 2000 Euros in favour of the project I support.

This is in the face of everyone. without telling names, that when I ask a Euro disappear of those others that promise you and send you home with a plate and many thanks that are for free.

I am sorry for this blowoff but it was just to say that good people still exist and it is great to meet them. Last evening, well, morning since it was 1.30AM when I switched off the engine of my car, I knew I stole yet another day to my family to devote it to other people but at least this time it was worthy and some kid of Bimbingamba could find a smile for this.

Thanking once again all the Friends of Karting Club Alto Adige Sudtirol, I refer you to the next time when, I hope, I will have something to tell you about noisy but fascinating racing cars.

Ciaooooooo

Alessandro Zanardi
by Alberto Brojanigo  - also photo