Hotel VIU Milan participates in the WEmbrace Awards 2024

The one between Hotel VIU Milan and Art4Sports is a collaboration born during a lunchtime chat when, once we met Mr. and Mrs. Vio and discovered the wonderful world behind the association, we decided to take an active part in the project.

Hence, the partnership will lead us to support the association by collaborating on a project of great energy and vitality.

Here is the official press release of the association that tells, in detail, every little aspect behind this enterprising project:

Bebe Vio Grandis launches WEmbrace Awards 2024: stories that inspire the world celebrated at a Charity Gala Dinner unlike any other

A jury of outstanding personalities has decreed the five winning inclusion stories of the second edition of the kermesse, which will be told and celebrated during the evening.

The charity event, scheduled for Thursday, March 21 at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan, is organized by art4sport, the non-profit association of Bebe Vio Grandis.

Milan, Feb. 13, 2024 – We are now just weeks away from the WEmbrace Awards 2024, the Charity Gala Dinner intended for all the companies and media companies that work every day to make the world a better place. It is a unique occasion that aims to converge, unite, and strengthen the voices that speak about inclusion and care, enhancing their qualities and embracing their diversity.

This year’s event is scheduled for Thursday, March 21, at Milan’s Fabbrica del Vapore, one of Milan’s most interesting sites of industrial archaeology. A prestigious space reserved for events designed and implemented to promote values that make the place a true accelerator center of the language of contemporaneity.

The central theme will be “WHYNOT?!”, which here represents a question we all ask ourselves, an attitude of openness to the world and to unprecedented possibilities, around which the spirit of the evening revolves.

The event – WEmbrace Awards is the annual kermesse featuring the stories that inspire the world, five of which are honored as WEmbracer based on their respective spheres of interest, from technology to business to personal initiatives to international organizations. These “spheres of interest” cover every aspect of contemporary issues and propose within them a different way of operating, making a difference, every day.

Thanks to the careful work carried out by a stable Observatory composed of communication professionals who have been revolving around the art4sport universe for several years, more than 100 experiences of people, associations, and organizations that stood out for sharing this philosophy of thought were indicated. From the Observatory’s internal discussion, 15 of the 100 stories then emerged that were most striking for their uniqueness and inspirational power. These were then submitted to the Awards Jury for a final evaluation, from which emerged the five winners, to be announced during the evening.

The Jury is composed of outstanding personalities from the Italian and international scene who were tasked with identifying the WEmbracer stories to be celebrated:

• Barbara Stefanelli (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Corriere della Sera);
• Giovanni Malagò (President of CONI and Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation, IOC member);
• Guido Harari (Photographer);
• Laura Pausini (Singer);
• Luca Pancalli (CIP President, Vice President Milan Cortina 2026 Foundation, IPC Governing Board Member);
• Luca Parmitano (ESA Astronaut);
• Maria Grazia Chiuri (Artistic Director of Dior women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections);
• Nicoletta Mantovani (President of the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation);
• Shiva Ahmadi (Iranian-American artist and professor of Art at the University of California);
• Telmo Pievani (Philosopher of biology, evolutionist, essayist, TV and theater presenter and author).

In the first edition, held in 2023, the stories that received recognition as WEmbracer were those of:

• Luca Trapanese: a single dad who chooses to adopt a little girl with Down syndrome, thus opening up important food for thought on the issue of foster care and the very concept of family;
• Mattia Villardita: a young volunteer who with his Spiderman costume tries to bring a smile to hospitalized children, inspired by his personal experience;
• Nicoletta Tinti: Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion who, after suddenly finding herself a paraplegic, does not give up and together with her friend Silvia Bertoluzza gives life to a unique pas de deux, where she puts on her upper body and Silvia her legs: thus was born their company InOltre;
• PizzAut: a project founded by Nico Acampora born to build a better world, one that can be respectful of the uniqueness, skills, and potential of everyone and the autistic people involved in running this very special restaurant;
• Silvia Polleri: brings an example of hope and the possibility of redemption with the establishment of the InGalera restaurant, inside the Bollate prison.

The theme and the “spheres of interest” – The focus of the 2024 edition is “WHYNOT?!”, an inspiration that transforms the traditional gala dinner into a declaration, an affirmation of possibility, an intention that becomes action and change, an unstoppable movement that, starting from different directions, unites everyone in pursuit of the purpose of the event, which is to “embrace” and include.

Between confirmations and novelties, this year’s WEmbracer has again been identified in five “spheres of interest.”

• TECHNOLOGY SPHERE: introduced in 2024, it includes stories that feature an app, reflecting the technology- and innovation-oriented spirit;
• OTHERS SPHERE: includes experiences with a “community” character, which have an impact on society;
• ACTION SPHERE: this year’s new entry, represents everything related to “doing” and has entrepreneurship as a key concept;
• OURSELVES SPHERE: also in this “sphere” we will find stories in which the sense of community stands out, but with a preponderant individual component;
• THE WORLD SPHERE: refers to those stories projected into the world, geographically distant but which, thanks to the strength of their message, can be perceived as close.

The charitable purpose – WEmbrace Awards 2024 is conceived and implemented by art4sport, the non-profit association founded in 2009 by Beatrice “Bebe” Vio Grandis, Paralympic foil champion, together with her parents Teresa Grandis and Ruggero Vio. The proceeds from the WEmbrace Awards evening will be donated to support children and young people with prosthetic limbs that the art4sport ONLUS Association has been following and supporting since its inception. The goal is thus to provide concrete help in sports practice through the purchase of prostheses, wheelchairs, and sports aids.

Partners of the 2024 edition – The event can count on the Patronage of the City of Milan and is supported by Main Partners Algida, Costa Crociere, Damiani and Venini, Hotel VIU Milan, Humangest, Rilastil, Sorgenia, Toyota, Technical Partners Ferrari & Tenute Lunelli, Daniel Ristorante, Villeroy&Boch and Broggi.

Companies that have already joined the evening to support art4sport activities by reserving a table at the WEmbrace Awards are ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, Alfaparf, Barilla, Dior, Erre Company, L’Oréal and McCann, Moto Morini, Omega, Stella Azzurra Roma, Synergie Italia, and Volvo Penta.

Special thanks also go to Fabbrica del Vapore, which will host the evening.

Information on how to join the evening is available by contacting info@art4sport.org .

Teresa Grandis, President of art4sport Association ONLUS: “With the second edition of the WEmbrace Awards, we are back to talk about inclusion through sharing exciting stories and experiences that have a concrete impact on the community. The Charity Gala Dinner will be an opportunity to renew our shared and ongoing commitment to embracing all types of diversity as well as to acknowledge the winning stories. We thank all the sponsors and stakeholders who made this beautiful evening possible.”