Modica, the students of an entire class donate blood to Avis

After the collective registration in January, the decisive step has arrived. The 5S1 class of the ITC "Archimede" has kept the promise made to Avis: yesterday afternoon, eleven students showed up together at the Modica headquarters for their first, exciting blood donation.

The journey began months ago, with the awareness-raising meetings promoted by the Modica section, led by the coordinator Sara Tortorici and the volunteers of the Civil Service. A seed that Professor Giorgio Rizza – a teacher and board member of Avis Modica – nurtured until it became a shared decision: to register as a class.

Finally, yesterday, the step that makes an intention concrete: to translate solidarity into an act capable of saving lives.

In the donation room, the students of 5S1 arrived together, all for their first experience, with that mix of anxiety and pride that accompanies significant choices.

Vincenzo Mavilla, one of the students, did not hide his emotion: "I am intimidated, I won't deny it. But then I think that I am donating myself for someone I don't even know, and the fear takes a back seat – he added – We are together, and that helps. We will come out prouder than before".

Their participation gains an additional value because they deliberately chose to donate in the afternoon, even though they could have done it in the morning: a clear signal that they were not looking for an excuse to skip classes, but an authentic opportunity to challenge themselves.

Alongside them was also Professor Giorgio Rizza, present to donate alongside the students. A path strongly supported by school principal Rosolino Balistrieri and Professor Paola Modica, the contact person for Health Education, who recognized its high educational value, capable of going beyond the classroom boundaries.

“These students are the living example of what generational change means – emphasizes AVIS Modica President Luca Hanna – They have shown that donating is truly a classy gesture, in the noblest sense of the term. And their enthusiasm, we are sure, will be contagious among their peers.”

In the same vein, Dr. Carmelo Ricca described them as "little great heroes. Because a hero – he emphasized – is not someone who performs impossible feats, but someone who at eighteen chooses to give a part of themselves to save a life they will never meet. The school campaign is yielding extraordinary results, and this class is the most tangible proof of that."

For 5S1, the adventure is just beginning. Professor Rizza's appeal applies to everyone, inside and outside the school: "Try it. Donating is a simple gesture, which benefits both the receiver and the giver. It is a lesson – he said – that is not learned from books because it does not test memory, but conscience. And they, today, have received the highest marks."