"33 years ago, I crossed the threshold of the Ellen Poidatz Foundation. This establishment was to become my new roof for an indefinite period. I was a boarder, in a place where wheelchairs, trolleys, crutches and splints were the companions of a multitude of children with whom I did not identify. I happened to fall into the category of "walkers", and I couldn't grasp the deep meaning of all this. What could be more natural than walking? Yet curiously, there was a warmth, outstretched hands drawing you in and erasing the differences: when I was no longer at the category of "walkers", I understood what it meant to be different, and I understood the importance of the mutual aid that enhances integration. I spent a whole year in these large buildings. It's the type of ordeal that transforms you and marks you forever. I still have lasting friendships with some of my comrades.
My personal and professional life then unfolded very far from the little village of Saint-Fargeau. Coming to live in the Paris region, I often walked by the wall of the Foundation, without daring to enter again. And then, a conversation with Delphine Drouaud, the sponsor of the association "Femmes actives", awakened me and I decided to take the next step.
About two years ago, I again contacted the new management of the Foundation. It was a deeply moving experience! I found my manager of the girls' section (a person whose abnegation demands respect, still active even though retired today). With the help of the Ile-de-France-Centre region, IT workstations were provided to the Foundation to expand the group of PCs used in the school activities. This technical improvement offers many children who cannot write access to a mode of communication that the pen and sheet of paper cannot provide.
In 33 years, many things have changed. Development has been considerable. At Saint-Fargeau you find personal motivation in the service of the children, still unquenched, almost a calling. The projects are many and varied. Addressing all areas (medical, educational, school, environmental, etc.).
Today, the Veolia Environnement Foundation has taken charge of a medical project, and I hope that the part of my childhood that I left between these walls will be able to help other children through this experience."
