10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
We chatted with Marisol García, Deputy Director General of Fundación Tomillo.
Fundación Tomillo accompanies young people in vulnerable situations to promote their growth and employability.
Each year, more than 400 volunteers participate, more than half of them from corporate volunteering.
I got to know Voluntariado y Estrategia and Voluntare during my career at Fundación Hazloposible. At Hazloposible we launched Hacesfalta.org, a website that became a reference both for those who wanted to volunteer their time, as well as for organizations looking for that support.
We also created a technological platform so that companies could promote and manage the volunteering of their employees.
In those early days of corporate volunteering in Spain is when I met Juan Angel Poyatos, at that time he was Deputy Director of the Foundation for Solidarity and Volunteering (FUNDAR), promoted by the Generalitat Valenciana and Bancaja, from where he promoted the ENGAGE project of corporate volunteering.
We had a meeting and immediately the connection and the desire to collaborate arose. From that moment on we walked for years in parallel, and many times together (collaborating in different initiatives), to extend the practice of corporate volunteering in Spain. In addition, we later coincided in different European and global networks.
Juan Ángel was a pioneer in the promotion of Corporate Volunteering in Spain, I was on the same path, promoting and opening the way from Madrid to volunteering in the business sector.
Cooperation, exchange and networking, hallmarks of the Volies company
Among the events we have carried out, I would highlight the events in which we have collaborated that brought together social entities, companies, and world leaders in the field of volunteering, from these events we encouraged innovation and new collaborations.
On a more personal level, I would highlight the interesting debates and exchange of knowledge, ideas and networking that we have done over the years.
Juan Ángel has always been a source of inspiration for me. He is a great professional who has never lost his humility and simplicity. He is the kind of person that we all like to have around, a great professional and a better person.
Past, present and future of volunteering
Voluntariado y Estrategia (Volies) and Voluntare have contributed, in a decisive way, to corporate volunteering in Spain, which has been climbing positions within the programs and organizational charts of companies.
They have provided strategic vision and managed to connect the interests of companies with those of social entities, generating long-range programs with a high social impact.
I am sure that in the coming years you will continue to bring innovation to the world of volunteering and CSR.
