Puentes de Luz (Bridges of Light) NGO, with the support of
Aeropuertos Argentina 2000 and Telecom, has organized an expedition in
order to climb and reach the top of Lanín volcano. The team involved in
this adventure was made up of disabled professionals, sports and young
people from San Martin de los Andes. The purpose of the expedition was
collecting money for building a day center and in this way attending to a
great number of the three thousand disabled.
Julio Ernesto Gutiérrez Conte, President of Aeropuertos
Argentina 2000, showed his happiness on the successful expedition and at
the same time thanked Virginia Elizalde for having called AA2000 to
join this initiative. This businessman loves sports and was sorry for
not joining this significant event; however he stated that there will be
an opportunity for him to join this wonderful experience linking sports
with solidarity in a wonderful landscape land nature like our
Patagonian area.
“The Self-Improvement Volcano”, has exceeded the expectations in
spite of the climate conditions which did not allow reaching the top of
3776 meters of the mountain.
Robledo, having his right leg amputated, became the leader of this
expedition which needed an even greater effort, since his team started
from Lácar Lake, at the centric area, went through a water mirror,
wooded paths and mountains, thus linking 150 km of the expedition.
Bernardo Oyarzún, a young blind boy being 20 years old, Lautaro Prieto
-down syndrome- 12 years old; Marisol Gonzalez, 43 years, having a
diminished auditory sensitivity; Francisco López, 28 years old, having a
slight motor disability and Arnoldo Castillo, 29 years old, having a
slight motor disability and being intellectually disabled, completed the
expedition.
The idea of the self-improvement expedition together with a
solidarity purpose have arisen a couple of years ago and Adolfo “Palito”
Gatica, a mountain guide, contributed with the idea of undertaking an
individual mission together with his neighbor Agustín. “Together with
Agustín we have climbed up to the shelter (2300 m) in 2008 and his
family commented what we have done to the organization and since then we
started to think on something bigger”; Gatica said, who led the
proposal together with the NGO, and collaborated with the training
lasting almost one year which consisted of having these guys walk to the
mountain virtually on a weekly basis.
“Lanín is the linking point and we have set it as a goal. They feel
integrated, they do any thing as anybody else and feel they can do
everything they want; that’s the idea to encourage them in spite of the
difficulties they may have “, Gatica highlighted. Luis Rodriguez, the
NGO’s coordinator, stated that apart from the day center, Puentes de Luz
performs other activities such as training of professionals, doctors
and teachers and also dance lessons, equine therapy and summer
recreational days out.
In order to reach its goals, Puentes de Luz has decided to rise the
consciousness through it’s a Self Improvement Volcano solidarity
expeditions. In 2008, a dozen of sportspeople (amongst them Virginia
Elizalde) – throughout four days- have reached further tops of Lanin
mountain. In 2010 the adventure had a great repercussion; however the
climate did not allow reaching the top and it’s very likely that the
return match will occur in November.
