Práxedes Gutiérrez, an InteRed volunteer for 27 years, has received a Volunteer of the Year award from the City of León (Spain).
On 4 December, the Leon City Council presented the Voluntary Work of the Year awards which give recognition to the solidarity and selfless dedication shown to vulnerable people and institutions. This year, Cáritas Diocesana de León and Práxedes Gutiérrez from the Delegation of the NGO InteRed in León won the awards.
“It is worth dedicating time and energy to helping people to have a more dignified life and for their rights to be recognised; and to collaborate in making the world more humane, more supportive and fairer,” said Práxedes Gutiérrez on receiving the award.
Over 20 years
The recipient of the award is a member of the Teresian Association. She has been a teacher and director of university residences in Portugal, Angola and Mozambique; and in Spain, director of a student hostel and responsible for various programmes caring for immigrants.
She has been a volunteer with InteRed for 27 years, being one of the first collaborators of this NGO that is sponsored by the TA. Práxedes has been a member of the InteRed León committee for 10 years. She took up this activity after her time working in San Sebastián and Avila. She is a member of the León working group of NGO coordinators for Castille and León. She has worked on a number of programmes including Alvar run by the Teresian Association to support migrants.
The Mayor of Leon, José Antonio Diez, presided over the awards ceremony and presented the award for Voluntary Work to Práxedes Rodríguez. During his speech he said that she is “committed, constant and a tireless fighter for dignity, equity, truth, social justice and participation’.
On receiving the award, Práxedes concluded with some words of thanks. She said that “sometimes life brings us surprises that make us ask ourselves, ‘Why me?’ It is not easy to find an answer, and the only word that comes out at this moment is ‘Thank you’ and it is really worthwhile doing this.”
Further information can be found on the TA Spain website.
More information on the Spanish TA website.
Published in Outstanding