This Saturday morning, the Palais des Expositions in Nice hosted more than 300 associations. The mayor, Phillippe Pradal, came accompanied by his deputies and advisers to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the “Rendez-vous des associations.”
Dance shows, sale of cakes, handmade jewelry… Throughout the day, the associations, whether humanitarian, sporting, or cultural, came to showcase, in their own way, their actions and goals.
At UNICEF’s stand, for example, a lady admits, “We are taking this opportunity to reach out to some young people and invite them to join our cause.” UNICEF operates worldwide to primarily help children. Thus, it is an opportunity to introduce this organization to those who do not know it yet.
But they are not the only ones. 100 meters away, another association fighting against child labor admits to being “in search of two ambassadors who would have time to dedicate to this cause.”
Other associations, meanwhile, are trying to make themselves known to the public by organizing shows, dance and singing classes. In this way, they hope to raise awareness among as many people as possible and rally them to their cause.
The public responded to the call, as no stand is empty. All have come with the aim of gaining information, helping, sometimes out of curiosity… “I came because this year I decided to commit a year to an association as a volunteer,” confides a young person, looking for a booth that would suit her.
Generosity is therefore present for these 20 years of associative life, but as long as it’s about acting for the common good, there will never be enough.
