The story of Lulù: "So my life has flourished"

Her nickname is Lulu, the nickname her mother used to call her as a child. Since then, this has become her name that in her etymology also expresses strength and fully reflects her temperament.

42 years old, from Spello, three children and two businesses - hers and her husband's - which were booming until March 9, 2020, when suddenly everything sank.

“With the lockdown our income stopped. For a while we managed on one income, until, in August, we found ourselves completely broke. At first we tried to make it on our own, but it wasn’t just an economic issue; we needed some comfort and support, which is something that has a much higher value. We tried to reinvent ourselves, but the second closure was even harder than the first and this killed those hopes we had tried to re-kindle. At that point we no longer knew who to turn to: we were alone; my mother was suffering from a long illness and we had no one in the family who could support us".

Thus, says Lulù, she went the diocesan Caritas of Foligno and from there she arrived at the socio-educational project "Family and work" of the Valter Baldaccini Foundation.

“I had the great opportunity to put my previous skills to good use. I had always worked office administration, but with the pandemic everything had come to a standstill. I said to myself: 'here, I studied this and it didn’t get me anywhere and I blamed myself for traveling the wrong road, like so many people, I had become poor. Then came the phone call that changed my life and gave me the answer I was looking for because nothing is lost. On the first day of three-month work fellowship, I remember that I was very happy because I just wanted to feel useful; then I realized that there was so much more and that I had gained the opportunity to do what I really liked, but with a deeper meaning ", a" new "that wasn't there before". 

And she adds: "This project has helped me in my soul, in being reborn. Good will is not enough to succeed, you also need a pat on the back, someone who tells you 'you can'. These days, I do this for others. Here I found people who discovered me without judging me for my past. I discovered that you can give a lot even if you think you are giving little and that if you lose self-confidence - not money - you lose everything, even your dignity. I have discovered that the best investment you can make in life is the one that has been made with me: investing in people and their future, helping them build relationships, giving them the tools to take flight. There are some young people who have been placed with me. Over the months I have seen them line up one step after another. There are those who still call me "Mrs. Lulu", despite the fact that they are like children to me; there are those who write poetry and bring a breath of fresh air in the most difficult situations. Here I understood that life is made up of choices and that choosing to act in truth and with the help of others always opens unexpected paths".

Lulu seems to be saying that this is the great lesson she learned from this steep climb.

Lulu's story of redemption is one of the possible opportunities for those who choose to support the socio-educational and humanitarian projects of the Foundation with a donation. Choose to be close to those who are most in difficulty and give them a real opportunity for redemption. Plaese, donate now.

Thanks to Francesca Brufani of Caritas Foligno for having collected and written this beautiful story.