A significant new contribution to the local community of a village in the Municipality of Trikala was presented – and officially opened – on the afternoon of Monday 21 September 2026. The community shop in Glinos has now been refurbished and handed over to the village residents for their use. This project was carried out by Emfasis Non Profit, with the support of the Reale Foundation and Ydrogios Insurance, as well as engineer Thomas Tsigas. T

his is a significant project for the village, as it transforms a building – a cornerstone of the local community – into a modern, functional and safe space. The opening ceremony was presided over by the Mayor of Trikala and President of the Regional Union of Municipalities of Thessaly, Nikos Sakkas, alongside representatives of the three organisations responsible for the renovation: Ms Virginia Antonini, Director of the Reale Foundation; Ms Maria Vogiatzis, Head of Communications at Ydrogios Insurance, Mr Apostolos Vafeas, co-founder of Emfasis Non Profit, the Chairman of the Glinos Municipal Community Council, Kostas Petrou, and the village priest, Father Spyridon Govinas.

Sakkas: “A compass and a guide”

As Mr Sakkas emphasised in his brief address, “this event serves as a reminder that cooperation is both a necessary and essential condition for us to move forward as a society. In the Municipality of Trikala, cooperation is both a best practice and a conscious collective endeavour.” And after noting that in Glinos “cooperation and generosity serve as a compass and a guide for strengthening similar initiatives and for restoring dignity”, he emphasised that ‘the new form of the community shop, which, following the devastating storm Daniel, has remained a point of reference, has complemented the local authority’s efforts to breathe new life into the affected villages’.

As for the voluntary contribution, he pointed out that “the effort to revitalise the village has been warmly received by Emfasis Non-Profit, the Reale Foundation and Ydrogeio Insurance”, to whom, in expressing his thanks, he emphasised: ‘Your contribution is already making a difference. I saw it in the chairman’s enthusiasm. I see it in the local community as they discuss it. The children, our future, now have yet another opportunity. Because, ultimately, we may talk a great deal about the depopulation of our villages, but unless we take immediate action, we will not see a reversal of this trend. And that is happening here today. The community of Glinos is being strengthened; our municipality is being strengthened.”

The Chairman, K. Petrou

The chairman of the Glinos Local Community Council, Kostas Petrou, pointed out that “with this modern multi-purpose hall, we aim to breathe new life into the village”. He noted that the reconstruction began as an idea, and that partners in its realisation were found in the form of Emphasis Non-Profit and the funders, with the aim of “encouraging people to stay in the village and improving the quality of life through modern facilities”. Finally, he extended his warmest thanks to the donors, the Municipality, the Mayor of Trikala, Nikos Sakkas, and the deputy mayors for their support.

Ms Virginia Antonini, director of the Reale Foundation in Italy, emphasised in Greek that she felt “great joy” at the opening of the “Glinos community centre”, which is set to become “the heart of care and unity for the community”.

Ydrogeios Insurance:

Ms Maria Vogiatzi, Head of Communications at Hydrogeios Insurance, emphasised that this is not merely a hall, but a place for people to meet and be creative, noting that the company and Reale “want to be close to the community and to those who work, and we would like to thank everyone who helped bring this project to fruition.”

Emfasis Non Profit

Mr Apostolos Vafeas, co-founder of Emfasis Non-Profit, spoke on behalf of the organisation, visibly moved and delighted that, through “hard work, perseverance and patience, and through our collaboration with Reale and Ydrogios, we have managed to complete the restoration that we are handing over today”. He also expressed the hope that the space would be “a place of good fortune, welcoming and always filled with lively people and smiles”.

Ms Sophia Santorinaiou, Partnerships Manager at Emfasis Non-Profit, described the project as “the culmination of a journey, rather than merely an opening ceremony” when presenting it. Looking back briefly, she pointed out that following the disaster on the island of Daniel and the organisation’s initial presence to provide assistance, this involvement was not merely a one-off, but evolved into long-term support, following many months of assessing the needs in the area. For her, a key factor was the support the project received from its funders. She also thanked the supervising engineer, Mr Thomas Tsigas, for the “personal time, passion, dedication and professionalism with which he overcame challenges”, delivering a safe and functional space. He urged the villagers to enjoy the new space, “because it belongs to you”.‍

For his part, Mr Tsigas referred to the technical difficulties involved in the project due to the age of the building and the damage it had sustained from the floods, highlighted the collaboration with the chairman, Mr Petrou, who is also a donor, and emphasised the importance of providing a space for the children. Meanwhile, the children were painting with paints and creating with plasticine on the ground floor of the building, which has been fully renovated.

Guide to Natural Disaster Management

It should be noted that Emfasis Non-Profit has drawn up – based on its experience – a Natural Disaster Management Guide for members of the public, which provides simple self-protection advice and safety guidelines in the event of a disaster. The Guide was distributed to members of the public gathered in the village’s central square during the event.

In addition to the village residents, the event was attended by the Members of Parliament for Trikala, Thanasis Lioutas and Katerina Papakosta; the regional councillor, Dinos Bardas; the deputy mayors of Trikala, Sofia Alesta and Michalis Lappas; Akis Anastasiou and Zoe Papanastasiou; the appointed councillors Efi Leventi, Marina Karametou, Vasilis Kranias and Apostolos Pappas; the commander of the SMY, Brigadier General Konstantinos Kotakos; the Director of the Trikala Police Directorate, Police Director Mr Athanasios Kappas, and the Vice-Chair of the Municipal Council of M. Kalyvia, Achilleas Pazagoras

Messages were sent by Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister for Digital Governance, and MP Kostas Skrekas. The event was presented on behalf of Emfasis Non-Profit by Ms Katianthi Strongari, a senior project manager.

Source: https://trikalacity.gr/ellinoitaliki-symmachia-paredose-anakainismeno-koinotiko-katastima-sto-glinos-toy-d-trikkaion/