Avan Neurologia opens a new stage with its new center in Terrassa as its emblem

Three decades ago, relatives of people with neurological diseases in Vallès found themselves without the necessary resources or support, and chose not to stand idly by. United by the then head of Neurology at Mutua de Terrassa, Miquel Aguilar, the families created the Associació Vallès Amics de la Neurologia, the seed of what is today the Fundació Avan.

More than 30 years later, the foundation has become a benchmark in improving the quality of life of people affected by neurological diseases, their families, and their environment. And it does so in a multidisciplinary way, offering everything from social support to assistance programs, neurorehabilitation and comprehensive treatment, as well as leisure activities and projects for dissemination and awareness about these diseases.

Thus, what began as a meeting place for family members in the home of one of its members grew to open spaces in Sabadell, which began to replicate in other cities in Vallès, such as Sant Cugat, Rubí, and Terrassa. Now, the entity serves more than a thousand people a year, with 65 employees and more than 200 volunteers, who attend to affected people ranging from a few months old to old age, covering the entire life cycle.

The growth of the entity is precisely due to being in contact with users and their families and, above all, being attentive to their needs. "Little by little we equipped ourselves with structure and professionals to meet these needs," explains the general director of the foundation, Anna Soler.

Thus, growth in users led to growth in services, which also implies growth in space. For this reason, expanding its centers is presented as a necessity, which they have begun to address from Terrassa. After years operating from various spaces in a civic center, the City Council has ceded an old textile warehouse to the entity for 50 years, with 1,600 square meters. After a rehabilitation that has lasted three years and has required an investment of three million by Avan, the foundation has just inaugurated the new center, which will begin operating on September 1. With the new space, the entity will be able to more than double the number of people served in the city, with a growth that will be progressive: they will go from being able to serve about 300 people to more than 700, a fact that represents a turning point for the entity.

And it is that Avan responds to needs that public health and social services do not cover. "It would be ideal if they responded, but, for now, it is not possible," Soler emphasizes. Thus, users also come to Avan referred from public health. To respond to them, the foundation annually applies to more than 50 calls for grants, a system to obtain funding that implies instability and uncertainty: "You never know from one year to the next how much you can count on, so you cannot plan."

"We should be able to opt for a concert or multi-year grants, to achieve that stability. The administration supports us, but we would like to have more public funding and stability," defends the general director of the foundation. Despite the staff, time and resources they allocate to the call for grants, this year they represent only 12% of the entity's total budget. The rest of the budget ---which this year has amounted to a total of 2.3 million--- comes from own funding, including economic collaborations from more than a thousand partner individuals and more than 70 collaborating companies, who support the foundation with economic contributions or in-kind contributions. In addition, users pay reduced fees for certain services ---below those usual in the private sector---, which the entity can subsidize up to 90% for families without sufficient resources.

Beyond these funding channels, the entity promotes events to raise funds to strengthen its centers and services, such as the Night of Hope, which will celebrate its third edition on September 18 in Barcelona. It will do so as a solidarity dinner-cocktail to raise awareness about neurological diseases and to raise funds. After a first edition with 80 attendees, in the second there were 130, and this year they expect more than 150: "Once someone knows us, they remain linked; whoever comes to one dinner, comes to the next," says Soler.

The event, organized with the collaboration of ambassador companies, will focus this edition on raising funds to equip the Petit Avan of the new Terrassa center, aimed at the youngest users. And it is that the center will be able to start operating in September, but "there is a lot of equipment to acquire," explains Soler: "Now we have the most basic equipment and we can start in the new center, but it is not enough." For this reason, it will dedicate the Night of Hope to equipping the Petit Avan, and its XXI Solidarity Dinner, in October, to the equipment of the center in general: "The equipment is expensive, over time it breaks down or innovative options appear on the market, such as an exoskeleton that we want to acquire, but for that, financing is needed."

The new center, in addition, will also be expanded with the team of professionals and with another key actor for the foundation: the volunteers. With more than 200, this figure is essential for listening to and supporting users and their families, among other aspects, which include management tasks and accompaniment in leisure activities and outings.

Now, the foundation is focused on the Terrassa center and its internal reorganization, in addition to the future center that will open in Sant Cugat. It will do so soon in a space that the City Council is building and that will foreseeably be ceded to the foundation and another entity, with one objective: "To be able to reach as many people as possible," to improve their quality of life and that of their families.