November of this year marks the tenth anniversary of the foundation's first congress. What really matterscreated and chaired by María Franco. She explains what led her to create the foundation, and how it promotes projects to encourage universal values in society in various fields.
- Jaime Sánchez Moreno
The founder and president of What really mattersMaría Franco studied International Secretarial Studies, but recognizes that she had the intention of studying Journalism, and that she has always had a vocation for journalism. In fact, her first work experience was at ABC, in the External Relations department. "I didn't study for my degree because I really lived the world of journalism very closely."he explains. It was also in this newspaper that he discovered his second vocation: organizing events to help others.
Maria is the mother of three daughters. In her professional career, she worked for a company dedicated to organizing events to help foundations and NGOs. One day a friend of hers told her about the case of a friend, Nicholas Fortsmann, an American multimillionaire who also had cancer, a disease that took his life. This man wrote a book for his children, entitled What Really MattersThe book was written to help him and them appreciate "what really matters" (the title of the book) in order to truly enjoy life. Maria received the book thanks to her friend. For Maria, the book was a vital lesson: "It touched my heart, because when life hits you, you think the same thing and reflect on what really matters. [...] It's through stories that help people discover what really matters.".
With the help of another friend, Pilar Cánovas, the institutional director of What really mattersThe first congress of this foundation was held in honor of Fortsmann to transmit values to young university and pre-university students, this being the first edition of a free event. The event was held at the Palacio de Congresos del Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, which was filled with more than 2,000 attendees. The event had a strong media echo, and eight Spanish cities were interested in spreading the word about the project. The foundation is now in six other countries: Portugal, France, the United Kingdom, Austria, Ecuador and Peru.
The NGO's congresses aim to get people to reflect on values that make them see what really matters in given situations. In addition to targeting young people through congresses, the foundation carries out initiatives for children, such as KliquersThe second one, carried out in schools, and the third one, where volunteers read stories. For adults, talks on real stories that stimulate them for their family and work life. As a novelty, the team has incorporated another initiative, My story really mattersfocused on senior citizens. "The volunteer and the person (usually elderly) to be cared for sign an agreement committing to work side by side for six months. We call the volunteer the narrator and the elderly person the protagonist. In weekly visits, the narrator tries to unravel the life of the protagonist, talking to him. The goal is that, after those six months, a book of his life will be published, of which the narrator will give ten copies to the protagonist. It is a great legacy for his children. For the protagonist it is a 'shot' of joy, and for the young man, to know the story of a person who, although from another generation, is the same as him and has lived the same".
At the headquarters of What really matters all of its members are women, and they are at the "helm" of the foundation. María comments that this aspect is a coincidence, because the team that directs it is the one that it is because of commitment and passion, and that the women who are part of it work in a climate of mutual collaboration. "We are seven people in love with the cause and we all work very hard together. This is a team foundation and, above all, a family foundation, because every time speakers join, they become part of the foundation. We just celebrated our 10th anniversary gala. It was very nice..
On February 17, a film was released in theaters, directed by Paco Arango, which in Spanish bears the name of the foundation. This director has participated in NGO congresses to talk about his testimony. In 2005, he created the Aladina Foundationwhich has teamed up with What really matters for the proceeds of the film destined to SeriousFun Children's Networka network of camps for sick children founded by actor Paul Newman.
