Thanks to everyone, we've even managed to exceed our fundraising goal. The Foundation is growing stronger every day!

Thanks again!

FOUNDATION VALUES

Thank you, first of all, thank you for being here today. It's a great honor. When I was little, I was asked the same question: "What do you want to be when you grow up, Alvaro?" Perhaps your answer was concise and clear, which is why you're here today. But like almost everything in my life, my future couldn't be summed up in a single word. I wanted to live life my way. And my life is sports. It's water and snow, the cold of winter and the salt of summer. When I think about my accident, a quote from Steve Jobs comes to mind: "If you live life as if it were your last day, someday you might be right." For this reason, we need to get up every morning and ask ourselves, "Do I like what I'm doing today?" I can say yes. But I want more. In this world created for walking, life in a wheelchair is also out there, sharing it with others. We are more than capable of doing and facing whatever we want, at our own pace. Often, fear prevents us from doing what we should or what we love. This Foundation will break with dogma so that people like me can live guided by their ideas, expectations, and opinions without unfounded fears.

A space where we can share our passion for sports, but also discover a lifestyle that isn't limited by our disabilities. The world begins, it doesn't end, and the Foundation will serve to carry this message to infinity. We humans are the only ones who can save each other, and the certainty that we will all die destroys bodies but not ideas. My experiences, expectations, and memories will go with me, but people with disabilities will continue their search for freedom among the waves or snow-capped mountains. For this reason, I believe the Foundation is vital to bringing outdoor sports to people who don't even know their true potential. To break down myths and allow those who feel it's slipping away to truly experience life. My only message is my life, and the legacy I leave behind will also depend on the people who want to join me on this adventure.

FOUNDATIONAL PURPOSES

*HEALTH

The FOUNDATION will provide activity sessions for the rehabilitation of patients with some type of spinal cord injury or lower limb amputation, through adapted sport, in this case mostly aquatic activities.

In the spring of 2014 I started, patented and promoted ADAPTED SUP (stand up paddle surf) worldwide, being the pioneer of this new sport unknown in the adapted world, thanks to a chair I have manufactured for water sports.

I discovered, while studying the technique of this initiative of my own, that it worked countless muscles throughout the torso, thus helping me to improve my muscle mass and, consequently, to achieve greater stability and balance of the body itself.

Then, I started a pioneering activity worldwide in the rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries at the Guttmann Institute. We selected four patients, who received classes led by me with the support of two technicians in the hospital's indoor pool. As a final touch, on the last day, two of them went to the beach to practice the sport.

This initiative lasted one month. Because there was no funding from anywhere except my own, the project was abandoned. With the support of the Foundation, it will be revived, as the Foundation will now have the resources to continue giving life to patients who want to live.

*THE SOCIAL

The social purpose was the driving force behind this FOUNDATION, due to a social/sporting void and a lack of awareness and existence of the sport. The idea to create this foundation arose because, for the past three years, I have dedicated myself, as a charitable soul, to promoting and expanding adapted aquatic sports, as a sport, a way of life, and an excellent tool for rehabilitation, traveling throughout parts of the country without any support. Therefore, with the FOUNDATION, I believe I can reach many more people who need, require, or desire it, with the aim of helping to give LIFE!

*THE TECHNOLOGICAL ONE

Due to the demand and the lack of resources, support, and ingenuity in our country, at the FOUNDATION we also work to improve the quality of life of people with severe injuries through adapted aquatic sports. This is our field: inventing, researching, and creating new devices, equipment, and tools that don't yet exist, which the FOUNDATION can develop to give someone back their life when they can no longer practice a sport they once enjoyed, but which, due to circumstances, they can no longer do. But they CAN! Because now there are people who care about removing barriers to lesser-known yet appealing sports, ensuring that we too can enjoy them.

This FOUNDATION will have a small link with the association of engineers of the College of Engineers of Catalonia, with which it intends to collaborate on future projects to further improve our LIVES and the LIVES of all!!

*THE SPORTS

This is a sensitive topic that I speak about with full awareness and knowing what I'm talking about from my own experience, just like all the other topics discussed in previous posts.

In this country, sport is very undervalued, and even more so adapted sport, which is virtually unknown in Spanish society, let alone practiced. This creates a huge gap in terms of support, sports scholarships, grants, sponsorships, and so on—all of which athletes depend on to pursue a sporting career with a secure future. In this country, if it's not football, there's no interest, no sales, no investment.

There's a saying, "If you're good, you're good!" Well, in Spain, that's not true! Only the interests of some and others matter when it comes to determining who's good and who isn't.

From the FOUNDATION we want to give a future projection to athletes forgotten by the interests of the federations and other bodies on which we cannot depend, since they have shown us that they are not there for what they should be there for.

If the finances of this FOUNDATION allow, it will try to help, as much as possible, athletes with a stable sporting future, not just anyone, it is understood.

*THE HUMAN

Being able to help those most in need is a divine act, some would say, and that's what it's all about... LET'S HELP THEM LIVE!!

See the PDF “ALVIN BAYONA FOUNDATION” at www.alvinbayona.com