Saturday, April 2nd, the three U.S. Ambassadors accredited to the Italian Republic, the Holy See and the United Nations agencies, together with the Mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno, took part in the “Clean Faces for Our Buildings” event to clean up the tags from the walls of Piazza Annibaliano in the II Municipio.
After last year’s success, Ambassadors David Thorne, Miguel Díaz and Ertharin Cousin once again enthusiastically accepted the invitation to support the volunteers with brushes and detergent to make Rome more beautiful. Through their participation, the three diplomats wanted to confirm the commitment of the United States to enhance the city that hosts their diplomatic missions. The initiative was promoted by the grassroots associations Retake Rome, Amuse and Labsus, in collaboration with AMA Roma. Hundreds of participants, particularly young people, took part in this campaign, showing civic commitment and love for their city.
“I’m excited to see so many young volunteers,” said US Ambassador to Italy David Thorne. “It is also our job, as residents, neighbors, colleagues and friends, to roll up our sleeves and prove with our actions as well as our words, how proud we are to live here, in our Eternal City.”
“Those of us who work in the U.S. Missions are honored to make the Eternal City our temporary home,” US Ambassador to the Holy See Miguel Díaz stated. “This Earth Day, we are pleased to give back to this wonderful city and its people. We are delighted to contribute to making this Eternal City eternally more beautiful.”
“President and First Lady Obama always encourage people to improve their local communities through service,” US Ambassador to the UN Agencies in Rome Ertharin Cousin said. “I hope, especially for the young people present here today, your involvement in this beautification project in this historic neighborhood is just the beginning of a lifelong commitment to service, to engagement, and to community.”
