Safilo Group in Rome for Opening Eyes

Safilo Group will be in Rome from the 30th of September to the 5th of October for the 2006 European Youth Games.

Safilo has been a loyal partner of the Special Olympics- Lions Club International Opening Eyes vision program since 2003, the largest program in the world dedicated to providing vision care for the global population of people with intellectual disabilities.

Within Opening Eyes activities Safilo supplies the athletes of Special Olympics with ophthalmic frames and sunglasses during the visual screenings that are organized at the Special Olympics national and international games.

Thanks to its worldwide network, Safilo can continue to offer constant support to what the company believes to be is one of the most important programs present today.

'For many years now, Safilo Group has actively supported the Special Olympics,' states Samantha Tabacchi, Director of International Corporate Communications of Safilo Group. 'This is a project that is close to my heart and that I personally follow. To take an active part in these important activities aimed at the integration and well-being of individuals with mental disabilities allow us to demonstrate in a concrete way our commitment to this cause, not only through the donation of optical frames and sunglasses but also through volunteers amongst Safilo personnel who approach this project with compassion and enthusiasm'.

This year Safilo also offers its support to the numerous Special Olympics events all over the world, and particularly important is its presence to the 2006 Special Olympics European Youth Games that will involve athletes between 12 and 21 years coming from more than 50 European and Euro-Asiatic countries for the most relevant Special Olympics event that Italy has ever hosted.

For this important event Safilo will provide 1,000 sunglasses and 600 ophthalmic frames to the more than 1000 athletes, together with their families, their trainers and numerous volunteers, will meet in Rome in order to compete in various disciplines - athletics, swimming, basketball, football, gymnastics, etc - and to live a unique cultural and sport experience, which will combine passion for sport with dignity and individual success.

In 2005, nearly 5,000 Special Olympics athletes received prescription glasses through Opening Eyes while 11,400 athletes received sunglasses to be used in and out of Special Olympics events.