I had celebrated 50 years, my children had grown and become independent adults. For me it was time to embark on a new journey. I started as a volunteer for the Francesca Rava Foundation – NPH Italia Onlus, working on some of the many projects they have developed and implemented in support of disadvantaged children in Italy and worldwide
During these years I met many talented people, not only dedicated to helping others but effective in implementing the changes necessary to improve the lives of people living in poverty and in situations of extreme need.
During the same period, I began to approach yoga, meditation and healing arts which brought me knowledge and benefits I wanted to share with others.
With my background in business, I thought that a better way to support the Rava Foundation might be to create a Social business with the mission of generating sustainable profits in support of the Foundation’s projects internationally. This is how City ZEN was born, an oasis of peace in the heart of Milan; a place to find individual wellbeing, which is then transformed into a service to others. City ZEN donates 100% of its profits to the Francesca Rava Foundation – NPH Italia Onlus.
I am deeply convinced that wellbeing is contagious.
“The enveloping light of the large windows, and the silence, unusual for the center of a large city, convinced us that this was the right location for City ZEN. Thehigh ceilings and incomparable space assured us we had found an ideal home for Holistic Wellness. We designed most of the lighting fixtures and furnishings ad hoc using reclaimed elements and adapting them to new functions.
The old doors were transformed into sliding doors for closets. Discarded building site planks were adapted to create bookcases, containers, side tables and reception desks, all by Oscar Merli. Recycled mirrors, old benches and refurbished washbasins were used in the locker rooms, to create an lived-in, comfortable environment. The logo that catches the eye as you enter the studio is immersed in a ‘forest’ of birch trees and the various messages that accompany the guests are made of honeycomb cardboard to complement the simple and natural image of City ZEN.”
The Francesca Rava Foundation helps children in difficult conditions in Italy and around the world, through distance adoptions, sustainable projects, children’s rights awareness initiatives, and voluntary work. It is a non-denominational and apolitical foundation that also acts as the Italian arm of N.P.H. (Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Our little brothers and sisters), a humanitarian organization founded in 1954 by Father W. B. Wasson. Over the past 60 years, NPH has saved thousands of orphaned and abandoned children with his homes, hospitals, schools and vocational facilities in Latin America and the Caribbean, also in close collaboration with the Saint Luc Foundation in Haiti.
