The party's vision "is a fair and inclusive society," said PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Nikos Androulakis in the Thessaloniki area on Sunday, at the start of a philnanthropic event by a nonprofit for people with autism.

The 11th Philanthropic Mountain Race 'Autism-Elpida' was organized by the eponymous Association of Friends of Autistic People at Oreokastro, a northern suburb of Thessaloniki.

Androulakis said it is unfortunate that the government finds band-aid solutions to great challenges, which he named as a lack of diagnostic centers for autism, a lack of human resources to support children in their daily lives, and an inclusive school.

"We commit to doing whatever we can to create a society of solidarity modeling other European countries, supporting families and children in the sectors of education, and finding work," Androulakis said.
PASOK-KINAL's leader met with staff at the Association's facility 'Elpida' for autistic people and autistic people with cognitive impairments, and was briefed on the facility's activities.

Elpida

The 'Elpida' facility was founded in 1978 by parents of children with autism, and is run by the parents' association board of directors. The annual run is a fundraising event for the facility.

Oreokastro Mayor Pantelis Tsakiris siad that the municipality had assumed the entire cost of the event, and said that the participants in the mountain race exceeded 3,000 runners.

The event was also attended by Deputies Theodoros Karaoglou and Stratos Simopoulos, and Deputy Regional Governor of Central Macedonia Constantinos Gioutikas.