At 3 pm on Wednesday February 3 at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, boulevard Jourdan (Stade de l’Ouest), Mireille Le Van, the Orange Foundation’s Secretary General, and Jean-Pierre Dicostanzo, Orange’s Regional Director for Paris, will be awarding a €30,000 cheque to Yves Foucault, chairman of the FFSA, during a ceremony attended by Véronique Dubarry, Paris’ deputy mayor in charge of disabled people, Jean Vuillermoz, Paris’ deputy mayor in charge of sports, Pascal Cherki, mayor of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, and Sylviane Tarsot-Gillery, Cité internationale universitaire de Paris delegate general.

In connection with its corporate philanthropy actions, the Orange Foundation has chosen to help people with autism and their families. In this way, it is supporting the Fédération Française du Sport Adapté and its “Un club, un autsite” (one club, one autistic person) operation. This action, carried out with the French national union of associations for parents, the mentally disabled and their friends (UNAPEI), aims to facilitate the social integration of young people with autism through sport, integrating them into ordinary clubs or academies. The subsidy will be used to help cover the cost of allowances for integration agents, in addition to providing sports bags for the host rugby clubs and transporting some young people to a match (international or Top 14).

about the Fédération Française du Sport Adapté
The FFSA makes it possible for people with mental or physical disabilities to access physical and sporting activities, either for competition or fun, while respecting their dignity and safety. Present in all the main regions throughout France, the FFSA has more than 42,000 members today, offering opportunities to enjoy almost 50 disciplines, including five that are recognized as high level.
Alongside this, since November 22 last year, people with mental impairments have been able to achieve the legitimate recognition they deserve by reintegrating the London Paralympics in 2012.
Rugby also recently became an Olympic discipline, with seven-a-side rugby to be included from the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The FFSA, working closely with the French Rugby Federation (FFR), has overhauled its national development plan for this sport.
The “one club, one autistic person” operation, covering some 60 young people and 45 rugby clubs or academies so far, is an integral part of this project and was also the central focus for the latest meeting of the "social cohesion and integration” commission organized by the FFR at the national rugby center in Marcoussis on December 3 last year.

Orange Foundation’s actions for people with autism and their families
Since 1991, the Orange Foundation has been working to advance the recognition of this cause and improve quality of life for people with autism and their families.
The Foundation has become, thanks to years spent working in this area, a major partner for parent associations and the medico-social world. In this way, it is making a lasting contribution towards the creation of places for people with autism in adapted structures, as well as training for professionals and families, the creation of leisure activities and holidays to offer people a break.
The Foundation also funds scholarships and supports programs in order to help teams of researchers take part in research work on autism internationally.

the Orange Foundation
Since its creation in 1987, the Orange Foundation has been conducting a major programme of corporate philanthropy which is the continuation of its company mission: giving everyone the means to communicate, fighting against sensory and social isolation as well as promoting cultural fulfilment. The Orange Foundation is involved in three fields:
  health/disability to create links by helping autistic persons, and seeking to improve the autonomy and quality of life of persons suffering from visual or auditory impairments.
education to build links by contributing to the fight against illiteracy and by encouraging the education of girls in developing countries.
culture for developing links by supporting the collective practice of vocal music.
Beyond its actions in France, the Foundation unites and coordinates all group corporate philanthropy initiatives throughout the world. Projects are thus supported in 30 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.