27.12.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt.12

Just before we go, there’s time for one last charity learning and at Christmas what better place to look than the big piece of nature that is sat in the corner that you now have no idea what to do with. I’m talking about that festive essential, the Christmas Tree.

All across the country, different councils and organisations are organising charity fundraising for people donating or recycling their used Christmas trees. In Nottingham, Veolia Environmental Services will donate £100 for every 50 tonnes of trees and green waste donated in January towards the local hospital. In Henley, you can have your tree disposed of for a £2 donation to Henley in Bloom. There are literally a ton of these all over the UK and it’s a great way of dealing with a hard household waste disposal whilst also donating to charity.

Go on, have a little google of your local town and village and find a charity you can support.

DC

29.11.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt.11

I know it was know a week ago but it always used to be a real fascination of mine as a child to watch children in need every year. I’ve stopped a little as I’ve gotten older as being out and about on a Friday tends to be much more fun but this years caught a little. Unfortunately I didn’t catch enough to see any of the bits where it tells you where the money goes, so I thought what better way to mark November’ charity begins at home than to learn a little.

The BBC first held a charity television event all the way back in 1955 called Children’s Hour Christmas Appeal and it managed to raise £625,836 in the years it ran until 1979 (Wogan presented as far back as the 1978 one!). It wasn’t until 1980 that the format changed to the modern telethon that we know now.

The charity do great work to generate funds for the UK’s young people and in their own words they:

BBC Children in Need gives grants to organisations in the UK working with children who have mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, abuse or neglect. The size and scale of The BBC Children in Need Appeal means that we’re able to give grants to hundreds of different organisations, some of which are very small and don’t have the resources to fundraise for themselves.
The money you have raised so far has been distributed to many different organisations. Every year, thanks to public donations and the amazing efforts of fundraisers, schools, businesses and our corporate partners, we are able to provide support to thousands of youngsters aged 18 and under. Details of grants in your area.

This year the charity reached a simply staggering record total of £26,757,446, showing what a long way its come and just how much help they will be able to provide the nations less fortunate youth. I think it shows that everyone agrees what a worthwhile cause it is. In equally exciting news, iconic bear mascot Pudsey actually got his name from a West Yorksire town where the BBC worker who designed him was born!

DC

28.10.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt.10

In the interests of full disclosure, I will state that I have grown a moustache in honour of this months charity before so I’m obviously aware of the charity. However, it’s an intriguing one as it is arguably the world’s (or at least UK’s) first viral charity. Its spread like wildfire and now my Facebook page is littered with people sprouting facial hair for Movember.

Movember is the practice of clean shaving on the first of November and then growing a moustache with no acceptance of shaving for the entire month. All of this organised silliness has a very serious message of raising awareness and money for fighting male prostate cancer.

The ‘event’ as it were, was started in November 2003 with humble beginnings:

– The Movember idea is born in Melbourne, Australia by two mates discussing fashion and recurring trends, they question where the Mo had gone and joke about bringing it back. Together, they decide to talk their mates into growing a Mo with them. They choose the month of November renaming it Movember.

– Movember rules and guidelines are defined; all of which remain in place today
Participating countries: Australia

– 30 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas

– Funds Raised: None

From just a fun event amongst friends the event led way to the fund raising event that it is now in 2004 when they raised $54,000 AUD which was in no way an indicator for how massive the event has become now in 2012. In 2011:

– Movember officially launches campaigns in Belgium, Denmark and Norway

– Movember obtains official charity status in Canada, England, Wales and Scotland

– Participating countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA

– 854,288 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas

– Funds Raised: GBP £79.3 million

The fund raising effort is now truly global and enables the charity to do incredible work not just raising awareness of prostate cancer, but also funding research and treatment to combat it.

Go on….. Be a Mo Bro!

DC

25.9.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt.9

We’ve long had a problem in our organisation with commitment. No, I don’t mean I work with a group of people that struggle to stay in committed, faithful relationships, I mean that every year our Office Christmas Party is over subscribed but in some previous years people have cried off at the last minute. As the company very kindly throws these parties at no cost to the employees, this presents real problems in wasted money. So, in the last few years, to register your place you’ve had to make a small charitable donation to secure your place. This year’s happens to fit perfectly with another instalment in the charity blog department.

Although I’m already aware of the Help for Hero’s charity, I have no idea how they carry out their charitable work or what exactly their remit is. Well, they describe it as:

“Help for Heroes provides direct, practical support to wounded, injured and sick Service personnel, veterans, and their families. This is provided through grants to individuals and other Service charities, capital build projects and support for life at our four Recovery Centres across the UK.”

In practicality what this means is that they provide support and funding to those soliders who have been wounded in conflicts across the globe. They self-professedly aren’t interested in whether wars are just or not, but merely that if someone sacrifices themselves on our nation’s behalf, then they deserve support and care. They use charitable donations to build capital projects such as care units like the Rehab Complex at Headley Court (£8.5m) etc. They also provide direct support which has totalled £4.2m to 2,226 individuals who have needed to receive care. They also run Band of Brothers (and Sisters!!) communities or support groups for those wounded to help rehab and battle back together. Their support extends to anyone serving in the military or under the command of the armed forces (including journalists etc) and veterans who are no longer active military servants.

28.8.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt. 8

Sometimes things reach such prevalence and visibility that after a while they just seem common place and then, before you know it, they fade away again and it takes a sudden turn of events to bring them back into focus. When I was younger, everyone and I mean nearly everyone, could be seen with a yellow, stretchy plastic band around their wrists with the word Livestrong emblazoned on it. This hasn’t been such a common trend in recent years but I have a feeling that we may see more of it over the next few weeks.

Livestrong will forever be synonymous with cyclist Lance Armstrong and has arguably become more of a legacy for him than his cycling career. With the news that he will no longer be fighting allegations of drug taking during his run of Tour de France victories, it’s arguably become the part of his legacy that deserves more of our attention.

Lance Armstrong originally rose to prominence through his cycling feets and then in 1996 (at aged 25), Lance was diagnosed with testicular cancer which spread to other areas such as his lungs and brain. He fought the disease and was successful and even managed to cycle and win the Tour de France less than 3 years later. In 1997 he founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) to fundraise to fight the disease and to research fighting against testicular cancer. Steady growth and injections of fundraising eventually lead to the brand Livestrong, initially as an online support website. By 2004 the Wear Yellow Live Strong campaign begins and the wristbands begin to become more and more evident which, by just 2005, had sold more than 55 million of the bands.

The charity has spiralled and grown beyond all initial thoughts and in the years since have hosted numerous events and provided support to sufferers whilst funding research. By 2010 1,100 events are held in as many as 65 different countries as rallying points for the charity. The breadth of the organisation now really is staggering when you consider where it’s come from and that’s directly as a result of the story of Lance Armstrong’s inspirational fight back.

Sales of the yellow band have now apparently sold in excess of 80 million and that awareness as well as the support and research that it denotes should be Armstrong’s legacy, not further speculation on his cycling career. Now that’s something that I think is worth wearing yellow for.

DC

26.7.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt.7

The title informs you of the format for today’s post and today’s charity comes from none other than my wonderful mother, Mummykins (Sometimes, Nagbags). She currently works as a care worker in the local old folks home where I grew up and incredibly worthwhile cause. Many of the visitors as they grown older have developed Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia and for this reason today’s charity is Alzheimer’s Society.

Dementia is a term to group together a number of symptoms including memory loss, seemingly irrational mood changes and problems with reasoning that get progressively worse as the diagnosed ages. Alzheimer’s itself is the most common cause of dementia whereby chemical and structural changes in the brain occur as brain cells die out. Surveys and approximations have around 800,000 people as diagnosed with dementia in the UK largely in the over 65 age bracket, however, there are 17,000 people in the UK under that age that have the issue too. Memory loss is usually the first obvious sign that someone you know may be afflicted by the problem.

Alzheimer’s Society and its 25,000 members provide both information and education on dementia as well as providing 2,000 services such as day care and home care centres across the UK. They help support both the affected individual and provide support for their close ones to look after them in trying times. They also invest around £2m a year into research into the condition to both improve the lives of those suffering, and attempt to find cures for it. They provide phone and internet services such as an online forum for people to discuss what they are going through with other members who may have had similar issues.

As with all charities they rely on donations and fundraising as well as volunteer help from the community to continue to provide the support services that they do. Many people all over the UK know someone dear to them who has suffered from dementia and it can be a very hard and traumatic time to witness a loved one struggling with memory loss. Alzheimer’s UK provide an essential service that helps people through this trying time, and for that they are more than worth supporting.

DC

28.6.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt.6

By now, you all know the preamble to this and exactly what this is about, this months charity is Depression Alliance.

Depression Alliance is an organisation that provides support, guidance and self help groups to help combat the treatable condition of depression. They are the leading UK charity for the affliction from which 1 in 5 people suffer from. The Royal College of Psychiatrists say that symptoms can include:

– persistent sadness or low mood
– losing interest in life
– finding it harder to make decisions
– not coping with things that used to be manageable
– feeling exhausted
– feeling restless and agitated;
– loss of appetite and weight
– difficulties getting to sleep
– loss of sex drive
– thoughts of self-harm or suicide.

I think the key thing is that a lot of people can feel like they may be somewhat depressed or feeling some of these emotions but few of us treat it as a serious problem in us or others around us. In 4 out of 5 sufferers it goes away without any treatment but organisations like DA can really help to manage those worrying or suffering from severe depression.

Not only do they raise awareness and let sufferers know that they aren’t alone, but they also create publications, give advice on treatment and coping, provide self-help groups and pen friend schemes – A complete array. They also arrange an annual Depression Awareness Week to reinforce what a serious affliction this can be. They have a huge array of ways to get involved with fund raising etc on their website and I’d urge you to check it out.

Today I learnt that depression affects a huge number of people and is a real problem. Organisations like CA go a huge way to combating the feeling sufferers have of being alone and for that they are more than worth our support.

DC

28.5.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt.5

Thus far ‘Charity Begins at Home posts have been an attempt to learn about fantastic charities that I was unaware of or didn’t know the extent of and they’ve all been UK based. Today’s is a little different. You see, I will say I played university American football with the individual who founded this charity, but he is an incredible person with an amazing story and I know very little about how the charity carries out its mission.

The person is David ‘The Faj’ Fajgenbaum and the charity is Students of AMF (Ailing Mothers and Fathers). Students of AMF are a charity that provide support and information to children who are going through their student lives with either a ill or deceased mother or father. As part of this they start student chapters to help spread this service across campuses. David’s story is another example of a young person turning incredible personal grief into something extremely positive. The Students of AMF website describes his circumstance far better than I could:

In 2003, just before David Fajgenbaum left his home in Raleigh, North Carolina to attend college at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., his mother Anne Marie was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. Anne Marie passed away in 2004, and as a result of a promise he made to her, David created an outlet for college students who, like himself, were coping with a loved one’s illness or death and suffering in silence. He called the group Students of AMF, a dual acronym for his mom (Anne Marie Fajgenbaum) and Ailing Mothers and Fathers.

Students of AMF began as a support group for 10 of David’s peers and quickly grew into a network that involved more than 400 members of the Georgetown community. Soon, other students across the country heard about the Georgetown Students of AMF model and wanted to do something similar on their campuses. Today, Students of AMF chapters exist throughout the country and we continue to create new chapters.

Research has shown that 1 in 3 students suffers the loss of a close friend or family member every year and due to pressures of pressures both from work and personal lives that young people face, these losses can be particularly difficult for students to cope with. Over the last 6 years the charity has supported over 2,000 grieving young people across over 170 campuses and that number is expanding all of the time. The foundation is run entirely by volunteers and provide a peer-led grief support group around the campuses to connect individuals with a wider community.

If you want to learn more about what some of these individuals are going through, you can see more about it at http://www.studentsofamf.org/category/we-get-it/. It’s clear from some of the heartbreaking stories how important charities like David’s are and how worthy of our support they are.

DC

3.5.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt.4

They say charity begins at home, I believe I echoed that sentiment and indeed it’s the title of these monthly blogs. Well for the best part of 12 days, I haven’t actually been at home! So now, after sunning myself and treating myself for so long, it seems a fitting time for another pay day charity.

This month’s is another suggestion, in this case it comes as a particularly apt local charity. JR4JR is a charity that raises awareness of severe brain injury (which seems even more fitting as I’m writing this at the same time as the 4.5.12 post on the long term effects of concussions). What’s more the second JR stands for the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, a hospital that provided the charities founder with critical treatment and from which my family has had more than its fair share of trips to.

To preface the significance of injuries of this type, 1 in 60 people in the UK visit hospital as a result of a head injury every year. The founder of the charity is Joe Robinson (hence the first JR), who at the age of 18 suffered a tragic road accident that cost the life of one of his close friends and left him with 3 broken vertebrae in his back and 2 in his neck, as well as a fractured skull. As a result of the accident Joe now suffers from problems with memory retention, concentration and suffers from mental fatigue easily. The increased importance on protecting his brain and skull has forced him to leave a promising rugby career. Fortunately hey forming the charity Joe has managed to turn this experience into something positive, something that I’m not sure I would have the strength to achieve . I would urge you to read more on Joe’s story here.

TBI (traumatic brain injuries) affects between 130,000-15,000 people every year in the UK and half a million people in the UK are living with a severe long term injury as a result – a staggering statistic. In fact, every 5 minutes someone becomes permanently disabled due to a head injury. Obviously when you factor in severe concussions etc some of these aren’t even immediately apparent.

I hope you can agree the charity I learnt about today is phenomenal in terms of understanding the risk associated with brain injuries and equally for someone managing to create something positive out of an event such as Joe’s.

DC

28.3.12 Charity Begins at Home Pt.3

And thus another pay day flies around quicker than I can comprehend. It’s fortunate too, because as we’ve already discussed, my budgeting leaves a lot to be desired. And having just been fortunate enough to book an exciting holiday to Thailand (guess what most of April’s learnings will be centred around?)? I guess pay day couldn’t come at a more opportune time!

With pay day comes another chance to learn about an organisation that is managing to contribute and give back to the world by helping those less fortunate. These posts aren’t meant to be sanctimonious or preachy, merely an admittal that I should do more with my fortunate lot (even if just in a small way).

This months suggestion comes from one of my best friends who is actually spending her time/working life working for a charity, Carly Maguire. Voice is a charity that provides support, care and guidance to young people from difficult backgrounds and upbringing. Without the charity some of these people would be left alone and unable to cope – in short, they’ve not had the benefits and breaks in life that someone like myself has and Voice provides them with an integral support network and pioneered advocacy for children.

Through giving children access to advocacy and through monitoring care environments, Voice ensure that 65,000 children in care can have their voice heard and has somewhere to turn for support. Reading through some of the quotes and testimonials from young people that they’ve helped in their annual report it is amazing some of the situations that they have provided support in. It’s when you read comments like, “I would say that I didn’t want to go somewhere, but they would put me there anyway. They just brushed away my ideas so in the need I kept my ideas to myself.” – Ruby, 17 that you realise that there are real problems for these kids.

Voice help young people deal with many issues but identify the top 15 as:

1. Placements – wanting/not wanting to move
2. Wanting a new social worker
3. Needing more money
4. Things not being done that were promised
5. Homelessness – Social Services refusing to accommodate
6. Issues around education
7. Immigration issues
8. Wanting access to their records
9. Wanting to complain
10. Wanting support with a Secure Accommodation Review
11. Wanting/not wanting to be on a Care Order
12. Feeling unsafe and needing help e.g. gangs, safeguarding issues, bullying, trafficking & sexual exploitation
13. Breakdown of relationship with Children’s Services
14. Support with adjudications, restraints etc (in Young Offender Institutions)
15. Issues in the institution (e.g. children’s home) they are living – food, lack of activity or education, bullying, problem with staff, property going missing, visits

These issues aren’t things that affect me, I’m incredibly fortunate to that extent. Today I learnt that Voice are ensuring that they don’t affect other young people either.

DC