New Partnership with National Retail Giant
Befriend A Child have been selected as the John
Lewis Aberdeen Charity of the Year for 2010.
Following an on-going relationship between the George Street
retailer and Befriend A Child, partners at John Lewis were happy to
announce our charity as the beneficiary for staff fund-raising
efforts during the next twelve months.
The partnership will see a number of in house events in aid of
Befriend A Child, as well as staff getting involved in events from
the Befriend A Child calendar.
There will also be plenty of opportunity for the provision of raffle
prizes throughout the year, and the chance of new Befrienders from
within the store’s employee base.
“As a business, John Lewis Aberdeen aim to make a recognisable
difference to the community in which we trade and every year we
choose a local charity to become our Local Charity of the Year,”
commented Pam Calder, Leisure and Corporate Social Responsibility
Coordinator.
“Befriend A Child have been linked with us over the past few years
on various occasions so we thought it would be great for us to have
them as our chosen Local Charity of the Year.
“This gives us a great opportunity to raise funds for the charity
and help make a real difference to the children's lives that they
help.”
Befriend A Child are £1200 better off thanks to
the generosity of all
those who attended the annual Aberdeen Centre CIob (Chartered
Institute of Builders) quiz night in the Copthorne Hotel.
Over 120 participants enjoyed a testing evening of trivia, which
even included a test of air guitar skills and the Michael Jackson
Moonwalk! The cheque was officially presented at the Befriend A
Child offices. Photo (from left) BAC Administrator Elaine Hall, CIob
Vice Chairman Keith Taylor, CIoB Chairman Bill Beattie and BAC
Volunteer Co-ordinator Nicola Milne.
 Befriend
A Child
are a member of the Aberdeen
Businesswoman’s Network, a self-funded organisation promoting
networking among businesswomen in the Grampian area. It was founded
in 1985 and was the first established network of its kind in
Scotland. The committee's focus is to ensure the network continues
to be an important forum for local business women to challenge,
influence, learn and support each other through a number of
networking dinners and lunches on varied topics throughout the year
with informative speakers to inspire and challenge thinking.
ABN’s vision
is to:
Grow the membership
Organise events businesswomen want and can gain benefit from
Give members the opportunity to learn more about each other on a
business and social level
For more
information on ABN, details of upcoming events and a full list of
current members, visit
http://www.abn-network.co.uk/
Base Unit Group Sessions
Befriend a Child are running a number of group sessions
for volunteers and young people between October and December. All
sessions will run from 10am—noon, noon—2pm and 2pm—4pm.
 Saturday
3 rd October
– Arts and Craft Session – Junk Modelling
 Saturday
24 th
October – Happy Halloween – Pumpkin
Soup/Lantern/Mask Making
 Saturday
28 th
November – Baking and Decorating Fairy
Cakes
 Saturday
12 th
December – Christmas Arts and Crafts
To book a place contact
Jean
or
Andy.
The Difference A Day Makes
Lilly Pharmaceuticals gave a dozen
staff members a chance to spend a day at Befriend A Child in June,
helping us to brighten up our base unit. And they certainly got into the
spirit of the day with a fantastic Scooby Doo mural in the hallway, and
colourful handprints winding their way up the stairs.
 Senior
Representative Heather Baxter, who is herself based in Portlethen, said
that her colleagues had a super day.
“This is the first year that we’ve actually done this service, which is
a global initiative instigated from Indianapolis in the USA.
“It’s a great way of helping local charities – although a national
charity of the year is chosen, we can use the donation of labour as a
way of making a difference to a cause on our doorstep,” commented
Heather.
However staff actually travelled from all over Scotland to lend a hand
(or brush), including Ayrshire and Glasgow, to help improve the décor at
the Bon Accord Square premises and did a marvellous job.
And there was plenty of opportunity to get messy along the way!
While some chose to weed and tidy a small grass area outside the
building, others cracked open the paint tins and got to work with
colourful butterflies, trees and Scooby Doos!
Said Heather: “Everyone has been very willing to muck in and do
something fun, and which involves team work.
“We see it as a team building exercise which can also do some good in
the community.”
 Lilly
Pharmaceuticals have a UK base in Basingstoke and are one of the world´s
largest research based pharmaceutical companies dedicated to creating
and delivering innovative pharmaceutical health care solutions that
enable people to live longer, healthier and more active lives.
For more information on how your company can get involved with Befriend
A Child, please call Alan or Duncan on (01224) 210060.
Friendship Week
Youngsters from
Albyn School did their bit to help turn a frown upside down with a
Friendship Week in aid of Befriend A Child.
And they were able
to raise a fantastic £1323 for the organisation.
The pupils really
got into the spirit and showed their imagination with events
including making best friends doorhangers and bookmarks, pinning notes
to a Friendship Wall, playing Beetle and Bingo and a Dress as You Please
Day. Some pupils also sought sponsors from parents and friends
for keeping bedrooms tidy, emptying the dishwasher, feeding the cat and
helping brothers and sisters with their homework.
A representative of
the school noted: “Albyn Lower School pupils engaged in a Friendship
fundraising week and took part in a number of events that were setup
throughout the week.
All in all, it was
a very successful week where pupils and staff alike enjoyed themselves
supporting a local worthwhile charity."
 Calling all dare ‘devils.’
Befriend A Child are looking for brave volunteers
to take the plunge next year and take part in a parachute jump – along
with the Red Devils!
We have been able to secure 15 places for anyone
keen to take to the skies for a unique chance to do a parachute jump
with the world famous display team on Saturday, May 14th at
Strathallan. A minimum sponsorship target is required for what is
genuinely a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The day will include:
- An introduction to the team members followed
by thorough training
- Unique aerial views as you climb to 13,000
feet
- A 45 second freefall followed by a 6000ft
descent under the canopy
- For an additional fee, you can have your
special day recorded on DVD
For more information contact Alan on 01224 210060
or
download the information pack
here.
Of course you can jump for Befriend A Child at any time of the year –
just visit
http://www.clickandjump.co.uk/charity-befriendachild.html
Befriend A
Child are now offering rooms for hire for a range of uses.
Therapy or counselling sessions, seminars, training or maybe an
interview room for your next recruitment drive. If you have any
of these requirements, or think you may know someone else who
has, please ask them to contact Befriend A Child on 01224 210060
and we will be happy to discuss any bespoke needs.
Befriend A Child are now members of social networking site Bebo and would be delighted to hear any comments from fellow Beboers! Please visit www.Bebo.com and search for Befriend A Child. Let’s see that friends list grow!
Befriend A Child are celebrating successfully achieving a UK volunteering standard.
For the local organisation, established in 1975 and working with more than 100 vulnerable children in Aberdeen city, have been awarded an accreditation by Investing In Volunteers in recognition of the quality of training, support and advice given to their base of more than 120 volunteers.
The standard enables organisations to comprehensively review their volunteer management, and also publicly demonstrates their commitment to volunteering.
Chief Executive Karen Farquhar said she was delighted to have achieved Investing In Volunteers accreditation.
“This is a huge bonus for us and shows that we are doing great work with our volunteer base,” she noted.
“We obviously place a huge emphasis on our volunteers – without them there would be no Befriend A Child.
“The award from IIV shows that the support and training we provide our Befrienders is of a very high standard.”
Lady Provost Sandra Stephen catches up on the latest Befriend A Child newsletter with Chief Executive Karen Farquhar, after agreeing to join the organisation as Patron. Photograph by Norman Adams.
Utility Warehouse
Befriend A Child has recently signed up as a Community Fund-raiser with the Utility Warehouse, and with your help, we can generate money for the charity, and save money on your own personal energy bills. Utility Warehouse already supply in excess of 200,000 households in the UK with gas, electricity, phone and broadband. By constantly checking the average rates of the Big Six energy companies in Britain, Utility Warehouse are able to offer a competitive rate which could save you money. And while you save, we raise!
If you would like to hear about the service provided by the Utility Warehouse, call 0800 1313000, quoting the Befriend A Child ID number B10383, and the team will explain the benefits of switching to them. By becoming a customer of Utility Warehouse, you can help raise money for the charity every time you boil the kettle or make a phone call.
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