We love giving back to as many good causes as we can across the Channel Islands – but this year we launched a new fund which allowed us to give back to those causes close to our colleague’s hearts.
The fund was financed by the remuneration our CEO receives as a director of the Board of the Society.
We were thrilled with the requests we had, which included everything from supporting a charity shop catwalk, a Christmas lunch for members of Re-engage, buying new hats for St John’s Ambulance Jersey volunteers and helping fund much needed repairs to the 4th Guernsey Scout Group’s hut.
Find out more about some of the projects.
Re-engage
Co-op House colleague, Mary De La Haye, applied for £300 to buy Christmas presents for members of Re-engage, which was formally Contact the Elderly.
Members of the Jersey branch of Re-engage range from 77 years old to 94 years old. The group meet once a month. This year’s Christmas party was held at Les Ormes, and the lunch was funded by the Bosdet Foundation. Mary used the donation from the Belonging Fund to buy Christmas gifts for all those who attended.
Mary, who has been volunteering for the charity for the past six years, said: ‘I like being involved. I lost my own mother when she was 80, and being a volunteer has enabled me to engage with that age group again and make lots of friends.
‘It’s a small, local charity which is why the money donated by the Society makes a huge difference. If we had more money we could do things like buy a minibus and take the groups out around the island, which would mean giving them a real afternoon out.’
Joan Warren, 87, has been attending the group for four years. She said: ‘I like the company and I like the places we go. Everyone looks after me. I have made so many friends since joining the group. I’m in a home now and someone comes and picks me up and takes me out. I never thought I would make so many friends.’
