News & Forthcoming Events
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Last Update: 09.11.19 During 2019, the details of our work are: 74 Grants completed to date, and the total amount granted in 2019 is: Our Activity in Recent Years:
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£83,640.07 |
News about the Charity:
With completion of the 15th Grant in 2019 we reached the major milestone of £750,000 raised and granted without taking a single penny from the Charity in administration costs. Everything donated was used for the benefit of the children. This has occurred only two years (almost to the day) from completion of the previous milestone of £500,000 raised and granted. While we hope to target our next big milestone by 2021, we are increasingly limited by the funding we can raise, and , as usual, we shall need the wonderful help we receive from our supporters.
We never anticipated the rate of growth we have seen, or the amount already granted when we started. Sadly this clearly highlights how serious the problems are in this area and how much help is needed.
Donations:
There are full details on our Donation Page of the various methods of making a donation to us, as well as the Everyclick Donation button (centre of the Donation Page), which allows an online donation to be made quickly by Credit or Debit card.
Current and Future Events in 2019:
We started the year with a collection of £720.00 from an 80th Birthday Party, held at Stourbridge Rugby Club. A very kind and useful donation which will be a great help. The St Thomas's Church Xmas Tree Collection has also provided a further useful boost of £250.00. We also received the second of a three year support package from the Barbara Ward Foundation, with another £5,000.00 added to our reserves.
2019 has seen an exceptionally busy start to the year, and with reserves depleted, a short respite to give us time to catch up with our fundraising would be appreciated. Sadly, with the demand that we see, this is unlikely to happen, and 2019 will yet again be a challenge.
As a help towards that funding challenge, local nPower Office staff collected £500.00 for us, which has been matched by the company. Apparently, we helped a child at the start of the year who is related to a member of staff, and they very kindly decided to organise a collection for us. The funding was much needed and has already helped with the latest grant. So thank you again nPower.
Newfields Masonic Old Halesowians Lodge raised £232.00 at a table collection in May and in June we received £1,000.00 from the We are all Making a Difference Charity. Although we are having to operate a short (hopefully) waiting list, these donations , plus other regular income, have allowed us to continue to approve some requests for help.
Stourbridge Motorcycle Club held their Annual Event on July 13th, and we were one of the two designated charities to receive a share of the funds raised, so a big thank you to them, and we were pleased to receive a final total of £510.00.
We were again invited to the Butterfly Fellowship 2012 Group in early September as they had kindly collected for us once more, and we received a cheque for £1,000.00, which was very much appreciated. as we were in the process of completing a number of grants.
We were invited to seak at the Stourbridge Rotary lunch meeting to update members about the work of the Charity. They had managed to obtain a grant of £500.00 from the Rotary District, which then then matched, to give us a further £1,000.00 towards our work.
The Dudley News are holding their Forging a Future Awards on November 28th, and we have been selected as the nominated charity. We have supplied the details requested, as well as 250 donation envelopes for distribution on the tables at the event. We look forward to raising some useful funding from this very generous offer by the Dudley News, as well as the opportunity to raise the profile of the Charity.
The year end will see the completion of the two year term of office of the Gentleman Captain (Stourbridge Golf Club) - Dave Fourness - who very kindly nominated us as one of the two selected charities during his captaincy. We should then receive our share of the funding raised at the start of 2020, which will be a great help in the New Year.
We were invited to attend a Kinver Rotary Club event at Stourbridge Old Edwardian Club on Friday 8th November, and speak about the work of the Charity, where we then received a cheque for £500.00. We currently have an invite to the Netherton Wives Club who have again very kindly collected for us throughout the year, in mid November, and speak about the work of the Charity.
All of these events help to keep much needed funding coming in.
News of Recent Grants Made:
09.11.19 We have completed two further grants as early November again becomes very busy:
£1,425.05 for a 3 year old who was born prematurely, and has a diagnosis of Periventricular Leucomalacia, exhibiting as global development delay and limited movement. He has just started to crawl, but can only stand using his standing frame. The proposal was to fund a special exercise trike to help to develop his leg and trunk strength, and improve his coordination, which we agreed to fully fund, the final cost being reduced by our discount structure with the supplier.
£617.00 for a 4 year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and development delay, and she was born with a heart condition. Her motor skills are delayed and she has problems walking any distance so needs to use a buggy. She is a Looked After Child under the care of her grandparents who have to lift her in/out of her car seat which is also now too small for her. She needed a new larger seat with easier access and we agreed to fully fund.
07.11.19 We have completed four more small grants:
£753.00 for a 13 year old with a diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and two years ago we funded a supine stander for him. He now requires additional parts to enable adjustment for his growth so that the stander can continue to be used. We agreed to fund the extra items needed.
£623.00 for a 2 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia and who required a number of items. He had been supplied with a special buggy by Wheelchair Services but they do not supply the rain/sun covers. A special base was also required to adapt his seating to act as a high chair, holding him securely when at a table. We agreed to approve all three items as the family was already heavily committed in adapting their property for his future needs.
£740.00 for a 4 year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and development delay, and she was born with a heart condition. Her motor skills are delayed and she has problems walking any distance so needs to use a buggy. A special exercise trike was propose which we agreed to co-fund with her special school. The price was reduced to £1,470.95 with our discount, and the school agreed to fund the balance.
£904.00 for a brother and sister aged 2 and 3 respectively. Both have a diagnosis of complex and emerging development needs, and neither is currently walking. This results in the need to be transported everywhere in a buggy, and as the children are growing, a suitable special needs twin buggy was required, which we agreed to fully fund.
02.11.19 We completed a grant of £617.00 for a special car seat for a 3 year old with severe autism problems. With no sense of danger she had started releasing herself from her car seat, presenting a hazard to the driver. We agreed to fully fund a new seat and harness system to hold her safely and securely. The final cost paid reflected our discount agreement, with a saving of £48.00 on the original quote.
29.10.19 We have completed two further grants for Kaye Walkers:
£561.85 for a 3 year old with a diagnosis of Cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia, and after weekly therapy he is starting to walk, using a Kaye walker. We were asked to fund a second unit for home use, as transport of his existing unit is difficult, and it is important to capitalise on the progress he is starting to make, so we agreed to fully fund.
£473.35 for a 7 year old with a diagnosis of Asymmetric Quadriparesis (cerebral palsy), and while using a wheelchair for much of the time, she is encouraged to use a walker whenever possible. Her unit at school is too large to transport and she has outgrown her existing unit at home. Without constant use her condition will deteriorate, so we agreed to provide the balance of funding needed by the family to enable a new walker to be purchased.
23.10.19 We completed a grant of £900.00 for a 12 year old we have helped on a number of occasions. She has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, microcephaly and development delay. We have previously helped on several occesions including part funding an exercise machine to help her leg muscles. She has now outgrown this and needs a larger unit which will suit her into adulthood. We again agreed to part fund the request to assist the family with their applications to other charities, having already established some funding from us.
26.10.19 We have completed two more small grants:
£900.00 for a 12 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, microcephaly and development delay. We have previously helped on several occesions including part funding an exercise machine to help her leg muscles. She has now outgrown this and needs a larger unit which will suit her into adulthood. We again agreed to part fund the request to assist the family with their applications to other charities for the balance of funding needed.
£561.85 for a 3 year old with a diagnosis of Cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia. After weekly therapy he is starting to walk, using a Kaye walker, and we were asked to fund a second unit for home use, as transport of his existing unit is difficult, and it is important to capitalise on the progress he is starting to make, so we agreed to fully fund.
11.10.19 We completed a grant of £1,688.13 for a 4.5 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, significant global development delay and epilepsy, and is peg fed. He has mobility problems and is unable to sit upright unaided. He has a Triton chair which provides the support required to hold him securely at a table, but it is not very comfortable, and a request was submitted to fund a Ppod Bean seat with straps to hold him securely and in comfort. This could also be wheeled around in the house which is another advantage. With both parents acting as carers as they have two children with disabilities, we were asked if we could provide the required funding, which we agreed to do.
04.10.19 We completed a grant of £529.68 for an 8.5 year old with a diagnosis of severe autism, unpredictable behaviour and he exhibits Pica Syndrome. We funded a special car seat in March 2015, but he now releases himself periodically, and requires a secure harness to hold him safely and comfortably. The proposal was for a magnetic harness, which we agreed to fully fund.
03.10.19 Two further grants completed so far this week.
£5,778.27 for a 19 year old who sustained a brain injury at the age of 13 years, and spent 3 months in a coma, 6 months in rehabilitation, and left with some limited mobility and poor balance, he is a full time wheelchair user. Both he and his physiotherapist are keen for him to exercise to maintain his fitness, as he has a long term condition. He was a keen cyclist, but with weak legs and poor balance, he requires an electrically assisted special trike to enable him to exercise regularly. In view of the cost this was co-funded, with another local charity – Friends of Alfie Johnson – who provided £2,500.00, and the Chris Westwood Charity provided the balance needed of £3,278.27, after our discount arrangement with Quest88. A single combined payment was made to simplify the purchase.
£1,795.00 for a 7 year old with muscular dystrophy, who exhibits behavioural and learning difficulties and has bowel problems. Although mobile, he fatigues quickly and uses a wheelchair regularly. His current wheelchair weighs 20 kg, which is too heavy for him to self propel, and he has difficulty turning it, meaning that he needs adult assistance when using it. This is a progressive condition and long term he will require a powered wheelchair, but that will present problems loading/unloading into transport, requiring significant changes. The proposal was to fund a lightweight wheelcahir (8 kg) which will be easy for him to handle, and also for his carers to use, as well as easy to load/unload into transport. With the Boparan Charity funding £2,000.00, we agreed to fund the balance needed.
25.09.19 We completed a grant of £1,605.00 for a 5 year old with a range of medical problems. Born prematurely, he has breathing and bowel problems and needed a special support chair to hold him safely. His local NHS Trust did not have a suitable seat on their list of approved equipment, so we were asked if we could help, and we agreed to fully fund the equipment needed.
20.09.19 We completed a grant of £443.50 for a 5 year old with a diagnosis of microdeletion of DMD gene (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), global development delay, gastrostomy fed, scoliosis, and visual impairment. She needed a special car seat to hold her safely and securely for transport, suitably adapted for her particular condition. With another charity providing a grant of £2,000.00, we agreed to fund the remaining balance required for the purchase to proceed.
11.09.19 We completed a grant of £1,073.35 for a 6 year old with a diagnosis of Joubert Syndrome (a brain disorder affecting movement and coordination), and Dandy Walker Syndrome as well as other medical problems. He is unable to stand or walk independently and uses a wheelchair. The proposal was to fund a special exercise trike to develop his leg strength and general condition, as well as helping to develop his coordination. After our discount from the supplier and a contribution from the family, we agreed to fund the balnce required.
05.09.17 We completed a grant for a 7.5 year old who was born at 28 weeks. She exhibits with learning difficulties and gross motor delay. She has dysmorphic features and microcephaly, and is awaiting genetic investigation. Although mobile, she can only walk short distances, and a special exercise trike was proposed to try to develop her leg muscles, general strength, and co-ordination. We agreed to fully fund the final cost, reduced by VAT exemption and our supplier discount to £1,466.40.
27.08.19 We completed a grant of £338.54 for a 2 year old with a diagnosis of Wolf Hirschhorn Syndrome, exhibiting as facial disfigurement, global development delay, seizures and hypotonia. Needed a fully supportive car seat to hold him securely. We agreed to fully fund.
With completion of the 15th Grant in 2019 we reached the major milestone of £750,000 raised and granted without taking a single penny from the Charity in administration costs. Everything donated was used for the benefit of the children. This has occurred only two years (almost to the day) from completion of the previous milestone of £500,000 raised and granted. While we hope to target our next big milestone by 2021, we are increasingly limited by the funding we can raise, and , as usual, we shall need the wonderful help we receive from our supporters.
We never anticipated the rate of growth we have seen, or the amount already granted when we started. Sadly this clearly highlights how serious the problems are in this area and how much help is needed.
Donations:
There are full details on our Donation Page of the various methods of making a donation to us, as well as the Everyclick Donation button (centre of the Donation Page), which allows an online donation to be made quickly by Credit or Debit card.
Current and Future Events in 2019:
We started the year with a collection of £720.00 from an 80th Birthday Party, held at Stourbridge Rugby Club. A very kind and useful donation which will be a great help. The St Thomas's Church Xmas Tree Collection has also provided a further useful boost of £250.00. We also received the second of a three year support package from the Barbara Ward Foundation, with another £5,000.00 added to our reserves.
2019 has seen an exceptionally busy start to the year, and with reserves depleted, a short respite to give us time to catch up with our fundraising would be appreciated. Sadly, with the demand that we see, this is unlikely to happen, and 2019 will yet again be a challenge.
As a help towards that funding challenge, local nPower Office staff collected £500.00 for us, which has been matched by the company. Apparently, we helped a child at the start of the year who is related to a member of staff, and they very kindly decided to organise a collection for us. The funding was much needed and has already helped with the latest grant. So thank you again nPower.
Newfields Masonic Old Halesowians Lodge raised £232.00 at a table collection in May and in June we received £1,000.00 from the We are all Making a Difference Charity. Although we are having to operate a short (hopefully) waiting list, these donations , plus other regular income, have allowed us to continue to approve some requests for help.
Stourbridge Motorcycle Club held their Annual Event on July 13th, and we were one of the two designated charities to receive a share of the funds raised, so a big thank you to them, and we were pleased to receive a final total of £510.00.
We were again invited to the Butterfly Fellowship 2012 Group in early September as they had kindly collected for us once more, and we received a cheque for £1,000.00, which was very much appreciated. as we were in the process of completing a number of grants.
We were invited to seak at the Stourbridge Rotary lunch meeting to update members about the work of the Charity. They had managed to obtain a grant of £500.00 from the Rotary District, which then then matched, to give us a further £1,000.00 towards our work.
The Dudley News are holding their Forging a Future Awards on November 28th, and we have been selected as the nominated charity. We have supplied the details requested, as well as 250 donation envelopes for distribution on the tables at the event. We look forward to raising some useful funding from this very generous offer by the Dudley News, as well as the opportunity to raise the profile of the Charity.
The year end will see the completion of the two year term of office of the Gentleman Captain (Stourbridge Golf Club) - Dave Fourness - who very kindly nominated us as one of the two selected charities during his captaincy. We should then receive our share of the funding raised at the start of 2020, which will be a great help in the New Year.
We were invited to attend a Kinver Rotary Club event at Stourbridge Old Edwardian Club on Friday 8th November, and speak about the work of the Charity, where we then received a cheque for £500.00. We currently have an invite to the Netherton Wives Club who have again very kindly collected for us throughout the year, in mid November, and speak about the work of the Charity.
All of these events help to keep much needed funding coming in.
News of Recent Grants Made:
09.11.19 We have completed two further grants as early November again becomes very busy:
£1,425.05 for a 3 year old who was born prematurely, and has a diagnosis of Periventricular Leucomalacia, exhibiting as global development delay and limited movement. He has just started to crawl, but can only stand using his standing frame. The proposal was to fund a special exercise trike to help to develop his leg and trunk strength, and improve his coordination, which we agreed to fully fund, the final cost being reduced by our discount structure with the supplier.
£617.00 for a 4 year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and development delay, and she was born with a heart condition. Her motor skills are delayed and she has problems walking any distance so needs to use a buggy. She is a Looked After Child under the care of her grandparents who have to lift her in/out of her car seat which is also now too small for her. She needed a new larger seat with easier access and we agreed to fully fund.
07.11.19 We have completed four more small grants:
£753.00 for a 13 year old with a diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and two years ago we funded a supine stander for him. He now requires additional parts to enable adjustment for his growth so that the stander can continue to be used. We agreed to fund the extra items needed.
£623.00 for a 2 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia and who required a number of items. He had been supplied with a special buggy by Wheelchair Services but they do not supply the rain/sun covers. A special base was also required to adapt his seating to act as a high chair, holding him securely when at a table. We agreed to approve all three items as the family was already heavily committed in adapting their property for his future needs.
£740.00 for a 4 year old with a diagnosis of Downs Syndrome and development delay, and she was born with a heart condition. Her motor skills are delayed and she has problems walking any distance so needs to use a buggy. A special exercise trike was propose which we agreed to co-fund with her special school. The price was reduced to £1,470.95 with our discount, and the school agreed to fund the balance.
£904.00 for a brother and sister aged 2 and 3 respectively. Both have a diagnosis of complex and emerging development needs, and neither is currently walking. This results in the need to be transported everywhere in a buggy, and as the children are growing, a suitable special needs twin buggy was required, which we agreed to fully fund.
02.11.19 We completed a grant of £617.00 for a special car seat for a 3 year old with severe autism problems. With no sense of danger she had started releasing herself from her car seat, presenting a hazard to the driver. We agreed to fully fund a new seat and harness system to hold her safely and securely. The final cost paid reflected our discount agreement, with a saving of £48.00 on the original quote.
29.10.19 We have completed two further grants for Kaye Walkers:
£561.85 for a 3 year old with a diagnosis of Cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia, and after weekly therapy he is starting to walk, using a Kaye walker. We were asked to fund a second unit for home use, as transport of his existing unit is difficult, and it is important to capitalise on the progress he is starting to make, so we agreed to fully fund.
£473.35 for a 7 year old with a diagnosis of Asymmetric Quadriparesis (cerebral palsy), and while using a wheelchair for much of the time, she is encouraged to use a walker whenever possible. Her unit at school is too large to transport and she has outgrown her existing unit at home. Without constant use her condition will deteriorate, so we agreed to provide the balance of funding needed by the family to enable a new walker to be purchased.
23.10.19 We completed a grant of £900.00 for a 12 year old we have helped on a number of occasions. She has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, microcephaly and development delay. We have previously helped on several occesions including part funding an exercise machine to help her leg muscles. She has now outgrown this and needs a larger unit which will suit her into adulthood. We again agreed to part fund the request to assist the family with their applications to other charities, having already established some funding from us.
26.10.19 We have completed two more small grants:
£900.00 for a 12 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, microcephaly and development delay. We have previously helped on several occesions including part funding an exercise machine to help her leg muscles. She has now outgrown this and needs a larger unit which will suit her into adulthood. We again agreed to part fund the request to assist the family with their applications to other charities for the balance of funding needed.
£561.85 for a 3 year old with a diagnosis of Cerebral palsy spastic quadriplegia. After weekly therapy he is starting to walk, using a Kaye walker, and we were asked to fund a second unit for home use, as transport of his existing unit is difficult, and it is important to capitalise on the progress he is starting to make, so we agreed to fully fund.
11.10.19 We completed a grant of £1,688.13 for a 4.5 year old with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, significant global development delay and epilepsy, and is peg fed. He has mobility problems and is unable to sit upright unaided. He has a Triton chair which provides the support required to hold him securely at a table, but it is not very comfortable, and a request was submitted to fund a Ppod Bean seat with straps to hold him securely and in comfort. This could also be wheeled around in the house which is another advantage. With both parents acting as carers as they have two children with disabilities, we were asked if we could provide the required funding, which we agreed to do.
04.10.19 We completed a grant of £529.68 for an 8.5 year old with a diagnosis of severe autism, unpredictable behaviour and he exhibits Pica Syndrome. We funded a special car seat in March 2015, but he now releases himself periodically, and requires a secure harness to hold him safely and comfortably. The proposal was for a magnetic harness, which we agreed to fully fund.
03.10.19 Two further grants completed so far this week.
£5,778.27 for a 19 year old who sustained a brain injury at the age of 13 years, and spent 3 months in a coma, 6 months in rehabilitation, and left with some limited mobility and poor balance, he is a full time wheelchair user. Both he and his physiotherapist are keen for him to exercise to maintain his fitness, as he has a long term condition. He was a keen cyclist, but with weak legs and poor balance, he requires an electrically assisted special trike to enable him to exercise regularly. In view of the cost this was co-funded, with another local charity – Friends of Alfie Johnson – who provided £2,500.00, and the Chris Westwood Charity provided the balance needed of £3,278.27, after our discount arrangement with Quest88. A single combined payment was made to simplify the purchase.
£1,795.00 for a 7 year old with muscular dystrophy, who exhibits behavioural and learning difficulties and has bowel problems. Although mobile, he fatigues quickly and uses a wheelchair regularly. His current wheelchair weighs 20 kg, which is too heavy for him to self propel, and he has difficulty turning it, meaning that he needs adult assistance when using it. This is a progressive condition and long term he will require a powered wheelchair, but that will present problems loading/unloading into transport, requiring significant changes. The proposal was to fund a lightweight wheelcahir (8 kg) which will be easy for him to handle, and also for his carers to use, as well as easy to load/unload into transport. With the Boparan Charity funding £2,000.00, we agreed to fund the balance needed.
25.09.19 We completed a grant of £1,605.00 for a 5 year old with a range of medical problems. Born prematurely, he has breathing and bowel problems and needed a special support chair to hold him safely. His local NHS Trust did not have a suitable seat on their list of approved equipment, so we were asked if we could help, and we agreed to fully fund the equipment needed.
20.09.19 We completed a grant of £443.50 for a 5 year old with a diagnosis of microdeletion of DMD gene (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy), global development delay, gastrostomy fed, scoliosis, and visual impairment. She needed a special car seat to hold her safely and securely for transport, suitably adapted for her particular condition. With another charity providing a grant of £2,000.00, we agreed to fund the remaining balance required for the purchase to proceed.
11.09.19 We completed a grant of £1,073.35 for a 6 year old with a diagnosis of Joubert Syndrome (a brain disorder affecting movement and coordination), and Dandy Walker Syndrome as well as other medical problems. He is unable to stand or walk independently and uses a wheelchair. The proposal was to fund a special exercise trike to develop his leg strength and general condition, as well as helping to develop his coordination. After our discount from the supplier and a contribution from the family, we agreed to fund the balnce required.
05.09.17 We completed a grant for a 7.5 year old who was born at 28 weeks. She exhibits with learning difficulties and gross motor delay. She has dysmorphic features and microcephaly, and is awaiting genetic investigation. Although mobile, she can only walk short distances, and a special exercise trike was proposed to try to develop her leg muscles, general strength, and co-ordination. We agreed to fully fund the final cost, reduced by VAT exemption and our supplier discount to £1,466.40.
27.08.19 We completed a grant of £338.54 for a 2 year old with a diagnosis of Wolf Hirschhorn Syndrome, exhibiting as facial disfigurement, global development delay, seizures and hypotonia. Needed a fully supportive car seat to hold him securely. We agreed to fully fund.