January: Chance UK
Children with behavioural difficulties face extra barriers and hurdles when it comes to learning. Chance UK’s mission is to reduce these difficulties while helping children realise their potential and ensure a successful future.
Using a solution-focused approach, Chance UK builds a child’s strengths, develops their self-esteem and finds alternatives outlets for the kind of challenging behaviour that could result in criminal behaviour, educational exclusion in adolescence or their early adult life.
February: St Mungo’s
Homelessness and rough sleeping in London is on a terrifying incline and hits home for a lot of our staff who witness it first-hand daily. St Mungo’s is a charity and housing association working directly with individuals at risk of homelessness, those in hostels and rough sleepers.
Providing support to over 2,600 people a night, St Mungo’s sets out to end homelessness and rebuild lives with emergency housing, mental health support and work services.
“It is because of our supporters that we are able to help people who might otherwise have to live alone on the street. A warm bed and hot meal are just the start. We help people work towards a healthier future and give them the opportunity to learn new skills, rebuild confidence, gain employment and in time move to a home of their own.
Thank you all once again for investing in our work to help thousands of people rebuild their lives, and please do rest assured that we will make the best possible use of your donation.”
St Mungo’s
March: United Through Support
Youth in disadvantaged communities often don’t have the same opportunities and access to play, but United Through Sport is changing that. Working with communities around Africa, South America, and Asia, the charity is committed to using sport to help develop disadvantaged and vulnerable youth.
Based on a three pillar developmental model of sport, education and health, United Through Sport aims to highlight the benefits of healthy living, discuss critical issues effectively and provide pathways to higher education through scholarships.
April: The Lewy Body Society
In the UK, approximately 100,000 are thought to already have Dementia with Lewy Bodies or DLB for short. With the number of individuals with dementia to rise to 1,000,000 by 2021, the Lewy Body Society is the only charity in the UK dedicated to raising awareness and training professionals in the medical field about this little-known disease.
Sharing similar symptoms with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, Dementia with Lewy Body was unknown to the medical community until the beginning of the century. With close collaboration with medical researchers in the UK, Japan and the USA, the charity is quickly gaining new ground in medical research, industry education and public awareness about the disease.
“I selected the Lewy Body Society because despite it being the second most common form of age-related neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer’s, it isn’t at all well known to people which needs to be changed. The Lewy Body Society have a mission to fund research into Lewy Body Dementia & raise awareness of the disease so I’m very pleased Builtvisible has been able to contribute to this, especially having myself witnessed what Lewy Body Dementia can do to a person.”
Olivia Wiltshire
May: Binti Mwangaza
In Sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 10 girls from impoverished families misses school due to lack of sanitary products, lack of information and lack of facilities for their menstrual cycle. Binti Mwangaza or Daughters of Light, aims to help provide girls with reusable sanitary pads and the encouragement and support to help girls remain in school.
The charity also employs street children and women from vulnerable communities in the production of sanitary products. This provides crucial economic opportunities for these people and grants the charity much-needed support.
June: Teens Unite
Every day in the UK, seven 13-24 year olds will be diagnosed with cancer or other life-limiting diseases. Teens Unite provides ongoing support for teenagers and families through workshops, activity days and residential stays. From diagnosis, through treatment, recovery, and into remission, Teens Unite provides a community of support for families and teens while running regular days out.
Alongside the activities, teens can also take advantage of life and career skill classes, ensuring continual support while they are undergoing treatment or in remission, putting the stepping stones in place and helping them rebuild a life outside of their illness.
July: The Grenfell Tower
The Kensington & Chelsea Foundation / Family Action
Early in the morning of 14th June, a fire started in a fourth floor flat and quickly engulfed Grenfell Tower in North Kensington. A 27-storey tower, only a total of sixty-five people survived while a devastating seventy-one lost their lives. At a loss for words over this horrific and tragic event, families were left to pick up the pieces while trying to grieve, losing either loved ones or possessions, many both.
The victims have a long road to recovery, learning to deal with their grief and setting up in new homes to build again. Through our donation, we will be able to support those affected and their families, into rebuilding their lives.
August: Syria Civil Defence
With attacks and bombings happening almost daily in Syria, over 3000 White Helmet volunteers rush into the madness to save the greatest number of lives in the shortest amount of time available. In a country where public services are now non-existent, unarmed volunteers search the rubble for life, fully aware of the ever-present danger involved.
Syria Civil Defence is a neutral and impartial organisation dedicated to saving the lives of ordinary individuals. With over 99,200 lives saved already, unarmed White Helmets put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of anyone in need, regardless of religion or politics.
September: Travel Supermarket & Shelter
With 128,000 homeless children living in Britain today, Shelter provides advice, support and legal services for individuals and families facing homelessness or living in poor housing situations. Shelter is able to provide support and a home for those struggling with their living situation through research and policy initiatives, campaigning and gaining media coverage to bring awareness and make sure everyone’s voice is heard.
Travel Supermarket, Money Supermarket and Money Saving Expert were raising funds for Shelter through a trek across the Andes mountains on the Inca Trail Challenge. Daunting and excessively challenging, hikers deal with altitude variations, constantly changing weather and steep climbs. Through this mentally demanding trek, the Travel Supermarket team successfully raised over £40,000 for Shelter.
“We love working with clients who take CSR as seriously as us, so when we heard Travelsupermarket were embarking on this Inca Trail challenge we were delighted to get involved and contribute where we could to a fundraising effort that totalled £40,000 overall, to a very worthwhile cause.”
Geoff Griffiths
October: Mental Health Foundation
Each week in the UK, 1 in 6 individuals will experience a common mental health problem and the Mental Health Foundation is there helping through support and education. The foundation delivers programmes, training and guidance on promoting good mental health.
From women struggling with mental health during pregnancy, to tackling the mental health inequalities individuals might face, the Foundation’s mission is to help people understand, protect and sustain their mental health.
November: Tommy’s / St. Clare Hospice
Funding four research centres to investigate the causes and treatments for miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth, Tommy’s also provide specialist care for those at high risk and a pregnancy information service for parents-to-be. Tommy’s goal is for every parent to have the best possible outcomes and to take home healthy babies.
Spending your days living as actively as possible, is how our second recipient St. Clare Hospice approaches hospice care. Providing palliative care both in the hospice and at home, St Clare supports the whole person and whole family. Using a holistic approach, they offer physical, emotional, social and psychological support to ensure patients with terminal or life-limiting illnesses can enjoy an active life.
December: The Sequal Trust
With society growing more dependent on technology by the day, disabled people of all ages that are at risk of being left behind. The Sequal Trust’s aim is to help disabled people reach their true potential through bridging the communication gap through provision of suitable communication.
We’re looking forward to supporting even more charities this year, and are excited hear what new initiatives our team comes up with. Be sure to keep an eye out on our blog and our social channels to see what other initiatives are team will be participating in.
