An update on our Winter Crisis Appeal

The local data we had in December indicated that there were 6,000 households in K+C living in poverty and struggling to put food on the table and keep their homes warm. We launched our Winter Appeal to help tackle this crisis. We wanted to offer residents emergency support but to also provide a sustainable solution - helping those who are looking for work to find meaningful employment that will improve their financial situation in the longer term.

We are absolutely delighted to let you know that with the support from local individuals, businesses and schools our Winter Appeal has so far raised £117,983 thanks to your incredible generosity. This funding will be put towards funding 9 carefully selected projects to support people into employment. All of these projects have at their core, a focus on 1-2-1 support and a genuine ambition for every service user.

One employment programme we support provides learning, development and training in group and 1-2-1 settings for neurodiverse adults to improve skills and confidence leading to employability. Zeina’s story below highlights the difference a programme such as this can make: 

Zeina's story:

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Zeina is a very active person and enjoys practical tasks, however she struggled a lot with her communication and social interactions. This was limiting her from building social relationships and developing in a career. She would often separate herself from other students and refuse to interact with staff.

Through this employment support programme funded by the K+C Foundation, they explored opportunities to develop her vocational skills and pursue a career area of interest. Zeina loves sport and physical activity, but her ultimate dream is to work in security, reading FBI books for fun. Pursuing Independent Paths arranged for Zeina to volunteer as a Steward at Lords Cricket Ground during the summer season, where she continued to develop her communication skills, as she handed out score cards and answered visitor's questions. She did a fantastic job, demonstrating how she could apply her learnings to different environment.

Zeina also joined the smoothie-making social enterprise project - Fruitful – giving her the opportunity to focus on a practical task, whilst developing her softer skills. She has become a regular Fruitful core staff member due to her hard work, commitment and evident development. Most recently, Zeina started a 6 week work experience placement in the security team with British Land York House, where she was responsible for checking visitor passes, carrying out patrols and monitoring CCTV.

It is remarkable how far Zeina has come in the last year, from not interacting with others, to getting paid for her Fruitful work and continuing to throw herself into new work opportunities.

Thank you again for supporting our appeal and committing to make such a difference to your local community. To find out more or to make a donation, please contact us at [email protected] or click on the donate link.