Gifts in Kind
Here at CHILDREN 1ST we appreciate gifts in kind and time from corporate supporters.
Whatever your business expertise or staff skill base you can help.
From donating office and building products to running staff team challenges, your business can help CHILDREN 1ST save money and resources that can then be spent on services to children and families.
Dunfermline Building Society
Dunfermline Building Society, one of Scotland's largest building societies, chose in January 2007 to support CHILDREN 1ST for two years. The partnership has involved engaging staff in fundraising activities and events, organising events in branches and staff volunteering.
During the summer of 2008, staff from the Finance Department decided to get their hands dirty for CHILDREN 1ST. 20 members of staff organised an away day to refurbish a counselling room in one of the Edinburgh based CHILDREN 1ST service.
The Family Support Team Edinburgh works with vulnerable children in the 0-12 age range and their families. The team also provides a service to the parents of very young children, aged 0-3, both through intensive family work and groupwork support. One of the counselling rooms was in real need of redecoration.
The Finance team from Dunfermline Building Society spent a couple of days in the service to paint the room and prepare a vegetable patch for the children to grow their own fruits and vegetables.
Patrick Ferguson, General Manager of Finance said "The away day was a tremendous success. Everyone involved worked hard, had a great time and were delighted to be able to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable children in Scotland."
IKEA
In September 2006 plans were well underway for the relocation of our Midlothian services to Hardengreen Business Park. This was an important move as it was the first time in the services 5 years in Midlothian that they were to have dedicated space for seeing young people and family members. Up until then they only had office space and had to carry all the equipment out to various venues in the community, which were sometimes unsuitable.
The new office included an area to be used for work with service users, with an art therapy room, a group room for young carers and bfriends and a family room/meeting room where family group meetings or other meetings with service users could take place. The new office was in desperate need of a kitchen for use with the both Young Carers, usually working in groups, and bfriends where a volunteer befriender would work individually with a child or young person.
IKEA were approached and asked if they would support the move by providing and fitting a kitchen 'in kind'. IKEA did not hesitate in providing a kitchen for the service.
IKEA have been supporting CHILDREN 1ST for many years and their generosity is much appreciated by the organisation and the local community alike.
