August Newsletter
Welcome to the August Newsletter! It has been an eventful few months, including a 520km fundraising bike ride across Italy; a drive for volunteer recruitment with ourcharity partners, and much, much more!
Since we last wrote, we have launched The Firefly Project, a new grassroots initiative aimed at helping children and young people living in poverty to reach their potential. The Firefly Project provides funding, tailored support, and access to the Quintessentially Foundation network to help ‘turbo charge’ these smaller, community-based organisations.
We have announced our first three partner charities – Little Village , The Kids Networkand 2020 Change – and have been lucky enough to see their work first-hand.
Little Village, redistributes much-needed clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of five. The families supported, referred via a network of around 2,000 professionals, face challenging circumstances like homelessness, unemployment, low wages, and domestic violence. The Firefly Project will support plans to grow its reach from 4,500 referrals per year to over 14,000 referrals by 2024.
The Kids Network, supports children as they transition from primary to secondary school, providing a volunteer mentor at a critical time. 94% of children who’ve benefitted reported feeling more confident and 82% were excited to go to school. The Firefly Project will support the expansion of the mentor programme to new schools and new boroughs across London.
2020 Change, is a youth empowerment organisation. Through the 10-week ‘I Am Change’ programme, 2020 Change equips young, out-of-work black people with the skills and mindset to make a successful transition from education to employment. The Firefly Project will support plans to grow its reach from 110 young people per annum now to more than 400 young people each year.
QF Bike Ride raises £400,000
In June, 54 cyclists, fronted by our Founding Trustee, Ben Elliot, took part in the Quintessentially Foundation Bike Ride 2022. The event was a four-day, 520km cycling challenge from Pisa to Rome which, in total, raised over £400,000. This year’s ride was in aid of The Firefly Project.
If you would like to take part in the Quintessentially Foundation Bike Ride 2023 or hear more about future cycling opportunities with the Foundation, please contact us here.
Volunteer With Our Charity Partners
We are currently doing a volunteer recruitment drive for The Firefly Project’s charity partners.
Volunteers are the lifeline for so many grassroots charities. The skills, time, energy and passion that they bring to the charities are priceless. Regularly, we hear from our charity partners that they would not be able to do what they do and would not be able to help the children and young people that they reach without their volunteers.
We'd like to ask you to consider if you could give up some of your time to help the three amazing charities that we support. By giving your time, you will help change the lives of children and young people in London and, at the same time, you will build new skills and meet new people.
If you would like to learn more about any of the following opportunities, please contact us at info@quintessentiallyfoundation.org
Little Village needs people to sort donations, pack up gift bundles for families, drive stock and deliver items to families. They have remote roles too.
Little Village has sites in Tooting, Balham, Roehampton, Kings Cross, Wembley, Hackney and Hounslow.
There is a creche for 0-5yr olds on Fridays in Kings Cross and on a Thursday morning in Balham. These are free to use if you are volunteering.
Watch this video for more information on how Little Village works.
The Kids Network matches children aged 8 to 11 with positive role models; local heroes from their communities who help build their confidence, resilience and ability to manage their feelings. Over the course of a year, these mentors provide fun and positive experiences and activities for the children.
The Kids Network now needs mentors to help children across London feel brave, proud and confident. Full training is given to mentors and you can learn more by watchingthis video.
2020 Change is looking for mentors who share its belief that some of the best talents can be found in our inner cities. All that is required is your time, experience, network, and a dash of your personality.
Mentors are asked to volunteer two hours a month for three months and are personally matched with mentees at Mentor Matcher Mixers. The next one is taking place on Wednesday 24 August online.
To learn more about mentoring with 2020 Change please re-watch the live virtual briefing session here.
The Fayre of St. James’s 2022 – TICKETS ARE LIVE
We are delighted to share the news that tickets for this year’s Fayre of St James’s are now ON SALE.
This year’s Fayre of St. James’s Christmas carol concert will be on the 29 November from 5:15pm onwards. The Fayre will support The Firefly Project a new initiative that focuses on children and young people battling the effects of poverty and disadvantage in London.
The event will take place in the beautiful enclaves of St James’s Church, Piccadilly, and will be a magical evening of carols, readings, and live performances. Last year, we were joined by Sam Ryder, Tom Grennan, Nicola Benedetti, Ben Miller, Emilia Fox, Robert Lindsay and others and raised over £200,000.
After the concert, a festive party of dancing and socialising will be held at The Londoner Hotel. There will be live screening of the Football World Cup (England v Wales) and the renowned Fayre of St James’s online auction with a fantastic array of lots. This is going to be the charity Christmas event of 2022 and we hope to see you there!
To buy tickets please click here.
Fayre of St. James's - Call to Action
This year, we hope to match the amazing line up we had last year and raise even more money for The Firefly Project and its charity partners.
If you have any contacts or leads to performers, singers, readers or auction lot donations, please do get in touch on info@quintessentiallyfoundation.org