15 September 2016
Trips of a lifetime made possible for those who deserve them SUPPLEMENT
015 1 February 2 iday Fund, ildren’s Hol h C h is w e J Dear that our et you know l o t d e t n I just wa ccabi GB in ed from Ma n r u t e r n had to grandso Medal. We r ve il S a h he has America wit ews because n l u yf jo share this he got back else since g in h ot n He told talked of is stories. h l l a d e r sha at he and he has trip and th g n zi a m a st talked us it was ju nds. He also ie r f l u f r e ted made wond e was trea how well h t u bo a y l all endless ess to say, ily. Needl m a F st Ho d it not by his appened ha h ve a h ot n nt and of this would nerous gra ge t os m r u been for yo Trust who tee of this it m om C r u was so course yo grandson. He r ou e ik l ren ere we. help child esult, so w r a s a , d n ed a to each overwhelm r gratitude ou e ib r sc e ot d Words cann mittee. in your Com e on y r ve and e rely, Yours since
17.8.16
Dear JCHF, My husband and I are not sure who we need to personally thank,, but we just wanted to write to express our deepest and he artfelt appreciation for th e grant we received for our girls summer camps this year. Tomorrow is their las t day and they have had an absolutely incredible time, som ething that would not have been possible without the financial support that was given. Please, if you could pass on our sincere hakaras hatov to the relevant people, we w ould be most grateful. A personal thank you to you too for orchestrating it all. Yours faithfully, Mrs
F
Samuel Registered Charity No.295361
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JCHF2 The Jewish News 15 September 2016
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JN JEWISH CHILDREN’S HOLIDAY FUND
CREATING SPECIAL MEMORIES FOR EVERY CHILD The letters on the previous page delight JCHF chairman Ian Donoff, but it is the mail asking for help that moves him the most
5th June 20
13
To JCHF,
We would so
send our tw
Reform Sy
much appre
o children to
nagogue. O
ciate a holid
a day camp
ur expendit
ay grant to
run by our
ure exceeds the n produce b y working and receivin g benefits. The children are both under eight and they w ould like to go to a cam with their fr p iends. Is th ere any cha n ce of help towards this cost? amount of
Thanking
JM
money we ca
you in adv
ance,
8March 2013 ry, Dear Secreta
her to have a kos ys o b r u fo r able to We wish ou p. I am not am c at ay aw full holiday ility. I am in ab s di a e av h sability work as I and have a di ts efi en b f o e camp receipt not afford th an c I t u b pset allowance, boys. I am u r u fo l al r fees fo suffers from ys o b y m f o particular, because one I feel he, in d an ” em te ith his “low es being away w m o fr t efi help would ben re you able to A . p am c at friends please? Kind regards,
Laura
F
or more than 100 years, the Jewish Children’s Holiday Fund has provided holidays for any children aged five to 11 who would otherwise not have had one, including those with learning disabilities. Dedicated to providing the opportunity for all Jewish children to have the chance of a summer break, whatever their personal or family circumstances, the mission is to help needy and underprivileged Jewish children have a holiday each summer. It is often the case that those children who would most
benefit from having a holiday or respite break are those whose family circumstances mean
that they cannot afford one. When the JCHF started in 1888, the Jewish
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community was mainly based in London’s East End. Many immigrants rented rooms and terraced houses near to the Docks. They existed on trades known to them from the “haim”. The accommodation was cramped and the children lived in a polluted and crowded environment. To many a Jewish child, two weeks away by the coast was a dream and through the already established National Children’s Holidays Fund, JCHF became the Jewish branch and was able to let those dreams become reality.
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15 September 2016 The Jewish News JCHF3
Former chairman Frank Austin
From that time, JCHF paid for the accommodation of board and lodging for Jewish children to stay with families by the seaside, where they were exposed to fresh air, exercise and an unpolluted and non-crowded environment. After the Second World War, we began to use accommodation at Seaford, which was then owned by Jewish Care and had a number of fortnights booked for the children during the summer. In the early 1960s, under the chairmanship of Frank Austin (of Austinsuite fame) the committee learnt that a furniture trade convalescent home in Seaford was for sale. The charity bought the property and it was named after a major donor and benefactor member of the committee, Lord Whiteley. Whiteley House in Seaford, with its land, including a football pitch and adjacent cottage, became the two-week summer home for many. The children were entertained and thoroughly exhausted, but in the best possible way, by all the activities arranged by the supervisors and leaders of each of the three camps per summer. Some 150 children
between the ages of five and 11 came to our camp, which boasted two kitchens producing three kosher meals each day, prepared by professional paid chefs. For many, it was a revelation of freedom and organised activity from 7.30am to bedtime. With games, both indoor and outdoor, and day trips, as well as the advantages of being only a short walk to the sea, the children had a great time and remember fondly their time at “Whiteley House” or “Seaford”. The writer recalls that two years ago, he was asked by St. Albans Radio to talk about the camp and Seaford in its Jewish Hour on a Sunday afternoon and to take phone calls on air. It was amazing that as soon as the phone lines were opened, an elderly gentleman rang in to recall his great time at Seaford and to say that he would never forget it. He even described all the activities in which he had participated! What an advertisement for us. Our leaders and helpers also tell us what fond memories they have of Whiteley House and the children. Whiteley House was a large old Victorian house which, although well maintained, was soon to become a very heavy financial burden on the charity. JCHF obtained planning permission for 39 housing units on the site and it was purchased by a developer. Some years earlier, we had already increased our grant aiding to other Jewish camps such as Bnei Akiva, Habonim, Hanoar Hatzioni and Lubavitch, among others. We then opened up to requests from individuals whose circumstances showed they needed help in sending their children to the many types of Jewish summer camps, whether sleepover or day camps located in a synagogue or a school. We expanded our grant-giving activities to such an extent that it meant children could go with their friends to the same camp.
Meanwhile, we continued to arrange our own camps by hiring schools in the country and then by using Skeet House, a newly refurbished premises in Kent. At this time, we were only doing one two-week camp and there was less demand owing to the success of our grant system. This year, for the first time since the sale of Seaford, we have not run our own camp. Instead, we have been able to help more than 1,000 children attend a day or residential holiday or an organised family holiday scheme. This is the largest number of children we have been able to assist in one year and it is a good feeling. But to continue with this level of grants, we need the community’s support.
Old times at Whiteley House in Seaford
JEWISH CHILDREN’S HOLIDAY FUND TIMELINE 1888
Charity established for East End children
1888-1945 1946-1960 1960 As part of Childrens’ Country Holiday Fund, the Jewish Branch, poor children from the East End of London were sent to homes near the seaside for two weeks at our cost
Utilising the smaller premises in Seaford, owned by the Jewish Welfare Board (now part of Jewish Care), we were able to create a camp where there was separate accommodation for boys and girls within a few minutes’ walk from each other
PPLICATIONS: 020 8440 4656 A ENQUIRIES: 020 7100 5097
secretary@jchf.org
Frank Austin, the then chairman, negotiated with the Furniture Trade Association to purchase their redundant convalescent home in Seaford with the adjoining grounds. Made possible by Maude Whiteley, new meat and milky kitchens and bedroom facilities on three floors for both childrens’ dormitories and for leaders and supervisors were introduced
1988
Princess Alexandra came to our centenary celebrations
1995
With the benefit of a grant from the Childrens’ Aid Committee, a new games room extension was introduced and used both for indoor activities and evening plays and recreation
2004
Whiteley House sold after achieving planning permission for development
2005-2010 2010-2015 2016 Various country sites were used for the continuation of our own camp, but at the same time, increased subsidies for grant applicants
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Skeet Hill House was used after it was refurbished for our own summer camp. Fewer applications coincided with a substantial increase in requests for grants by individuals and other camp organisations
Largest grant-giving organisation for Jewish children to attend a camp.w Organisation needed change as success meant many children could go with friends to an ordinary Jewish camp run by others. Application forms introduced for all to complete, both for individuals needing subsidies and for camps needing funding
2017
Parents should apply early in the year for forms, which can be posted or emailed to them
JCHF4 The Jewish News 15 September 2016
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JN JEWISH CHILDREN’S HOLIDAY FUND
HOW YOU CAN HELP A holiday can benefit the family just as much as it benefits the child. This year, JCHF was pleased to be able to provide even more funding for children with disabilities, to give them a holiday and their family a break
L
etters of the kind you have read on these pages are received by the JCHF between February and July each year. The charity receives hundreds of applications, both directly and through agencies such as Norwood and others from the provincial Jewish communities. If the application is for specific attendance at a summer camp specialising in Jewish disabled children, this may involve cost of the additional help for special carers. We do our best to help all, whatever the applicant’s Jewish affiliation. Camp organisers who know us also ask for grants towards the subsidies they make; we try and help them each year with a direct grant. But our funds are limited, which is why we are asking for your support as, very often, we have used up our allowance for the current year and cannot give a grant, or have to reduce our direct grants to camps where there are late applications. By sending a donation or by donating online, your gift will help us with our task. JCHF, with its team of volunteers, has been helping children have holidays for more than 128 years. At the start, in 1888, it was a fund to pay for poor children of the East End to travel to the coast for a few weeks in the summer. With fresh air and sea breezes, the children blossomed and gained great benefit. Nothing has really changed since then. These days, we receive letters from all over London and the provinces (e.g. Manchester and Leeds) and the Jewish social welfare organisations know to call on us as a case arises. With the increase in single parent families in the Jewish community, mainly caused by the increase in divorce, there is an
even greater call on our resources. In 2016, we helped more than 1,000 children attend a day or residential camp. With your help, we hope to assist even more children next year! What do you do if you are a parent needing some financial help to send your child to one of the many Jewish schemes in the UK next year? Please apply to us for an application form. Once completed, this will provide us with information about your income (including any state benefits) and the assistance you need, and gives us a synopsis of your circumstances. You can include any other relevant information. ALL information that you provide is treated in the strictest confidence and remains completely confidential. All grants are considered by a handful of the voluntary members of our committee. If you are a social welfare organisation or a camp organisation, knowing you are going to receive a large number of requests for subsidies, please contact us as soon as you can. We will ask you for limited information and, in many circumstances, we will grant your organisation a lump sum for you to disburse. Full information is given on this page for you to send a donation. • A form is attached to cut out and send with your cheque or charity cheque • A Gift Aid form is included so that your donation increases by the standard rate of income tax (higher rate taxpayers also receive additional tax relief via their personal tax return) PPLICATIONS: 020 8440 4656 A ENQUIRIES: 020 7100 5097
secretary@jchf.org
DONATION FORM £ Please make all cheques payable to JCHF Title Name (Block capitals please)
Adress
Postcode Telephone Email Why not increase the effectiveness of your donation? Your completing the following will enable us to reap the benefits of the new Gift Aid for any amount donated. “I the person named above, wish to treat all donations to Jewish Children’s Holidays Fund that I have made since 6th April 2000 and all future donations I will make from the date of this Declaration as Gift Aid donations, until I notify you otherwise.
/ Signed
Dated
Please return this form with your gift to: Freepost RSUX-BKUB-TTAA JCHF PO Box 1206 Enfield EN1 9SH Donate with www.justgiving.com/jewishchildrensholiday
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Registered Charity No.295361