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COMMUNITY 17 Tenants ‘In The Spotlight’ at JBD’s dinner
On Tuesday November 15th, Jewish Blind & Disabled held a fundraising dinner for current and new supporters. Guests heard firsthand from two tenants, Diana and Gary, who were in conversation with Rob Rinder.
Diana and her husband Steve moved into their Jewish Blind & Disabled flat 15 years ago after both being diagnosed with hereditary conditions. Diana said: “We went from a normal working family of four to a family where three of us were too ill to work and Steve was caring for all of us, so had to stop working too. In 2000, I ended up in hospital for a month. This was my lowest point. I came home and couldn’t move, I just sat there staring out of the window – I was young and in despair. That’s when I was told about Jewish Blind & Disabled. I don’t know where we would be without them. JBD has given us hope and we can live independently with support around us for when we need it.” Gary and his wife Yvonne contacted Jewish Blind & Disabled during Covid as his mobility was declining and he was struggling with few steps into his bungalow. At that time, they didn’t have a diagnosis but in Gary’s words – “I knew something was wrong”. Shortly after moving Gary was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. His condition has progressed in the last few years. Gary said: “I feel fortunate to live at JBD. We have peace of mind with the support from 24/7 house managers and it really is a special place to live.”
Rob Rinder in conversation with JBD tenants Diana and Gary Rob Rinder said: “It is an honour to be here and to be sharing the stage with Diana and Steve, two tenants who live in the same development as my dad. It’s impossible to overstate what my dad moving into his Jewish Blind & Disabled flat has meant to us as a family. It is a special place to call home, a community, a mishpacha. JBD is a real gift to the community and the quality and professionali with physical disabilities and / or vision impairments. We have ambitious plans, but these are only possible due to the generous support we receive from across the community.” Following the event, Chief Executive, Lisa Wimborne commented: “This event was a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on Jewish Blind & Disabled. All too often I hear people tell me they have never heard of us before they needed our support. Many of the people in the room were new to Jewish Blind & Disabled. I was delighted that they heard first-hand from Diana and Gary, who spoke from the
Diana and Steve, JBD Tenants
heart and articulated how their lives have changed since moving into their Jewish Blind & Disabled flats. Since the pandemic, we have seen increasing demand for both our housing and our Independent Living Advisory Service, and we expect this to increase for many years to come. That is why we have ambitious plans for the coming years, but these plans require us to increase our annual fundraising from £1.2m to £2.5m. Our event was another step in the right direction.”
Work Avenue raises £1m for cost of living crisis
The Work Avenue Team celebrate
Work Avenue raised more than £1million in 36 hours to support their mission of helping members of the Jewish community through the cost of living crisis.
The charity received more than 3,000 individual donations during the online fundraising marathon and far exceeded their original goal of £750,000.
As the Jewish community’s leading employment and business support organisation, Work Avenue aims to help everyone earn a living to provide for themselves and their families.
The cost of living crisis has seen the demand for their services reach unprecedented levels. These funds are now set to be used to meet that need, including building works to extend the capacity of the charity’s facilities.
Work Avenue Chairman Mark Morris said: “Yet again, I am absolutely blown away by the generosity of the community. The support we have received over the past 36 hours has been so inspiring.
“With the cost of living crisis hitting hard, the need for our clients to upskill and earn an extra income is more important than ever – and through these donations we can now help even more people in our community to do that.”
The fundraising marathon took place from 10am on Sunday 13 November until 10pm on Monday 14 November. The £1,036,100 raised includes matched funds from a group of very generous donors who agreed to double every penny received.
Work Avenue provides information, advice, guidance, courses and one-to-one employment and business support to help people find jobs, change careers and start businesses. Virtually all of its services are provided free of charge.
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