David Eustace becomes a With Kids ambassador - Part Three

Celebrity photographer, and fellow East End inhabitant, David Eustace has joined forces with Glasgow Children's Charity "With Kids" as an ambassador to the charity.

David grew up in a poverty stricken area of the East End of Glasgow, and he knows first hand of the difficulties and disadvantages that most children in the east end have had to experience, so he offers his own words of wisdom to help the children reach their targets in life.

In this final part of three videos, David speaks of how it is important for kids to remember that the only thing that can hold them back is themselves, and how they must make the effort to achieve their goals.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community via the share buttons below. Thank you.

David Eustace becomes a With Kids ambassador - Part One

Celebrity photographer, and fellow East End inhabitant, David Eustace has joined forces with Glasgow Children's Charity "With Kids" as an ambassador to the charity.

Having grown up in a poverty stricken area in the east end of Glasgow in the 60's and 70's and raised by adoptive parents Jimmy and Susan Eustace, David knew of the troubles that families have gone through in the less fortunate areas of the city, but he encourages children never to let the fact that you are from the east end hold you back.

 "It doesn't matter what your second name is, or where you come from, or what other members of your family have done, it's all about you, tomorrow and what you can achieve. You can have dreams, you can do it, but it will involve a lot of bloody hard work."


In this part one of three interviews, David talks of his up-bringing in the east end of Glasgow, his happy memories of his childhood, and tells us the advice he would give to children in order for them to reach their goals.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community via the share buttons below. Thank you.

New Ambassador for "With Kids" tells kids to aim high no matter where they come from.

Celebrity photographer, and fellow East End inhabitant, David Eustace has joined forces with Glasgow Children's Charity "With Kids" as an ambassador to the charity.

David grew up in the poverty stricken area in the 60's and 70's by adoptive parents Jimmy and Susan Eustace and says that "It doesn't matter what your second name is, or where you come from, or what other members of your family have done, it's all about you, tomorrow and what you can achieve. You can have dreams, you can do it, but it will involve a lot of bloody hard work."

After leaving school with no qualifications, David went on to become a prison officer in his early 20s at notorious Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow. He said it taught him a lot about life but it wasn't his calling. He said: "Quite a few boys I grew up with ended up in the jail. I tried never to judge them. I tried to understand them".

To read a recent interview in the Daily Record click here.

Check out David's website here.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community via the share buttons below. Thank you!

Win a Chocolate Rooster in time for Easter

With Kids Glasgow has had a kind donation of a Chocolate Rooster worth £75 from John Lewis in Glasgow.

The rooster weighs 3kg and is hand made by James Chocolates.

We need your help in naming the Rooster. The name that the judging panel thinks would best suit the Rooster will win it!

To enter the competition all you need to do is go to the With Kids Facebook page and add your comment.

The competition closes on Thursday 21st April at 12pm and the winner will be announced by 5pm that day. Just in time for easter weekend!

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community via the share buttons below. Thank you!

AIC Operation's Director's transformation to charity Quiz Master

Friday 1st April 2011 saw Operation's Director of AIC Glasgow, Martin Roseweir, change roles to Quiz Master for the evening. Even though it was April Fools day, the joke was on the losing team who were tasked a forfeit. Martin picked up the microphone to quiz the staff in order to raise much needed funds for the East End Children's charity.

The staff packed into one of the function rooms that was kindly donated by O'Couture, Glasgow. On the night a total of £650 was raised for With Kids. But the fundraising effort doesn't stop there, the Charity Committee at AIC have committed themselves to raising over £5000 over the year for the charity, they are not only donating much needed money, but also "man hours". An example of this was when they helped to paint the therapy room at the With Kids HQ. The staff have also pledged to help with the garden renovation project that is happening soon and also kindly donated their time at Christmas by helping to wrap presents for the kids and donated £1000 from a dress down day.

Janine Burch, HR Manager at AIC said that the company was looking for a local charity to support and found With Kids. She said that "they are pleased to be helping a local charity that helps kids in Glasgow's East End and have the opportunity to give something back to the community". Janine also highlighted the fact that all staff have Disclosure Scotland checks and some staff also have Enhanced Disclosures, meaning that they can help directly with the children when it comes to joining in with events.

Operations Director, Martin Roseweir co-ordinated the quiz night by sitting up into the wee small hours comprising questions to ask the staff. A full ten rounds of question's had everyone's brains working overtime, as if it wasn't bad enough that they had done a full day's shift! But their efforts were rewarded with the winning team scooping £100 prize money.

Martin has his own special story to share as he was brought up in Priesthill in Glasgow which is a working class area. His father worked at Chrysler, the famous car plant in Renfrewshire that ended up closing and made all the workers redundant. Martin's parent's separated when he was 12 years old, so he knows exactly what challenge's children face in today's society. Martin is also a father and said "it is important to give something back to the kids of Glasgow as some kids are more privileged than others". Martin has worked his way up the ranks with AIC and is an inspiration and good role model for the children that With Kids help.

Another charity committee member who took part in the quiz was Neil Greene, who is a Team Leader in the Collections Department. Neil is organising a 10K run with 7 staff members already signed up for the challenge, and so far they have raised £350 and counting. Neil is also a father and hails from County Down, Ireland and said "Glasgow is my adopted home, and it's good to give something back to Glasgow kids". Neil is going to keep the team at With Kids up to date with this event so watch this space for another Blog post.

Craig Seggie who is a Team Leader in the Motor Department said that he came along on the night "to provide for people less fortunate than me".

The With Kids team are extremely grateful to have been selected as AIC's charity partner and would like to thank all the staff for all their hard work and dedication that they have shown towards the charity so far. This makes such a difference to the kids that we support and we look forward to all the events that are yet to come in 2011!

To see pictures of the night please check out the With Kids Facebook page.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community via the share buttons below. Thank you!

East End Cinema Night

With Kids convert the basement of their headquarters at Annfield Place, every other Thursday to host a cinema night for families.

It is a great way for families to interact with other families, enjoy popcorn, sweets, hot dogs and juice and best of all it is free of charge. As we are all well aware, a cinema trip for the average family of four can be extremely expensive and also younger children often get restless and interrupt other viewers.

With Kids staff also provide a separate room as a break out area for the restless children, fully equipped with toys and games. The children can go back in to watch the film at any point.

Paul Saunders who owns Paul Saunders Media went along to one of the Cinema Nights and did an audio recording of the event which was mentioned on the BBC Radio Scotland's Movie cafe programme hosted by Janice Forsyth.

With Kids Cinema Night from Paul Saunders on Vimeo.

The cinema night's have proved a real success, that families are advised to book in advance by calling With Kids HQ.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community via the share buttons below. Thank you!

Charity partner is a credit to With Kids

With Kids Glasgow are delighted to announce that Allied International Credit (UK) have chosen us as their local charity partner for 2011.

Allied International Credit was founded in Ontario, Canada in 1955. In 1968 the Company expanded its operations into the United Kingdom and in 2000 it expanded into the United States when the Company opened its first US office in Phoenix, Arizona. Today AIC employs over one thousand people in seven production locations in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Allied International Credit (AIC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Allied Global Holdings. We provide exceptional debt collection services to financial institutions, government, telecommunications, utilities, retail and health care.

With Kids would like to thank Allied International Credit for their support and we will keep you updated with their fundraising activity throughout the year.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community via the share buttons below. Thank you!

Hilton in the Community Foundation donated to the With kids Xmas appeal 2010

With kids would like to say a huge thank you to the Hilton in the Community Foundation.

We are really grateful for donating a further £1,000 to the With Kids Xmas 2010 Appeal.

A total of £8,000 has now been donated by the Hilton in the Community Foundation to With Kids.

Angela Beattie, Business Development Manager, at With Kids said "we are extremely grateful for this invaluable support".

For more information on ways that you can help With Kids, please click here.

If you have found this post of interest then please share it with your community via the share buttons below.

Queenspark Builders hard graft for With Kids

The first phase of the With Kids drop-in centre development has now been completed with our brand new kitchen being fully installed and operational. The team at Queenspark Builders in Glasgow fitted the kitchen in 3 days.

With Kids would like to thank the team at Queenspark Builders for all of their hard graft and we can now utilise the fully modern and equipped kitchen when families drop by.

We can now begin work on a cafe, workshop area and a specially designed therapy room. It's all been made possible with our recent funding from the Asda Foundation. We'll keep you up to date on the rest of our work.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel free to share it with your online community by clicking on the facebook, twitter and share buttons below. Thank you.

Ignis Asset Management Womans 10k run

With Kids Glasgow are looking for fundraiser's who would be interested in running at this event, so if you're looking for an excuse to shed those Xmas pounds then why not sign up for the Ignis Asset Management Women's 10K on Sunday 8th May?

You could get fit while raising some much needed funds for With Kids. We can support you with your fundraising and even advise you on a training plan.

If you'd like to get involved, contact us at With Kids and make a start on your fitness plan.

If you have found this post of interest then please feel freee to share it with your online community. Thank you!

With Kids Play Therapy: Case Study

With Kids, Glasgow regularly operates a Play Therapy class for children that attend the centre. Here is an example of why Play Therapy is so important and how it makes a difference to a child's life. This is just some of the work that we do.

Key Issues
Child A (aged 10) was referred by primary school due to concerns about emotional difficulties, especially anger and behavioural issues at school (including anti-social concerns and sexualised behaviour). Child A's family situation was cause for concern with a mother who admitted to prostituting from the family home when Child A was younger and with a history of drug abuse. Child C was now in the care of a family member who stated that the child struggled with separation, which was causing distress for all concerned

Intervention
Over 11 months, the play therapist noted that Child A was initially very silent, guarded and anxious and play was limited and physically contained. At first the child engaged mainly in art activities and was prolific in the amount of work produced. The play therapist felt that this was content rich and seemed cathartic for the child.

Themes in play related to fear violence, chaos, confusion, destruction and lack of safety. It also revealed that the child found transitions difficult. Over time play moved on to exploring sand and other sensory materials and playing with cars. It was noted that play was very repetitive and mirrored the play of a much younger child suggesting that the child had missed out on some early development play.

Outcomes
As time progressed Child A's play developed a much more spontaneous element becoming more vocal and expressive with frequent laughing and smiling and was increasingly more relaxed. The child began to develop reciprocal play with the therapist and began to cope better with transitions.

The play therapist was able to suggest that Child A would benefit from further opportunities to revisit activities associated with early development, such as sensory and tactile activities. It also recommended that continued support be provided to help Child A deal with transitions.

Staff at school reported that Child A seemed more settled and calm with increased confidence and was taking on more responsibility. Child A became more willing to engage and speak and behaviour became less challenging.

The family carer felt that Child A had made a 'huge improvement' and commented that they couldn't remember the last time Child A had had a 'temper tantrum'.

For further information and reading on Play Therapy please follow the links: http://www.bapt.info/ or http://www.playtherapy.org.uk/.

For more information on the work that With Kids do in the east end of Glasgow have a look at our Website, Blog, Facebook, and follow us on Twitter. You can also call us on 0141 550 5770.

If you have found this post of interest, then please feel free to share it with your online community. Thank you.

Spring has sprung, the grass is green, i wonder where the birdies been?

With Kids are stepping into spring with the Spring Fair on Saturday 5th March. With Kids are hoping to raise much needed funds for the charity. The event will be a fun-filled day with stalls selling new and (gently) used clothes and toys, games and competitions, face-painting and entertainment. We would be delighted if you could join us on the day with... your friends and family to pick up a bargain, have a great day and help us raise money for a fantastic cause.

We would also like to ask for a little help with donations for our bakery stall and also for some competition prizes. It may be that you love to bake or even have an unwanted Christmas gift that could go to a good home, if so then we would love to hear from you; please contact us on 0141 550 5770 or email Suzie with your suggestions or donations.

Thank you so much for your support of With Kids, we look forward to hearing from you and/or seeing you on the day.

If you have found this of interest then please feel free to share with your online community. Thank you.

Asda Foundation helps transform derelict building

With Kids were delighted to recently accept a cheque for £13,855 from Asda Foundation. This fantastic grant will help us to transform what was a previously derelict building at 15 Annfield Place into a fully equipped Drop-In centre for children and families in the East End of Glasgow.

The Asda Foundation supports local causes nominated by Asda colleagues which helps to make a huge difference to the local community. The Asda Foundation was set up to give something back to the community and is UK wide.

This will make a tremendous difference to our work and we are hugely grateful to Asda Foundation.

Tweet

Kids freeze in their own homes...in Glasgow

A Glasgow-based charity which helps some of the city’s most vulnerable children is calling on gas and electricity suppliers to help ease fuel poverty.

With Kids is working to ensure that families at this time of year can help meet their fuel bills.

The charity seeks to help very vulnerable children from some of Glasgow’s most deprived communities and their families overcome the effects of alcohol, drug abuse and domestic violence to ensure they get a decent start in life.

Research has shown that thousands of families struggle at this time of the year simply to ensure that their homes are heated. Many will go without food and Christmas gifts for their children in a desperate fight to keep their homes lit and heated.

If a family gets into arrears with their fuel payments their supplier can grab up to 70% of these payments to pay off the arrears. That means only 30p in every one pound spent goes into heating the home.

With Kids, Business Development Manager, Angela Beattie said: “At this time of year a distressingly high number of families and their children are at risk of freezing in their own homes because they simply cannot afford to heat them. And the winter we are currently experiencing is causing real material hardship for the most vulnerable in our city.

“We have also found that hundreds of families will be unable to provide their children with Christmas gifts because they scraped together what little they have to prevent their gas and electricity supplies being turned off. And although families with children under the age of five will rarely have their supplies stopped they find it impossible to struggle free of their fuel debt and will go without food to keep paying.

“One of the ways in which we try to help combat this is to organise a Christmas party on Christmas Eve with the help of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue. This year’s event at Calton Fire Station will see 200 families being given presents that they otherwise wouldn’t have. This means they have one thing less to worry about as they fight to pay the winter fuel bills.
“But the bigger issue remains: what are government and fuel suppliers, whose prices are set to jump again this winter, doing to ensure the most needy in our society can be helped.”

With Kids is one of the Evening Times Community Champions. This year’s Christmas Party will see poor kids experience for the first time what others take for granted. This will include a Christmas meal, games and a visit from Santa Claus. The Calton firefighters will be on hand to give the children rides on the fire engines and they’ll host the party.

For those who want to donate cash or gifts to help pay for the With Kids Christmas Party please contact Angela Beattie on:

Telephone 0141 550 5770 or e mail a.beattie@withkids.org.uk

You can also donate on line by visiting www.justgiving.com/withkids

Written by Kevin McKenna, The Word Agency. Email kevin@wordagency.net

You can also help in a very simple way by sharing this post with your online community by using either the Tweet or Facebook buttons below.

Tweet

The "With Kids" Santa has lost his Sleigh - Can anyone help?

The "With Kids" Santa has lost his sleigh! We urgently need a 4x4 to deliver food, winter clothing and toys to vulnerable children and families in the East End of Glasgow. We need the vehicle for the run up to Christmas.

As you know, many families that we work with don't have enough money to pay for gas, electricity, adequate winter clothing and basic food items to keep their children warm and well fed over the festive period. For many it can be a choice between keeping warm or not buying food items.

Buying presents are even more of an issue for many families and we know of at least fifty families that will not receive a main Xmas present unless With Kids provides it. Our commitment is to help as many families as possible. We really can make a difference to vulnerable children and families at Christmas in particular. Especially when the weather is so cold.

If you can donate a vehicle, please contact http://network.withkids.org.uk

Tweet

Secret East End venue that hosts the most important cinema night in Scotland

If today’s cinema goer is use to Multiplexes and the proud presentations at the start of movies that boast of the latest technology in sound and vision they might be surprised to hear about a rather unusual cinema hidden away in the East End of Glasgow, that offers a very low-tech viewing of movies.

It’s exactly one year since the East End charity With Kids opened the doors for their weekly cinema club. The idea was to reach out to families who struggle to afford to go to the cinema and for just £1 a family can watch a movie together in a basement at the With Kids offices.

For With Kids this is just one part of their intervention programme that reaches out to some of the poorest families in Scotland. These cinema nights help to bring families together and also encourage them to reach out to other families which has in turn has developed a strong support network

The cinema nights are voluntary but incredibly popular in the community and have resulted in several spin offs including an animation workshop for children at Wellshot Primary. The children on this workshop wrote, story boarded, produced and directed an animation film that has been made into a DVD.

With Kids is a very special charity designed to break the cycle of children growing up without the opportunity to go into work or extended study. This cinema night has shown that movies can bring people together and build and unite communities.



Tweet