JCI Glasgow 75th Anniversary Dinner

JCI Glasgow has been helping young business people and entrepreneurs grow and develop for the past 75 years, and to celebrate their 75th Anniversary Dinner, they are lending some support to With Kids.

Formed as Glasgow Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1937, JCI Glasgow is a not for profit organisation run by its members, for its members.

JCI Glasgow is affiliated to Junior Chamber International and is part of an international network of 200,000 business people in their 20s and 30s across more than 100 countries.

The 75th Anniversary Dinner, in support of With Kids, will be held in the Grand Room of Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow on Friday 16th November 2012.

The evening of dinner, drinks and entertainment will start at 6:30, and tickets are available now, priced at £60 for JCI Members, £75 for non-JCI members, and £750 for a table of 10.

Included in the price of your ticket is:

• Champagne reception
• 4 course dinner and half bottle of wine per person
• Corporate gift bag
• 20% off room rate at Grand Central Hotel for attendees
• Charity raffle and auction

Sponsorship

For anyone interested in sponsoring the 75th Anniversary Dinner, sponsorship opportunities are still available:

Main Sponsor - £3,000

1 x Top Table guest from your organisation 2 x Premier Table for 10 (closest to speaker’s podium)

Branding on all advertising material, tickets, front page of official programme, on big screens on stage and on small TV screens

One full page advert in official programme, mentioned in all publicity, 10 x premier goodie bag and opportunity to include advertising material in same goodie bag.

Major Sponsor - £1,500

Premier Table for 10, one full page advert in official programme, advertising on small TV screens, 10 x premier goodie bag and opportunity to include advertising material in same goodie bag.

If you require more information on sponsorship, or want to book tickets, please contact Iain Brown, at iain_brown@jciglasgow.com or visit the JCI Glasgow website.

Alternatively, you can book online HERE or download the booking form HERE.

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Christmas Appeal 2012

We know it's only October and that you don't want to hear the word but it's only 10 weeks till Christmas! And it's that time of the year where we need your help!

Christmas can be really tough financially for many families. Each year we help families that are struggling by providing presents, food hampers and credit towards utility bills who would otherwise go without.

Last year we provided 101 families with presents, food and credit for utility bills. Our Christmas party was attended by 106 kids and 71 adults. All the kids received a present from Santa and a hot turkey dinner. Nearly all of that was donated although we still had to go and buy them presents.

This year we really need your help to make sure that we can help as many families as we can in having a happy Christmas. By donating just one gift this would make all the difference!

We depend on your help and donations to make this possible. There's still time to fundraise or even collect those unwanted tins and packets at the back of the cupboard. With your help and support no family will go without this Christmas.

The type of items that go a long way in making a difference are:

• Non perishable food items- to help with winter hampers
• Stocking fillers- for the little extras on Christmas day that make a difference
• Party food- to help make our Christmas Party the best yet
• Wrapping paper/ sellotape/ gift tags- the little things that go a long way
• Gifts for adults (toiletries, perfume, make up) Donations of any kind are always greatly appreciated.
• We also take monetary donations which also goes a long way to help us provide our services at With Kids.
• Toys

All of your donations really do go a long way in helping out families who are in great need, especially at this time of the year so thank you from all of the families and With Kids!

If you know someone who can assist then please contact us on 0141 550 5770 or drop us an email at info@withkids.org.uk

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Come along if you dare...

As the nights get longer and leaves begin to fall off the trees this can only mean one thing - Halloween is almost here!

This year we are having our first ever spooky Halloween Party at With Kids and there will be plenty of tricks and treats to look forward to!

The party takes place on Wednesday 31st October from 4.30 - 6.30pm, and there will be lots of spooky tricks and devilish treats on the evening.

If you would like to come along to our party, please get in touch as soon as possible - and remember to bring your fancy dress!

As ever, we are looking for donations of treats and sweets to help make our party even more fun.

We are also looking for volunteers to help us out on the night.

Do you know anyone who can help? If so, we would love to hear from you.

If you would like more information, or if you think you or any of your friends could lend us a hand, you can contact us on 0141 550 5770 or drop us an email on info@withkids.org.uk.

You can also contact us by joining us on Facebook or on our Glasgow and Edinburgh Twitter pages.

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The Kids Had a Ball!

The children at With Kids had an absolute ball at the Autumn Ball and Fashion Show and we just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to all of our lovely families who participated in our fashion show.

When the kids took centre stage on the night it really boosted their confidence and self-esteem, and their beaming smiles were evidence that they had such good fun strutting down the cat walk!

Firstly, we would like to thank our wonderful hosts, Kathleen McDermott Carberry and John Amabile, as well as Michelle McManus and Feeva for keeping us entertained!

We would also like to say a huge thank you to the fatBuzz team for organising and hosting the event, Cumbernauld College who did a truly amazing job with the hair and make-up, and Falk&Ross UK Limited and Ivy Kiss for donating clothes.

A special mention goes out to Alec from Falk&Ross for styling and for his endless patience on the night and April from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for her choreography!

Last but by no means least; thank you to the With Kids staff, volunteers, friends, family and supporters who all made the event possible. We couldn't have done it without you!

We put a little video together of the event, which you can view below. See if you can spot yourself, and remember to have a look through the photos on our Facebook page and tag yourself or anyone you know in them. 

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With Kids Edinburgh - Ladies Lunch

With Kids may have originated in the east end of Glasgow, however did you know that we also help vulnerable children and families in Edinburgh?

Thanks to Inspiring Scotland, who provided funding for our Edinburgh pilot based in Wester Hailes in the south-west of the city, we now reach even more vulnerable families across Scotland on a daily basis.

And on Friday 28th of September, we are hosting a Ladies Lunch at the beautifully restored Grade A Ghillie Dhu in Edinburgh - where all proceeds from the event will go to our Wester Hailes Project.

The afternoon, hosted by Peter Ferguson of PDF Productions, will include entertainment by the fabulous Edward Reid, semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent.

fatBuzz, a social media, design, marketing and events management company from Glasgow, is organising the event and the champagne reception is sponsored by Inverarity Morton, one of Scotland's largest independent drinks suppliers.

There will also be an opportunity to shop from a selection of pop up shops including Nova Handbags and Orli Jewellery.

There are a variety of ways in which you can help. You could become a sponsor for the afternoon or you could take a table. A table for 10 is priced at £500, or individual tickets can be bought for £50.

If you are unable to attend, perhaps you could help in some other way? We are looking for auction and raffle prizes or maybe you would simply like to make a donation?

To book a ticket, or table, please email events@fatbuzz.com

You can now follow With Kids Edinburgh on Twitter, where you can keep up to date with our latest news and information.

We will also be revealing our new With Kids Edinburgh ambassador, who is an ex-Scotland rugby international, as soon as possible! Can you guess who it will be?

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Happy Campers

Just over a week ago, With Kids packed our bags and headed to Auchengillan Outdoor Centre for a fun-filled weekend of camping, sponsored by the astounding efforts of Andrew Muirhead & Son Ltd.

Colin Wade, the Managing Director of Andrew Muirhead & Son, walked the West Highland Way and raised £7000 for With Kids, which was an amazing response and was mostly raised by staff, family and friends of the company.

To honour that generosity, we were delighted to name the camping trip as sponsored by them.

We hired a cabin out in the woods so people could choose whether to camp or sleep in dorms, and when we arrived at Auchengillan Outdoor Centre on the Friday, we were greeted with sunshine and spectacular views across trees and fields.

Being so isolated meant the kids were free to run around and explore safely, which was ideal as they did a huge amount of running around!

We had 24 kids so there was a lot of excitement and very little sleep on the first night, followed by some very early morning rises on Saturday morning. 

We had some fairly tired grumpy parents, kids and staff on Saturday, but everyone quickly cheered up with activities including climbing, go karts, grass sledges, waterwalkerz and orienteering, as well as a BBQ!

Thankfully, the sun shone throughout, and as everybody had had such an exhausting day, they were all asleep early on Saturday night... hooray!

Many of the families faced new challenges and different experiences, but everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and said how good it had been meeting new people and trying different things.

These are just some of the stand out quotes from the weekend:

"Me and the kids absolutely loved it. We've had a brilliant time."

"It was great meeting new friends and spending quality time with the kids." 

"Watching the kids have fun and having new & scary experiences was great."

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Once Upon A Time - A Real Fairytale

As many people are no doubt aware, With Kids' ambassador Robert Carlyle is currently starring in the hit American fantasy-drama, Once Upon A Time.

Robert's involvement with our charity was highlighted by members of Once Upon A Fan, the major online resource for fans of the series, who then decided to help with fundraising.

In an incredible real life fairytale for With Kids, they have, to date, raised £3,475 of a £5,000 target.

As if that wasn't enough, Once Upon A Fan are running a With Kids charity auction from Monday 24th September to Sunday 30th September 2012.

Pieces for auction will include jewellery, original fan art pieces, rare autographed posters, journals, Emmy DVDs and lots more.

The final, ultimate auction for the ‘chipped cup’ from Skin Deep, signed by Robert and Emilie de Ravin, will take place on the 30th September.

Gareth Hughes, the founder of Once Upon A Fan, said: “The support we have received from all over the world has just been incredible. It has blown me away. Not just in terms of donations, but the kindness shown.”

In our second guest blog post, Gareth delves into his past and explains why With Kids are so close to his heart.

Every Fairytale has a Happy Ending

I became aware of With Kids through fans of Once Upon A Time, who recommended watching the videos that Robert had done. 

I could really relate to the difficulties that disadvantaged families go through and the idea that everybody deserves a chance, or a happy ending.

I grew up in a very poor part of Merseyside on a council estate where chances in life seemed limited. 

Early on, I made a conscious decision that I could do well in spite of the barriers that society sometimes places on people.

I went to university and I am now a manager of a brain injury unit in Cheshire.

I can relate so much to what With Kids are trying to do because my mother and father never had that kind of support.

We were lucky in the sense of having a local community of neighbours that pulled together and supported each other, but nothing like With Kids existed.

So, when I learned about With Kids and what they do, it was just instinctive, as the fan site grew in popularity, that we could use this huge following to do some real good.

My life could have gone down a very different path so the idea of building resilience and self esteem in children from a young age is so important to me, so that they find pride in themselves and achieve their goals, however big or small those goals are.

That's why I love what With Kids are doing.

The love is mutual Gareth. The love is mutual.

If you would like to submit an item for the Once Upon A Fan With Kids auction, contact Gareth at gareth@onceuponatimefans.co.uk

You can donate to With Kids, via Once Upon A Fan's Just Giving page.

If you would like to follow in Gareth's footsteps and write a guest blog post for With Kids, please email s.blair@withkids.co.uk with your ideas and suggestions.

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