Children’s charity launches campaign to raise funds for the local community
Craven Arms-based charity, Empathy for Special Children, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise vital funds to support to members of the community who are experiencing isolation.
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The charity – which has been running for 15 years – exists to provide a local support network for neurodiverse children, young people and their families. Its services have been a lifeline for hundreds of families across Shropshire.
Empathy’s new Include Me project aims to reach all members of the community who are feeling lonely and isolated and will be run out of the charity’s Inclusion Hub on Corvedale Road in Craven Arms.
In consultation with the local community, the plan is to hold drop-in sessions at school times, lunch clubs and coffee drop-ins for those who cannot travel or are working from home.
The project has been launched on ‘Crowdfund Shropshire’, a new crowdfunding platform from Shropshire Council, in partnership with Spacehive.
The campaign aims to raise £15,000 to fund the sessions and donors can pledge as little as £2 via the Crowdfund Shropshire platform, in order to support the campaign. Once the fundraising total reaches £5,500, Crowdfund Shropshire will make up the rest of the target.
Sam Goddard from Empathy, said: “This is an incredible opportunity for us to make an impact and access vital funding through Crowdfund Shropshire to support people in the county who are lonely and isolated. There are so many factors that can cause isolation: Age, location, culture, health, life change, or simply feeling different or out of step with our peers, can have a huge impact on the way we interact and feel about the world around us.
“Our Include Me project sessions are open to everyone who may find themselves in these situations and we are hopeful that – with this fundraising campaign – we can bring this vital service to our community.”
The campaign enables the charity to gather donations from supporters and once 20 donations have been made, Crowdfund Shropshire – in partnership with Spacehive – will add its £9,500 pledge to the campaign.
Crowdfund Shropshire is an opportunity for local community groups to bring forward an impactful project in their neighbourhood and receive financial support from the council and the local community - via crowdfunding - to help make it happen.
To support Empathy’s Include Me campaign, visit: spacehive.com/include-me
