With just over a week to go I hope your plans for raising money on Insurance Charities Day Friday 18th June are already underway!
As you know from our recent members newsletter, The Charities are introducing a big balloon theme this year and if you haven't already, you can get your balloon pack by emailing info@theinsurancecharities.org.uk.
Balloons or no balloons there are still loads of fun ways to raise money including all the old favourites; dress down day, most outrageous hairdo, worst tie and even male leg waxing! Whatever you decide, the Southampton Insurance Institute Committee would like to award the prize of a bottle of champagne to the Office Representative who organises the most 'original' and/or 'amusing' idea to raise money.
The judges for this event will be Mike Hillier our Charities Officer ( m.hillier945@btinternet.com) and myself as local President (dianewilliams_mtbd@yahoo.co.uk) so please email us to let us know how you raised money for The Insurance Charities as well as the amount you raised. Photographs always welcome and these can uploaded on to our institute website www.cii-southampton.co.uk
Closing date for receiving entries is 30th June 2010. The judges will make their decision on 5th July and the Prize Winner will be contacted on 6th July.
Please note that although 18th June is the designated Insurance Charities day, we do understand if another day is more suitable to your organisation (e.g. end of the month .... after pay day!). We also understand that some organisations support other charities and again, we are happy to share with them.
Click here to download the Insurance Charities posters.
Use these to display in your offices to promote the details of the event being held and the results of your fundraising.
Good luck!
Kind Regards
Diane
Diane Williamsdianewilliams_mtbd@yahoo.co.uk
President Southampton Insurance Institute
P.S If you are quick, it is not too late to enter the Charities Fund Raising Golf competition on Thursday 17th June. Please call Mike Hillier on 012 4378 0701 by close of business on Friday.
INSURANCE CHARITIES DAY – FRIDAY 18TH JUNE 2010
As an alternative to the normal fund raising activities on Insurance Charities Day, Friday 18th June 2010, the Charities are introducing a big balloon theme. They are replacing their London City sponsored walk with a balloon event and are "bursting" with ideas that can be run on a local level to raise funds and awareness of The Insurance Charities.
Last year £1.2 million was spent helping colleagues and their families to overcome problems resulting from illness and redundancy etc. - much of it in this area - and we need to keep up our fund raising efforts to ensure that level of support can continue.
Some suggested ideas are a balloon themed quiz, a balloon barbeque, a balloon walk, guess how many balloons can be stuffed into a car or just simply decorate your office with balloons. Supplies of balloons are FREE. Perhaps each person that makes a donation could be given a balloon to "fly" from their desk. Collection boxes are available as are Gift Aid registration forms.
A balloon release has also been suggested but this requires local authority and air traffic control approval so this could be considered on a national basis for next year.
The Charities have produced a new DVD highlighting with their approval some of the families that have been helped. You can order a free copy to show during your event or on other occasions.
For further information click here for details:
http://www.theinsurancecharities.org.uk/events_insurancecharitiesday2010.htm
Or contact our local Charities representative Mike Hillier by email at mike_hillier@btconnect.com or call him on 01243 780701.
Our usual Charities Fund Raising Golf competition will, again, be held at Cams Hall Golf Club in Fareham, on Thursday 17th June 2010. Entries are welcome from both teams and individuals, with the winning player being invited to participate in the national final, which, this year is being held at the prestigious Blairgowrie Golf Club, near Perth, as part of the centenary celebrations of the Perth and Dundee local institute. Click here for full details of our competition and an entry form.
Details will, also, be sent to all past participants. Further details can be obtained from our Charities Representative, Mike Hillier, by e.mail to m.hillier945@btinternet.com or by telephone on 01243 780701.
ABOUT INSURANCE CHARITIES DAY
Once a year we ask those employed in our industry to give some thought, and cash, to assist their colleagues and former colleagues who, through no fault of their own, have needed to seek financial help from The Insurance Charities. You may think it strange that a “Protection Industry” does not provide such help but not everyone works for a large employer with fringe benefits. In some cases, staff have been referred to the charity by the largest employers. Many people do not appreciate that requests for help can be considered whether the applicant is a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, or not, provided they have a history of employment within the industry, in whatever area. It is run by independent trustees, not by the CII, although it is fully supported by the Institute.
Recent cases dealt with locally have included widows left with very small or no pensions on the death of a spouse, a disabled employee needing help with the purchase of a motorised wheelchair or funding the alteration of their home to allow wheelchair access, employees having children with special education needs, a working colleague who needed expensive cancer drugs not available through the NHS and many families where the breadwinner had to cease working due to illness.
Help has varied from maintenance grants or single payments to interest free mortgage loans with no repayments until the property is sold on death or entry to a nursing home. Very often the applicants have fallen into the “Poverty Gap”, with too much capital or income to obtain aid from the State or Local Authority but insufficient to maintain a decent standard of living. In some cases the help has just been the delivery of some Christmas Fare, something we all take for granted on our own tables.
Each year the charity gives out help in excess of £1.5million but, in recent years, even with substantial donations from companies, this has exceeded the amounts raised and the income from investments. Donations from employees average less than £1 per head per annum. You can help by a collection in your office on 19th June but why not have fun with a dress down day, a worst tie or hair dye or crazy wig day, or, for the fit and active, a lunch time jog, a pay for coffee or a fun fines day. I am sure you can all think of many more ideas to support our industries own charity. Tthe Charity now promotes a national sponsored walk in London with many similar events around the country. Last year this raised over £15,000, matched by a very generous donation from Towergate.
Collection boxes, posters and leaflets are available for use at your office events. They can be obtained directly from the Insurance Charities website, by email to: info@theinsurancecharities.org.uk or from our local Charities Representative Mike Hillier, who can be contacted on 01243 780701 or m.hillier945@btinternet.com. Mike should, also, be contacted if you need, or know of a colleague who needs, assistance. Enquiries are dealt with in the strictest confidence.
Any funds raised should be sent to Mike Hillier at 17 Longmynd Drive, Fareham, Hants, PO14 1RW, by a cheque in favour of The Insurance Charities.
We will also be making bucket collections for The Charities at our regular lunch time meetings around the time of Charities Day. As usual, refreshments are provided free of charge to those who attend. Hopefully, on those occasions, you will subscribe to the view that “There is no such thing as a free lunch”.
For more information on the Insurance Charities:
Visit their website www.theinsurancecharities.org.uk
Read case studies of people whose lives have been made easier as a result of support from the Insurance Charities
View the latest Insurance Charities newsletter
Download the the Insurance Charities donor leaflet
Download a copy of the latest Insurance Charities newsletter