Partner Charities
Charities we support
Keep your Fork is passionate about giving back. We use some of our profits and plenty of our time to support the following charities and groups.
Compassion
Half of Keep your Fork’s business is the training we do in schools. We believe every child deserves the chance to go to school healthy, in decent clothes and receive at least one good meal a day. We can’t help every child, but we can make a difference in the life of one.
By sponsoring children such as Luisa through her education in Lima, Peru, we can at least give her some of what we have enjoyed…a decent chance in life and employability skills.
If you would like the chance to become a life changer too, visit http://www.compassionuk.org/site/pages/ui_home.aspx
Going Public
Both of my children were planned and eagerly anticipated blessings, but sadly that isn’t the case for too many of today’s teenagers.
I came across this school support charity when running a youth group in the early 1990s and was really impressed by their excellent ethos and presentation, called The Seduction. Over 150,000 students all over the UK have now attended a presentation. Using a combination of drama, video, speech, games and discussion, The Seduction looks at the many pressures facing young people today in the whole area of sex and sexuality. Amongst the issues it tackles are the media, peer pressure and self worth. The presentation has received acclaim from pupils, teachers, head-teachers, governors and parents alike.
Through The Seduction, Going Public provides holistic and relevant sex education that places the biological information within the framework of relationships, emotions and self-worth.
The presentation complements the ongoing PSHE work in schools, but also challenges young people’s perceptions of relationships, raises awareness of their value, the intrinsic worth of human life and that to say “no” is a viable and positive option. Click here to find out how these guys are making a dramatic impact on reducing teen pregnancy in schools all over the UK.
The Message Trust
The Message Trust is an organisation working in just about every Manchester school. They are particularly keen to help the disadvantaged and marginalised in some of Europe’s most deprived estates. Message also have some brilliant live bands. Take a look at my two favourite artists.
This one’s from rap/ hiphop band LZ7 who now have a growing fan base all over the world. There have been over 80,000 You Tube hits on this rap version of “This Little Light”, filmed in a Manchester school which closed for the day so the students could participate. Click here to watch the music video.
Blush UK are four passionate young performers with a heart for helping young women. With an urban pop sound reminiscent of Girls Aloud, Pink and Sugababes, band members Nic, Holly, Pippa and Jess bring a mixture of energetic dance performance and edgy pop melodies to their positive message of self-respect and inner beauty.
Recent feedback shows that the group is meeting a deep need among girls in schools where they have been teaching sessions on self-esteem, body language and self-confidence.
Jess Cook from Blush comments, ‘Our sessions expose the lies the modern media tells girls every day, like retouched photographs and plastic surgery. We want girls to see that make-up and nice clothes are fine, but when it’s all stripped away they are beautiful as they are.’
The band recently illustrated the principle by filming a photo shoot, showing the girls with and without makeup.
Both bands can be found and booked at www.message.org.uk
Rwanda Child
Martin Garner is a dynamic guy who has become a friend of mine. He runs a child sponsorship charity called Rwanda Child, in partnership with Africa New Life Ministries.
His trusted partners in Rwanda support both children orphaned through the atrocities of the 1994 genocide when a million people were killed in 100 days of hell on earth, and the women widowed at that time. Alone and unskilled, often traumatised and sometimes with Aids, these women have no way of supporting themselves or their families. A small monthly sponsorship can help these beautiful souls gain the self esteem of a trade such as hairdressing, beauty therapy or tailoring, to provide for their families.
Could your team or business sponsor a woman to learn a trade - just for a year? She will write to you and you can even meet her. Or maybe you can invite Martin in to speak at any group meetings you arrange?
Find out more at http://rwandachild.com/index.html
Christians Against Poverty
Many, probably most of us, have been in debt at one time or another, but I can’t imagine debt so bad that it would make me feel like I couldn’t go on.
John Kirkby, charismatic founder of Christians Against poverty has been there. A hugely successful financier with all the trappings, John lost everything: house, wife, financial resources, but has fought back from nothing to bring hope to those similarly trapped in a spiral of debt using all the skills he learned on the “other side of the fence”.
Recently, the only company to be twice nominated “Best small UK company to work for”, CAP is one amazing charity with a massive vision, fab website and incredible team based in Bradford.
Find out more at www.capuk.org
Care for the Family
Care for the Family is a national charity which aims to promote strong family life and to help those hurting because of family breakdown or bereavement.
Care have really helped me and have some fantastic resources for sole parents, such as bursary-funded holidays and free encouraging books.
Visit their website at www.careforthefamily.org.uk/
Friends of the Porter Valley & Friends of Ecclesall Woods
Both terrific environmental charities where I live which lobby, offer practical skills and encyclopaedic knowledge to preserve and enhance these beautiful areas for local people. The Shepherd Wheel restoration project will prove to be of enormous benefit to local schoolchildren, who will be able to enjoy an interactive glimpse into Sheffield’s proud industrial heritage.
For more information, please visit the Friends of the Porter Valley website and Friends of Ecclesall Woods website