Fundraising booklet by JuliasHouseChildrensHospice

PUTTING THE ‘FUN’ INTO FUNDRAISING

FUN IDEAS TO HELP YOUR SCHOOL SUPPORT SERIOUSLY ILL LOCAL CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES

WELCOME!

Our schools’ fundraising pack provides a host of inspiration and handy tips, which will help your school make a life-changing difference to local families who need our help.

There are two very important ways in which your school can help. Firstly, by raising awareness of Julia’s House and the problems faced by the children and families we care for. Secondly, through turning fun into fundraising at your school so that we can continue to provide our vital support across Dorset and Wiltshire.

We’ve got fundraising activities to suit all year groups, and there are lots of benefits for everyone who gets involved - from having fun and getting fit, to sharing event sponsorship money with your school!

We want to make a life-changingdifference byfundraisingfor Julia’s House

We love to hear how you are planning to support Julia’s House, so if you need more advice or would like to discuss other ideas for how you can fundraise, please get in touch. Our friendly team is here to support you every step of the way!

Best wishes

The Julia’s House FundraisingTeam

community@juliashouse.org

ABOUT JULIA’S HOUSE

Julia’s House is a local charity dedicated to supporting the families of children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions in Dorset and Wiltshire. Many of the children we care for require round the clock care, which can be immensely stressful for their parents and has a huge impact on family life.

Our nurses and carers provide flexible, tailored support to families at home, in the community or at our hospices in Corfe Mullen and Devizes. We wrap our arms around the whole family, providing respite care, emotional and practical support and social opportunities for exhausted parents, frightened siblings and worried grandparents, breaking the cycle of anxiety and isolation that can lead a family to breaking point.

Julia’s House provides this care free of charge, 365 days a year, and it’s only possible thanks to the generosity of our local community. We receive just 8% funding from the government so your support is vital.

The need for our specialist care is increasing and our costs are rising, so fundraising is crucial to ensure we can provide our lifechanging care, now and in the future. When a school like yours takes part in one of our fundraising challenges or holds a sponsored event, your support has a big impact. It’s thanks to you we are able to keep on caring in the local community.

TED’S STORY

Ted was born with an incredibly rare and terminal condition called Aromatic Amino Acid Decarboxylase Deficiency (AADCd), which is a bit like a childhood Parkinson’s disease.

“It’s exhausting caring 24/7 for a child who is incredibly disabled, so when the Julia’s House nurses and carers come in and take over for a few hours it literally lightens everybody’s day up.”

Ted’s neuro transmitters don’t work in the same way as ours, so from birth he wasn’t able to produce dopamine or serotonin, which are vital for everyday living. For the first 10 years of his life, Ted would have fits that could last up to 10 hours a day.

Scoliosis has caused Ted’s spine to curve so severely that eventually his lungs would be crushed. He has had his hip joints replaced and he has needed a spinal operation.

“When you’re told your child has a terminal illness, there isn’t a solution to find. For me, the best way to manage it was to find the best services and charities and different people to have in Ted’s life that would bring the most joy and positivity,” explains his mum, Zoe. “When the nurses and carers from Julia’s House come into our home for respite sits, I actually feel like I relax.”

Having the support of Julia’s House means that Zoe and husband Sven can have date nights or spend quality time with their other children, younger sister Emilia and big brother Miles, knowing Ted is in safe hands.

“Without Julia’s House it would just go back to how it was before – we wouldn’t have date nights, or respite. We wouldn’t have quality time with each other and Ted’s siblings. Also Ted wouldn’t have that independence either. He doesn’t get invited to parties or go to other people’s houses like his siblings do. When he goes to the hospice, it’s like his own special place. That’s huge for a teenage boy – to feel like you have somewhere to belong.”

Zoe, mum to Ted

HOW WE CAN SUPPORT YOUR FUNDRAISING

We really couldn’t do all that we do without you! That’s why we want to make sure it’s as easy as possible for you to start fundraising. When you decide to support us our friendly fundraising team will be on hand to support you every step of the way. We can provide items that will help you get started, including:

• Banners

• Posters and sponsorship forms

• Balloons

• Collection cans or boxes

• Leaflets, newsletters and information sheets

• Stories about the families you’re supporting

• A member of the Julia’s House team to talk at your school assembly

Get in touch with us at community@juliashouse.org if there’s anything else you think you’ll need to make your fundraising a huge success.

THE EXTRA MILE

The Extra Mile is an easy way for your school or community group to get involved with fundraising. And it benefits your school or group, as well as your local children’s hospice, Julia’s House.

Simply choose how you’d like to complete your mile – you might like to organise a one-mile route to walk or run around your local park, or even try hopping, skipping and jumping your way around. Or how about a one-mile swim or cycle? It’s entirely up to you how you’d like to complete your mile. And then just get your family and friends to sponsor you.

You can choose to keep 50% of the donations, so it’s a great way to raise funds for your school, group or a project. It contributes to children’s 30 minutes of exercise a day and supports your local community too.

What you will get for taking part:

• Personalised certificate including the total funds raised by your school or group

• Opportunity to have a presentation from a Julia’s House fundraiser

• Sponsorship forms • Julia’s House branded materials juliashouse.org/extramile

Your class, school or group just needs to bring in their favourite cuddly toy (teachers too!) plus a £1 donation for Julia’s House on a day of your choice in June. And if you’d like to make your Big Teddy Takeover even bigger, you could add onesies and slippers, book and bake sales, teddy bear picnics, teddy-themed lessons and more!

You can choose to put 50% of the money raised towards your school or community group.