Support for Charities
Rotary is not just about business networking and building friendships. One of our key aims is to get involved in our local communities and support local charities, helping those most in need. It is a very fulfilling role and Rotarians can get involved as much or as little as their time will allow.
In addition to clubs being active at a local level, Rotary International has created a charitable trust fund - the Rotary Foundation. The objective of the Foundation is to achieve world understanding and peace through international charitable and educational programmes. One of its most well known and ambitious projects has been PolioPlus, a global effort to rid the world of this crippling disease. Rotary has played a key part in immunization campaigns throughout the world, and polio is now very close to being eradicated.
The Bristol Bridge club will be supporting numerous charitable events throughout the year, but has also chosen a small number of key charities on which we will focus our activities. Please have a look at our Events pages to find out about some of our upcoming charitable activities and volunteering opportunities.
If you have any charities or volunteering opportunities that you would like our club to get involved in, please contact our Charities officer.
Our Charities for 2009/10
1625 Independent People
Independent People is a merger of Priority Youth Housing and Wayahead Housing and Support. It provides housing, support and advice to over 400 young people aged between 16 and 25 and is working to improve the housing and support services for vulnerable young people in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire areas and to raise awareness of their needs, including delivering high quality and strategically relevant services in these areas.
Dom Wood of the charity says: "Working with Bristol Bridge Rotary will be an excellent way to provide some positive successful role models for the young people we support, raise awareness of the plight of young homeless people and provide some fundraising and volunteering opportunities including painting properties and running a Christmas social event."
Above & Beyond
Above & Beyond exists to complement the University Hospitals Bristol and its associated primary care services in Bristol by supporting medical research and providing medical equipment not covered by the NHS.
Last year, the club took part in the exhilirating zip-wire event organised by Above & Beyond, so it's a cause already close to our hearts. We hope to be raising funds for a specific item for one of the wards in BRI. Details are yet to be confirmed and will be posted here soon.
Royal National Institute for the Blind
The RNIB is the UK’s leading charity offering information, support and advice to over two million people with sight loss. 96% of books are never published in formats that blind and partially sighted people can read, such as in braille, large print or talking books. Last year the RNIB Talking Book Service delivered 1.6 million Talking Books direct to over 40,000 people with sight problems. The idea is that the club will sponsor the conversion of a book into a format which is accessible to people with visual problems. Further details will be posted here soon.