The Londondribblethon aims to raise much needed funds for Richard House Children's Hospice in East London and Forest Glade Football Club in Essex where Chris Rowe, the event organiser, is a coach for an under 12's team. Chris will be dribbling a football 26 miles from Forest Glade's home ground in Billericay, Essex to West Ham United's Boleyn's ground. He will finish the event by running onto the pitch to an awaiting West Ham player just before their match kicks off.
Richard House is one of West Ham's nominated charities for 2009 and the Londondribblethon hopes to raise £10,000. 75% of monies raised will go to Richard House to help it continue providing respite, palliative and end-of-life care for terminally ill children. The remainder will go to Forest Glade Football Club to help it with it's ambitions to expand the club and start a girls football team and progress it's plans to introduce training for disabled footballers.
"I have supported Richard House for over 8 years through Give As You Earn. It wasn't until I visited the hospice for the first time this year to discuss my fundraising idea that I realised what a special place it was. As a father of 3 children I found the tour round the hospice that I was given very humbling, emotional and inspiring all at the same time. It strengthened my resolve to make the Londondribblethon as successful as possible" - Chris Rowe
Become a corporate supporter now...Chris recognises only too well how the current economic climate is putting company finances under increasing pressure but this also makes it far more difficult for charities like Richard House to raise funds. That's why Chris has tried to be as innovative as possible with this event.
Please consider this request carefully before making your decision. For a minimum donation of £100 your company logo will be featured on one of the hexagons on our supporters football and will act as a link to your own website. The supporters football will be a prominent feature on the event website (www.londondribblethon.org.uk), which will be cited in all press releases and publicity materials.
The Londondribblethon will be taking place in September during Children's Hospice Week and Richard House have turned it into a combined event with local schools and clubs performing their own sponsored Dribblethon's. This means that the London Dribblethon will benefit from concentrated media coverage including local press, radio and hopefully television in the Essex and London areas.
West Ham will be helping to launch the event and it will feature in the match day programme as well as on the websites of Richard House, West Ham United and Forest Glade.
Richard House is London's first children's hospice. They support children and their families and provide respite, palliative and end-of-life care for children and young people between 0-19 years old who are not expected to live into adulthood. Over the past six years they have provided care to hundreds of life-limited and life-threatened children, such as children with rare and incurable cancers, children with degenerative genetic conditions, or children waiting for major organ transplants.
They offer day care, short stays in their residential area, support in the home and family support, including befriending and bereavement services. Care is provided completely free to families. This means that this year the hospice needs to raise around £2m in donations to provide these valuable services.
Richard House is dependent upon the generosity and hard work of all of its supporters and volunteers.
Forest Glade Football Club is an FA Charter Standard club, one of only 13 in Essex, which means it has attained the standards set by the FA for coaching, child protection for clubs working with young people and administration. It currently has over 300 members split across 27 teams.
The club supports the FA's 'Get into Football' campaign which aims to ensure there are opportunities for all to play the game and engage people at all levels in off-the-field roles. The clubs focus for 2009 will be to increase participation in the community by attaining Charter Standard Community Club status. This will involve the club affiliating at least one girl's team to the FA and developing a plan for disabled football through Essex FA's soccerbility scheme.
Become a corporate supporter now...