Society donates £500 to local children’s charity
The Society made the donation to the charity, which grants wishes to seriously ill children, after it was nominated by colleagues as part of the 21st birthday celebrations for the Society’s Charitable Foundation.
Dreams & Wishes is a Newport-based charity dedicated to helping seriously ill children by making their dreams and wishes come true. The charity work with families across the UK, providing vital support throughout the child’s illness, as well as helping to build happy memories by granting lifelong wishes.
Monmouthshire Building Society asked colleagues to nominate a cause close to their heart, as part of their Charitable Foundation 20th Birthday celebrations earlier this year. Employees from across the business nominated local charities and community groups to be in with a chance of winning a donation from the Society, with Dreams and Wishes eventually chosen as the winner through a colleague vote.
Sarah Griffiths’ late teenage daughter Daisy was supported by Dreams & Wishes throughout her illness with Ewing sarcoma. Throughout Daisy’s illness, Dreams and Wishes granted her several wishes including a family day out to watch the Wales v England rugby match and Captain’s run, and gifting her an iPad so that she could keep in touch with her friends.
Sarah is now a volunteer fundraiser and ambassador for the charity and accepted the cheque from the Society. Sarah said:
“The charity do wonderful, wonderful things and since Daisy passed away, I wanted to start raising money for them.
“The charity doesn’t have any wages, it’s 100% volunteers so every penny I’ve raised in Daisy’s legacy goes back to seriously ill children and their families. The dreams and wishes granted just bring a massive smile and small moments like that really make a difference when you’re watching your little one fighting for their life. I remember the day Daisy had her iPad; she was overjoyed. I was totally overwhelmed and it’s just the kindest thing from the charity. It’s a memory to cherish forever, you never forget that day.
“The charity normally says £500 per dream or wish for the children. If it goes over that, which it does sometimes, that’s fine, but £500 is definitely a dream or wish come true for a child.”
Sarah has raised £80,596 for Dreams and Wishes, with the £500 donation now taking her to over £81,000.
The Charitable Foundation is just one of a number of community initiatives from Monmouthshire Building Society. The Society also provides sponsorship for local grassroots organisations through their high street branches and encourages colleagues to volunteer for local organisations through their Colleague in the Community initiative.
Dawn Gunter, Chief Operating Officer at the Society said: “As a Society, it’s important for us to be able to support our local communities. Our community initiatives reflect our values in helping our members and our communities to thrive today and in the future.
“We’re delighted that our colleagues chose to support Dreams and Wishes, a local charity that make such a difference to the lives of seriously ill children and their families.”
More information about Monmouthshire Building Society’s Community initiatives and funding can be found on their website www.monbs.com or by dropping in to a local Monmouthshire Building Society branch.
