OUR LADY OF LOURDES RAISES FUNDS TO SUPPORT REFUGEES
2 April 2020
Last Autumn we were thrilled to hear that Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Thames Ditton had chosen Elmbridge CAN as the beneficiary charity in the Church's Annual Appeal.
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We were invited to speak at the launch of the appeal during services over a weekend in October, and we were struck not only by the size of the congregations but also by the warmth of welcome afforded to us and the strong commitment of the Church body to reach out to those facing hardship in the wider local community.
We have been overwhelmed by the energy and immense generosity of members of the church. Our expectations of the level of funding we might receive has been vastly exceeded. This has meant that we have been able focus single-mindedly on our core work of giving practical and emotional support to the people and families in our care, without being distracted by fund-raising imperatives. As a consequence of the Church's extreme generosity, people who have suffered so much have had their lives markedly improved, enriched even. We have been able to give grants to help overcome immediate hardship, for example funding the purchase of essential medications where a family or individual isn't eligible for free prescriptions; to provide essential furniture and food making equipment when families have moved into unfurnished accommodation; providing emergency food grants; and sourcing laptops and other teaching materials needed for homework, which is especially relevant now with schools and colleges closed. All of this has been made possible by the amazing generosity of the Our Lady of Lourdes team and congregation. Elmbridge CAN Chair, Steve Wells, said: "It's been a pleasure and a privilege to work with them. Thank you Our Lady of Lourdes. You have helped transform the lives of those who have been through suffering unimaginable to most of us." |
Image © Elmbridge CAN
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