The ReachOut! Festival 2011

This summer I thought I'd try my hand at fund-raising for ReachOut!, but not being very athletic the 10k run was out of the question, and with the festival spirit of summer I attempted to organise my own in aid of ReachOut!

Originally I'd planned it to be a larger scale event with music and performances, but everyone was so busy with travelling and work – it all became very hard to organise!

Still, all was not lost as the weekend took form as a few family and friends for a relaxed camping weekend in the middle of nowhere! Money was raised through 'ticket sales' (online donations) from those who braved the countryside and also through the generous donations of those who unfortunately could not make it, but who knew the ReachOut! cause was one close to my heart.

The weather was not on our side (downpour for most of the weekend) but this didn't dampen the festival-goers' spirits. Bonfires were lit, tents were put up and wellies were worn!

Thanks to many people's incredible generosity, over £600 was raised in total, and the city-dwellers learned all about waders and how to start a good bonfire – win win!

My advice to anyone trying to organise a festival fund-raising event would be that it is very time-consuming and often stressful! But if you have the determination it is possible, and is a fantastic idea to raise money in a way that everyone can enjoy.

I wonder where the ReachOut! Festival will travel to in 2012?

By Harriet (Chipie) Melesi

(An amazing achievement Chipie! Thanks from all at ReachOut!)

ReachOut! Runners Raise over £600!

Congratulations and thank you to Mehmet Aygun, Menalik Richards, Mariya Majid, Paul Stewart and Emily Grenville-Grey who all completed the London Asics 10k run on the 10th July raising over £600 for ReachOut!

Check out the photos from the day!

The ReachOut! team get ready to run!

The boys are feeling confident!

And they're off!

A well earned rest!

ReachOut! and Me

Extracts from Steph Pickerill's speech at the ReachOut! London Volunteer Event:

As a bright-eyed fresher, I was keen to do more voluntary work and knew that it was going to be of the 'helping-out-in-a-school' kind rather than the 'picking up rubbish from the canal' kind. Mentoring made sense; as an English and history student I had lightly considered a teaching career.

What originally attracted me to ReachOut!’s Midweek Mentoring Project (now called the ReachOut! Club) was the idea of one-to-ones and the regularity of the programme. Faced with a timetable of just 8 hours a week- it is no news that students have a lot of time on their hands.

The one-to-one relationships are also a great experience for both parties, something I hadn’t realized properly until I volunteered as a teacher with ReachOut!’s Summer Programme last year, in one of my first classes one of the pupils confidently shot her hand up to ask if I remembered her, I was her mentor at Brook Community Primary School 2 years ago. Of course I remembered her (though it did take me a sec- taller and self-assured, she had changed) but I was completely shocked that she should remember me after so long. Her memory then went on to trump mine- she proudly told me about some of the work we had done during the sessions at Brook- a great indicator of the benefits of the sessions, one girl’s positive recollection of her experience.

The commitment shown through working on a regular volunteering project is gold to employers looking for responsible, independent and reliable candidates. It has led to my finding work as a writing mentor. My work as project coordinator was a direct influence on my securing the position of managing editor of Queen Mary’s magazine, a role in which my experience of managing a team of volunteers has been crucial. So, although the teaching career is taken a back step in my plans, management is definitely something I want to take forward and it is ReachOut!’s mentoring scheme that has helped in shaping these decisions and armed me with the experience to take them forward.

I look forward to going back to the freshers fair next year and recruiting some bright young freshers to a project I am proud to have been part of.

Good luck to the ReachOut! Runners!

Yup! Here is Mehmet training hard for the London 10k run taking place THIS SUNDAY!!

A massive good luck to all the team! (Mehmet, Mariya, Paul, Emily and Menalik) If you weren't able to join them cos you're away, injured, (just plain lazy!?) but would still like to support them, please click on a link below and help them reach their targets, leave them a motivational comment, or come and cheer them on at the race! Thanks!

Mehmet - http://www.justgiving.com/Mehmet-Aygun

Mariya - http://www.justgiving.com/Mariya-Majid

Paul - http://www.justgiving.com/Paul-Stewart2

Emily - http://www.justgiving.com/Emily-Grenville-Grey0

Menalik - http://www.justgiving.com/Menalik-Richards

ReachOut! Volunteer Event at the Emirates!

On Monday 27th June in The Players’ Lounge of Arsenal Emirates Stadium, ReachOut! London hosted its first ever Volunteer Thank You Event in celebration of the hard work of its volunteers! Pete Blackwell, London Director, opened the evening with words of thanks, a summary of ReachOut!’s achievements this year, projects offered and the staggering numbers of children benefiting (over 500!), crucially with the help of its hundreds of dedicated volunteers. The speeches continued with yet more thanks from the ReachOut! Chief Executive, Xavier Bosch and testimonies from volunteers Steph Pickerill and Ian Ash. Sharing their stories, explaining their involvement in a specific project and looking ahead to an exciting future, enabled volunteers from different projects to learn about the range of work ReachOut! does and the impact each volunteer can have. An award-ceremony followed which marked the efforts of each volunteer according to the hours they had given, a small tribute to invaluable contributions. The evening closed with a tour of the impressive venue, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium which included an intrusion into the shower room, a taste of luxury in the Directors’ box and a moment of fame in the press room (see photos at the bottom!). Our inspirational individual fundraisers! (above)

Brilliant Bronze Award winners - over 30 hours of volunteering each! (below)

Simply super Silver Award winners - over 60 hours of volunteering each! (above)

Glorious Gold Award winners - over 100 hours of volunteering each! Amazing! (below)

In what has been a challenging year for the charity sector, ReachOut! has had to rely on the strength of its volunteer teams more than ever. The evening was a chance for staff, funders, volunteers and friends of ReachOut! to celebrate that strength and reflect upon the work that has been achievable as a result. (above) Jack Bond - the next Arsenal manager? Can't be worse than the last one...

(below) Glamour girls in the Arsenal changing rooms.