In place of an annual dinner, last week we welcomed supporters to a series of special lunch and evening events in our new building, Ephraim Court, located in Mill Hill East.
The events provided an opportunity for long standing and new supporters to learn more about our work and future expansion and development plans, see first-hand the impact of their generosity, and to hear real-life tenant stories.
Tenants, Stan and Michael shared how JBD has supported them over the years:
Stan explained: “When I was diagnosed with chronic glaucoma and lost the sight of my right eye, my whole world collapsed, spinning out of control. My career ended abruptly and my relationships fell apart. I was not in a good place and isolated myself from my family and friends. When I moved to Fairacres in 2009, step-by-step, I slowly began to get my myself back on track. JBD undoubtedly transformed my life from near catastrophe when I was at rock bottom, to now. They have enabled me to regain my independence and pave my own way. I reconnected with people and the world, and I am eternally grateful to JBD.”
Michael shared: “Eighteen years ago, I had a series of events that led to my spine crumbling. After that, my life was never the same again. I could no longer live the life I wanted to. I didn’t know what to do. Times were really tough – I was being evicted from my home as I couldn’t pay the rent. When I heard about JBD, I thought it sounded too good to be true.
I remember filling out the application form and being invited to look at a flat in Fairacres. Last week, I celebrated 10 years of being with JBD. The charity’s support has allowed me to rebuild my life, provide my daughters with stability and I can categorically say that without JBD, I would not be here.”
The opening of Ephraim Court marked a step forward in providing much needed new housing for some of the 140 households on our current waiting list. The events provided an opportunity to celebrate this achievement with the supporters who made it possible.
Speaking at the event, Lisa Wimborne, JBD Chief Executive said, “Ephraim Court is something we are enormously proud of. It’s a beautiful building, but more importantly, it’s a building designed with real lives and the needs of people living with disability or vision impairment at its core.
However, we’ve seen a sharp increase in demand for our services, driven by a number of factors. We have 140 households on our waiting list – people in urgent need of the kind of support we provide. That is why your support matters so much. It enables us not only to sustain what we already do, but to reach more people, respond earlier and build the next generation of homes and services that our community so desperately need.”
Speaking after the event, Marc Gordon, JBD Chair, said: “It was incredibly meaningful to bring supporters into our new building through a series of events rather than our usual bi-annual dinner. Tenants valued the chance to share their stories, and we are now looking to build on this success with further events.
Donations are still coming in but even at this early stage, we are seeing a notable increase in generosity from attendees. This is both greatly welcomed and urgently needed and will go some way towards helping us complete our £4m capital fundraising project to pay off the loans for Fairacres.”
