Aberdeen children’s charity Befriend a Child has launched their annual award-winning Giving Tree Appeal to ensure the children and young people they support have gifts to open on Christmas morning and experiences to look forward to in the coming year.
The charity is appealing to local businesses and organisations to support the appeal by offering to be a Giving Tree partner. Businesses can hang tags on their Christmas trees for staff, clients, and customers to take and purchase a gift for a local young person. They can also choose to send virtual Giving Tree packs for people to make a donation for experiences and outings for local children in the year ahead.
Christmas can be a difficult time of year for many of the charity’s families. Befriend a Child wants to ensure that all the children and young people they support have presents to open on Christmas morning and experiences to look forward to in 2025 that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.
Jean Gordon, head of operations at Befriend a Child said: “Each year we launch the appeal we are delighted with the response from local businesses but there is always a need to support more children. We believe all children should experience the magic of Christmas, and donations received through our Giving Tree appeal help us ensure all young people and their siblings can make happy memories this Christmas and into 2025.”
Befriend a Child supports children and young people living in difficult life circumstances across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire through 1:1 and group befriending, mentoring programmes and projects. Over the years Befriend a Child's provision of programmes and projects has grown and today the charity supports approximately 250 children annually.
Over 120 local businesses such as Dandara, ADC Energy and Union Square took part in the appeal last year, ensuring all children supported by Befriend a Child and their families had a magical Christmas.
Sarah Misra, CEO of Befriend a Child said: “We really hope the local business community will get behind the appeal by becoming a Giving Tree partner this year. By doing so they are helping to ensure local children have a truly special Christmas and a fun-filled 2025 - making happy memories with their befriender or mentor.”
If your business or the company you work for would like to become a Giving Tree partner for 2024, get in touch at fundraising@befriendachild.org.uk
For further information, please visit https://www.befriendachild.org.uk/Appeal/giving-tree-2024