Liverpool baby hospice, Zoë’s Place, is celebrating its 20th birthday with a new fundraising business challenge.
The initiative, called ‘20 Days’, will see businesses across Merseyside, Wirral and Cheshire use their entrepreneurial skills to increase an original £250 investment that they will receive.
The incentive will run from February 2015 and all funds must be handed in by 30th September this year. The hospice aims to raise over £76,000, which is the equivalent of 20 days of care for a child there.
The charity is reliant on funding from businesses and the local community. Samantha Lee, Corporate and Events Fundraising Officer for Zoë’s Place, told JMU Journalism: “I think at the moment a lot more businesses are becoming aware of the social responsibility to their local community. We work closely with them.”
She added: “As a charity we can give businesses an awful lot now in terms of publicity and team building, which is what the 20 Days is about. It’s a good way to get their team involved.”
Zoë’s Place cares for babies aged between 0-5 years old who have a life-threatening or life-limiting conditions that require 24-hour care. In the 20 years they have been working, they have managed to help over 350 families, but it currently costs over £1.4million to run the hospice for a year.
So far, the initiative has received a positive response from local businesses, and the hospice is optimistic that it will reach its target goal.
Ms Lee said: “We’ve had five businesses so far from an initial letter that was sent out to people that have fundraised for us in the past.” However, they are still looking for more people to get involved with the fundraising.
The charity has a wish list of items, ranging from £5 to £10,000, and uses many events with the local community’s involvement to help raise money. “We do a lot of community fundraising. It’s a crossover area, people and businesses using what they can to try and support us,” Ms Lee said. However, the money raised from this project will go directly to funding 20 days of care for a child.