CONTINUING with Celtic FC Foundation’s Christmas Appeal spotlight series, we now turn our attention towards the work of a beneficiary directly tackling homelessness, Simon Community Scotland.
On Sunday, December 6, Celtic FC Foundation will be hosting a lunch for 120 Simon Community Scotland service users in Celtic Park’s Kerrydale Suite.
For over four decades, the focus of Simon Community Scotland has been to combat the causes and effects of homelessness. This service provision includes prevention of rough-sleeping, an intensive outreach programme, emergency access as well as offering education around developing life-skills and gaining accommodation.
Speaking about these aims in more detail, Chief Executive Lorraine McGrath said: “Simon Community Scotland is focused on reaching and supporting people experiencing homelessness to find solutions, a safe and stable home and access to the support they need.
“We work across the West of Scotland, providing street outreach, supported accommodation and emergency responses to around 3,000 people every year.
“Homelessness is an extremely damaging and isolating experience and Christmas can really magnify that sense of exclusion and hopelessness that not having somewhere to call home brings.”
With Simon Community Scotland having benefited from Celtic FC Foundation’s Christmas Appeal in previous years, Lorraine was keen to highlight the generosity of the Celtic support as well as underlining how your contribution makes a difference to those who need it most.
Lorraine said: “Celtic FC Foundation have supported us for many years to bring warmth, compassion, a sense of value and just a little fun into the lives of the people we support. It is impossible to overstate the value that being able to engage in the kind of festivities that most of us take for granted at this time of year can bring. It helps us show just how much each person matters.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who supports the Foundation and enables them to bring some festive cheer to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.”
For most of us, Christmas is a time of joy. It’s different for those facing poverty and hardship.
Through this year’s Appeal, we want to help around 200 local families provide a happy Christmas for their children.
We also want to support 10 charities that care for those experiencing homeless or other disadvantage, including Simon Community Scotland, Glasgow East Women’s Aid, Scottish Refugee Council, The Salvation Army, The Invisibles, Glasgow City Mission, The Wayside Club Centre and Loaves & Fishes.
But we can’t do this without you.
Please follow the Celtic Way to help us give back this Christmas.
Any support you provide this Christmas will help those who need it most and there are a number of ways to get behind the Christmas Appeal 2015:
– Donate by Text – text ‘CELT07’ followed by ‘£1’, ‘£5’ or ‘£10’ to 70070
– Donate Online – HERE
– Donate in Cash – there are collection boxes located in all Celtic Stores
– Donate by Cheque – payable to ‘Celtic FC Foundation’ and sent to Celtic FC Foundation, Celtic Park, Glasgow, G40 3RE.
– PayPal – Click HERE and simply use our email address to donate: [email protected]ref: CA2015
– Take part in our Christmas Appeal Bucket Collection – HERE
– Take part in our Champion Challenge – http://www.celticfc.net/news/9488
– Come along to our Ghirls for Good ladies lunch on Saturday, December 12 –http://www.celticfc.net/news/9406
