Urgent Appeal - Sunshine & Smiles Crowdfunder

** An important message from Sunshine & Smiles **

This is a very hard post for us to write, but we urgently need your help!

As we head into the last month of our financial year, Sunshine & Smiles and 21 Co. are looking at a £30,000 deficit on this year’s running costs versus income.

Sunshine & Smiles remains a small, local grassroots charity. We are parent and carer-led, with the majority of our staff, volunteers and trustees having lived experience of Down syndrome. Eleven members of our 21 Co. team have Down syndrome.

We support over 180 families across the city of Leeds who all have a loved one who has Down syndrome. We are unique to Leeds, and the support and services we offer are vital to our local community.

Fundraising, grants & donations have been much harder to secure this year; there is huge competition for more limited funds available, and we know everyone has been hit by the cost of living crisis.

A very important part of our ethos is that all of our support and services remain free of charge to everyone who wants & needs to access them – we don’t want there to be any barriers to people getting the support they need, when they need it.

We desperately need to make up this shortfall, so we are asking you to help us. You can do this in a few different ways:

• If you are coming to a Sunshine & Smiles activity, there is always an option to make a donation. Please do this if you can!
• We have set up a crowdfunding campaign; please donate to this if you can, but also share far and wide with your friends and family! Donate here: https://www.givengain.com/campaign/sunshineandsmilesand21co.crowdfunder
• Could you set up a fundraising page of your own to link to our crowdfunder? You could do anything: hold a bake sale, do a sponsored event, give us something for a month – it can be as accessible and inclusive as you want to make it! You can find the “Fundraise Now” link on our crowdfunding page above.
• Could your employer support us as their Charity of the Year?

We really don’t like being in this position and having to ask for your help, but things have been really tough this year!

We’re very grateful for any support you can give. Together, we can continue making a difference for the families we serve in our community.

Here’s Ailith with some more information about this crowdfunding campaign: https://youtu.be/qNIit-qi6Xw 

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