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£10 million to help Children in Kent
Arun Estates, Parent Company of Wards Estate Agents in Kent, has given financial support to ill children for eighteen years and in that time have awarded over £10 million
Josephine McCartney, Chief Executive, Kent Community Foundation, said, “Kent Community Foundation has been administering charitable funds for Arun Estates since 2003 and we are delighted to have distributed an incredible £10 million on their behalf to children with physical disabilities, long term illnesses and or life limiting conditions. The £10 million awarded from the Wards Charitable Fund and The Rooney Foundation Fund has made a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of children and their families in Kent and Medway, and we are so grateful to them for donating such an amazing sum of money to help so many children over the last eighteen years.”
David Lench, Group Managing Director, Arun Estates, said, “We’ve worked with Kent Community Foundation since 2003 and they have helped manage our charitable funds so that they go to the causes we believe in and want to support.”
Four-year-old Clarence Saunders from Canterbury suffers from Chiari Malformation, which has hugely affected his mobility over the last 3 years. The Saunders family was awarded £300 to buy a special needs buggy to make the most of the limited access to outdoor space during the pandemic.
As well as grants going directly to individual children, like Clarence, the Wards Charitable Fund and The Rooney Foundation Fund also supports organisations working with groups of children. Last year, Hextable based charity We are Beams, applied for help from the Wards Charitable Fund to cover the cost of replacing a nursing bench to change, bathe and dress some of their more severely disabled young people at their Dragon's Retreat Respite Centre. They were awarded £4,800 and were able to buy this crucial piece of equipment.
Josephine McCartney, continued, “The Wards Charitable Fund and The Rooney Foundation Fund are just two of the over eighty philanthropic Funds that we manage, and we would love to connect with other individuals or businesses who might be considering charitable giving. There are thousands of small charities, families and individuals in Kent and Medway who need financial support and where a small grant will make a huge difference.”
About the Wards Charitable Fund and The Rooney Foundation Fund
The Wards Charitable Fund and The Rooney Foundation support children with physical disabilities, long term illnesses and/or life limiting conditions. Priority is given to equipment that directly benefits the mental and physical health of the children. The Funds will also consider requests for equipment required due to a child’s disability and requests for 'make a wish' holidays for terminally ill children.
The average grant from the Funds is between £300 and £2,000, but no upper limit is placed on applications and applications can be made at any time during the year.