Circle - THE organisation for young women

Ladies Circleâ€™s motto remains “Friendship and Service” although very often “Friendship, Fun and Fundraising” are used. In recent years the ‘serviceâ€™ has more often taken the form of fundraising, could it now be the time to go back and revisit this?
Nowadays a great many of our members work outside the home as well, but there still remains a great need by charity organisations for our help as volunteers.
This need not be a huge commitment; any amount small or large would be appreciated.

On a recent visit to the USA. The CMLO arranged to meet with Kelly Geisler, the Chairman of Seattle Ladies Circle which currently has 7 members, most of whom work. They meet on different days but on the week of her visit it was to be on the Saturday for breakfast. After eating and conducting any business they progressed to work on their charity project. They are involved with a local church housing project for the elderly. Every month each resident who has a birthday within that month is taken a gift. These gifts take the form of a food hamper. Each of the ladies supplies provisions which are then cellophane wrapped, ready for two of the circlers to distribute. Not a huge task but one that can help a charity which includes the fun and friendship without the pressures often associated with fundraising!! Just a thought!

Ladies Circle have again offered to assist at the 135 races to be held this year. Provisional dates have been made available and the names of Ladies Circle contacts from the different areas collected. The CMLO has the task of liaising between Circles and the National Race Organiser with responsibility for the volunteer groups, to ensure the smooth running of these races. There are some races being held in areas where there is no Ladies Circle, in this instance Round Table and Tangent are to be asked for their support.

There are many opportunities to be utilised as a result of the help we offer:

Publicity: each of these races is advertised locally, on the radio and in the newspaper, let them know of your support of the event. During the race ensure you get a mention. If your circle is taking part wear something to get you noticed. The photo shows what the ladies from Malvern wore with great success!
Promotion: Cancer Research UK is hoping to attract 350,000 women to take part this year. Not all ladies attending will be within the 18-45 age groups, but they will have mothers or daughters who are. Make use of Banners and promotional items, not forgetting you are thre best adverts!
Service to the community: By our volunteering to help at these Races we are saving Cancer Research UK money, hence allowing them to raise more from the events to spend on the work they do.
Membership? If we gain new members along the way then thatâ€™s a bonus!
If you are a current member of Ladies Circle take time to look our agreement with Race 4 Life.

Cancer Research UK have a substantial amount of information available to members of the public on how to reduce the risk of developing cancer and how to spot the symptoms - they include leaflets on 'Lifestyle and Cancer', 'Bowel Cancer' and 'Testicular Cancer'. You can obtain free copies of these leaflets by writing to the Department of Health, PO Box 777, London SE1 6XH, by emailing [email protected] or by telephoning the Responseline on 08701 555 455.

These are basic items that can save lives. There are two leaflets available, one for circlers to use, another for them to distribute. Each circle was supplied with a quantity of each of these leaflets through their Area Chairman. If you have not seen them or require more copies then please contact Headquarters.

It's not always easy to keep coming up with new ideas for raising money - but sharing the best ones with each other may result in you coming across something you'd never thought of.

from some of last year's Area Chairs, a document has now been collated giving lots of different fundraising suggestions - in alphabetical order - you can download it in either Word, rtf or pdf format - just click on the buttons below, and see if someone else has come up with something new for you to try!

If you would like to be featured in this section - just send [email protected] a synopsis of what you've done, and a photo if possible - and we'll be happy to highlight your achievement!

In November 2002, the members of Winchester & District Ladies' Circle organised a black tie charity premiere of the new Bond film 'Die Another Day', to raise funds for their adopted charity this year, The Magpie Cancer Centre Campaign. With the prospect of an evening appreciating the respective attributes of Pierce Brosnan (for the ladies) and Halle Berry (for the gentlemen), tickets were in demand! A drinks reception, with raffle and and the auction of a (model) Aston Martin - as seen in the film - helped to get everyone in the mood before settling down to watch the film. The evening was declared a great success, with a total of £1,800 being raised!

You will no doubt be aware that HQ Office is regularly contacted by national charities who are looking to Circle to support their fundraising. Its impossible to publicise all of them, but under this section, you will find a selection of appeals that stand out. Keep an eye on this section, if you want to be kept up to date with what's happening.

	Rukba - the Royal United Kingdom Beneficent Association - is a national charity dedicated to helping people over 60 and those over 40 who are permanently unable to work again owing to physical disability. They can provide a small extra income for life, financial help in times of crisis, nursing and residential care and help with fees, and often most importantly, the friendship and support of their volunteer visitors. If you would like to support them with fundraising, or by spreading the word about their service, contact Anita irving on 020 7605 4284 or email [email protected]
	The Londonderry Branch of the Red Cross are holding a Big Red Tea Pot Day on Friday 14th February 2003 - simply a tea/coffee morning or afternoon tea session etc , where you can arrange tea and cakes and invite people along, asking them to donate say £1 to the British Red Cross. The British Red Cross in Derry pledge to 'Care for People in Crisis' and are as active at home as they are abroad - their current projects in Derry include an appeal to raise £80k to establish a Fire Victim Support Service, and they are involved with meals on wheels, providing therapeutic massage to the elderly and terminally ill, to name but a few. For more details contact Michael Taylor on 02871 865202 or email [email protected]
	Barnados UK run projects across the UK to help disadvantaged children to reach their full potential. They help them overcome challenging experiences and tackle the effects of disadvantage, to help them develop into well-rounded adults. We call this 'giving children back their future'. One circle is at present helping at their local shop. Find more information at www.barnardos.org.uk
	Round Table Childrens Wish was established in 1990 to grant wishes to children in Britain and Ireland who are suffering from life threatening illnesses. It is run mostly by members of Round Table, Ladies' Circle, 41 Club and Tangent. 114 children had wishes granted in 2000, providing them with a unique experience. This charity continues to hold a special place in the heart of Table and Circle, and they continue to need our support. For more information, contact them on 01202 514515, by e-mail on [email protected] and by logging onto their website on www.rtcw.org
	This is a national charity which helps to relieve the loneliness and isolation so often felt by very elderly people living alone. There are 2 ways to help: Firstly, as car drivers, one Sunday per month, collect the same elderly person to take them to a tea party, as hosts, 1 or 2 Sundays a year, AND Secondly, provide a tea-party lasting between 2-3 hours, for about 12 elderly guests and their drivers. More information from Jenny Gregorian www.contact-the-elderly.org or Freephone 0800 716543
	The donations generated by the poppy appeal are used for safeguarding the welfare, interest and memory of all those who have served in the Armed Forces and their families. To help raise much needed funds they are asking for help to sell packets of poppy seeds. Find out more from their web site www.britishlegion.org.uk or contact the Legionline 08457 725 725
	Leading baby charity Tommy's was formed in 1992. Its aim is to end the heartache caused by premature births, miscarriages and stillbirths. It funds a national programme of research, education and information aimed at understanding and preventing these tragedies. You can help by collecting used printer ink cartridges for recycling. It will cost you nothing! Check out the website www.inkagain.co.uk
	Guide Dogs for the Blind collect stamps to raise much needed funds. You can find details of your local collection point on their website www.gdba.org.uk Please note - we are not collecting these at national level, so please don't bring them to national meetings for onward transmission!

Hidden gems