Kylie Minogue patrons StudyVox Foundation: bursary support for UK undergraduates

Superstar Kylie Minogue has agreed to become patron of the newly formed StudyVox Foundation, a charity launched today to support British undergraduates seeking help with tuition fees.

Kylie, who has spent time at StudyVox’s headquarters, said, “Studyvox is such a fantastic site for students. It helps them to be connected with one another wherever they may be across the country. I would have loved to have access to this kind of thing when I was studying!”

An initial injection of £16,000 comes from StudyVox, with the first £10k award and three £2,000 awards being presented by Kylie this spring.

Joint CEO of StudyVox, Kevin Martin, commented, “Kylie’s support is a fantastic way of raising the StudyVox Foundation’s profile and getting the word out to students across the UK. Her patronage of The Foundation will add tremendously to its ability to make a difference to the lives of young people.”

The StudyVox Foundation’s aims are to:

• Advance education, and relieve poverty by providing or assisting in the provision of financial or other assistance to poor students;
• Relieve persons who are in need – by reason of youth, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage; and
• Advance citizenship by assisting, encouraging or facilitating volunteering by young people to take part in projects, purposes or events that are carried out for the public benefit.

UK’s premature/sick baby care needs to improve says three-decade strong Bliss charity

In the thirty years that special care baby charity Bliss has existed, it has repeatedly called for better services that care for premature and sick babies in the UK.

Every year, some 70,000 babies are born in need of specialist neonatal care in England alone. Added to this, the birth rate is increasing and more premature babies are surviving than ever, which puts additional pressure on overstretched services.

To celebrate thirty years and highlight the issues, Bliss has produced a special report — Three Decades and Counting — which documents the charity’s support and pushes for improvements to special care baby services.

Chief executive of Bliss, Andy Cole, said “We are delighted to be celebrating our thirtieth birthday with the publication of this special report, looking at how Bliss and the services for newborn babies we support have developed. After 30 years of fighting, 2009 should mark a significant change in the fortunes of premature and sick babies and the care they receive. Special care baby units have been stretched to the limits for far too long. We call on the Government and the NHS to ensure that the NHS Taskforce’s recommendations are now delivered without delay.”

Bliss

Good neighbours act to save thousands of children as NSPCC launches £50m appeal to grow helplines

Neighbours are acting to save thousands of children living in appalling and dangerous conditions, the NSPCC reveals

Last year, concerned members of the public contacted the charity’s Helpline every five minutes on average, with nearly 10,000 calls being so serious they needed urgent attention. One in three of these came from people living near the abused child and their action helped at least 7000 children.

However, the full scale of child abuse in communities is even higher. At least one in six calls from neighbours and others cannot be answered by overstretched Helpline counsellors, leaving many children at risk of serious harm.

Last year the Helpline received 95,000 calls but 15,000 went unanswered. Most people wait at least a month before calling to help a child, outnumbering those ringing on the same day by seven to one.

To that end, the NSPCC has announced a major expansion of its helplines to enable the charity to recruit and train more counsellors and encourage more people to take action sooner.

A £50m ‘Child’s Voice Appeal’ (childsvoiceappeal.org.uk) is being launched to help grow the service and ensure all these cries for help are covered. This is in addition to £30m already donated by the UK government, which recognises the importance of expanding the NSPCC’s helplines.

Recent calls included one about a nine-year-old boy who had the barrel of a gun placed in his mouth. In another a neighbour described a young girl being threatened with an axe by her father and a third involved a homeless twelve-year-old who was terrified of going to sleep in case he woke up to find his alcoholic mum dead.

In other calls neighbours have described seeing a young mother dangling her two-year-old child by the wrist from a second floor window, parents constantly screaming and swearing at their youngsters and many living in households where drugs are openly used. One shocked woman told how she went into a house where the floors were covered with rubbish and dog mess and the milk in a baby’s bottle had turned green because it was so old.

John Cameron, Head of the NSPCC Helpline, said, “Every day we deal with tragic stories of children who are living in the most heart-rending and often dangerous conditions. Many of them are so young they are helpless so their only hope is for someone to see how dreadful their lives are and take action to save them. When they do that we have to be sure we can take their calls.

“Not all children brought to our attention are at serious risk of harm, but many are in very distressing situations. We were asked to help one five-year-old girl who was so hungry she started eating toilet paper to block out the hunger pangs.”

One caller who saw three young children being violently beaten by their parents told a Helpline counsellor, “Please help them. I just want them to have a better future.”

John Cameron added, “It is outrageous that our country’s children continue to suffer such cruelty in 2008. Thankfully, there are many responsible neighbours who are looking out for these children. But we want more to join them and to call as soon as they suspect something is wrong. You might think it’s a difficult thing to make a call like that but in the vast majority of cases the people who rang because they believed the matter was urgent were right.

“It only takes a few seconds to dial the 0808 800 5000 number and that could save a child’s life. Now we have to raise the money to make sure we play our part.”

Dame Mary Marsh, director and chief executive of the NSPCC said, “Our Full Stop Campaign has spurred millions of people to act in recent years. The Child’s Voice Appeal is a major step forward against child cruelty and will allow us to help many more children. Every £10 donated helps us answer another call which could save a child’s life.

“The UK government is committed to helping us develop the NSPCC Helpline and ChildLine. We are confident the public will now play its part in supporting the appeal – working together towards our ultimate aim of ending child cruelty.”

www.childsvoiceappeal.org.uk

Live web event: Monkeys: Make them your business

Log on with your kids to find out the really wild truth about our monkey relatives and how to actually make them one of the family

Chat date: 21st January
Chat time: 2pm

Throughout time man has had a fascination with monkeys and apes. Children in particular seem mesmerised by their intelligence, playfulness and inquisitiveness. From Curious George to Marcel’s feature role in Friends our love of our closest relative has never waned.

But in some parts of the world many species of monkey are under threat from the destruction of their habitat and exploitation by man. Which is why across the world there are teams of dedicated volunteers working to protect these animals, safeguarding their habitats and working with local communities help to create a better future for people and wildlife.

The Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi is one of them. Staff at the sanctuary rescue injured monkeys and help them to recuperate before releasing them back into the wild. Supported by Born Free, the sanctuary relies on donations from companies and people to keep their great work going.

Lee Stewart, who heads up the sanctuary at Lilongwe will be joining us live to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about monkeys and introduce you to some of the 40 vervets and baboons at the sanctuary, all with their own incredible stories.

Joining Lee is Heartbeat’s Joe McFadden. Joe, who plays PC Joe Mason in the ITV series, is a long-standing supporter of Born Free. And alongside him will be Bruce Learner of Kellogg’s – who has teamed up with Born Free to give people the opportunity to take part in the amazing Adopt a Monkey scheme. From January to March 2009, people have the chance to directly help these animals and ‘Adopt a Monkey’ by collecting three special packs of Kellogg’s cereal. Each adoption will last six months and will help Born Free rescue and rehabilitate monkeys and return them to the wild.

To learn more about these incredible creatures and how you can help your children understand more about the monkey kingdom, log on to our live WebTV show.

Lee Stewart, Joe McFadden and Bruce Learner join us live online at http://www.webchats.tv/chat/monkeys_make_them_your_business on 21th January at 2pm to discuss how you can learn about how to help save monkeys from your home.

Click here to submit questions before the chat

To find out more about how Kellogg’s is helping Born Free please visit: http://www.kelloggs.co.uk/whatson/adoptamonkey

“Not One More Child” project launched today

The Surviving Parents Coalition (SPC) and National Association to Protect Children (PROTECT) launched their “Not One More Child” campaign in Washington, D.C. today with a formal event at the National Press Club. The event was attended by legislators, law enforcement, and other coalition members. The “Not One More Child” campaign website, www.notonemorechild.org was introduced, along with a public service announcement focusing on the exploding crisis of child exploitation. The groups also released law enforcement maps with data showing hundreds of thousands of criminals who are currently trafficking in child pornography.

“‘Not One More Child’ is literally about rescuing children,” said Ed Smart, parent of Elizabeth, president of the Surviving Parents Coalition and member of the “Not One More Child” Alliance. “The campaign is not only about child pornography, but about pictures that include perpetrators, child victims in crime scenes.”

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WellChild Helpline launched: UK’s only national children’s health advice line

The children’s charity WellChild today announced the launch of the WellChild Helpline, designed to offer comprehensive help and advice to anyone concerned about the health and well-being of children.

Staffed by a team of trained healthcare professionals from a variety of disciplines, callers will either have questions answered, or efficiently passed to the most appropriate organisation.

BBC1’s Breakfast programme’s GP, Dr Rosemary Leonard, endorsed the WellChild Helpline, saying, “WellChild’s new service is extremely welcome as accessing the right information can seem daunting and not having access to concerns about health can cause a lot of anxiety. By having this multi-disciplinary team of experts at the end of a phone-line or email, WellChild will be putting people in touch with the right health information which could ultimately lead to saved lives as well as an enormous improvement in the quality of many more.”

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Young children’s academic development heavily influenced by family affluence

A new study by UK children’s charity the Sutton Trust suggests that economic factors play a huge role in the academic and learning development of young children.

They claim that research on children born in the years 2000 and 2001 shows that, even between the ages of 3 and 5, less bright children from more affluent families are catching up academically with very bright children from poorer families.

By age seven, many have caught up or even overtaken them.

The Trust claims that this wide social divide hasn’t changed in thirty years.

Read more

Swarovski shows off celeb-designed denim jackets, supports World Orphan Week 1-7 Oct

In support of World Orphan Week (1st-7th October), Swarovksi has unveiled a collection of celebrity-designed denim jackets which will benefit SOS Children’s Villages, the world’s largest charity for orphaned and abandoned children.

Celebrities including Jessica Alba, Laila Ali, Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Angie Harmon, Finola Hughes, Stacy London, Reba McEntire, Katharine McPhee, Sara Ramirez, Jordin Sparks, Carrie Underwood and Vanessa Williams took part in this worthwhile endeavour.

Beginning September 25, each of the fashionable creations will be featured on eBay Giving Works and can be found at www.ebay.com/swarovski. The charity auction will end on October 5.

“By 2010 there will be more than 25 million orphaned and abandoned children around the world. SOS Children’s Villages and Swarovski believe in providing the vital care these children need to grow and flourish in their communities. During World Orphan Week, I hope everyone will take a minute to make a difference in the life of a child,” says Finola Hughes, General Hospital’s” Anna Devane and host of The Style Network’s popular makeover series “How Do I Look.”

Each of the jackets was designed using a combination of Swarovski brooches and iron-crystal transfers, ranging from a celestial theme from Reba McEntire to a floral theme from Carrie Underwood.

The partnership between SOS and Swarovski dates back to the founding of SOS in the Tyrol region of Austria (also home of Swarovski’s world manufacturing headquarters) in 1949. The company’s founder, Daniel Swarovski I, was a humanitarian who personally supported the charity and the crystal maker is happy to have continued the relationship through today.

Twins, Triplets & More Week: Top tips for the first year with twins or more

This week is Tamba’s Twins, Triplets & More Week – which sees parenting groups across the country celebrate the special bond that multiple birth children enjoy.

It also helps raise awareness of some of the unique challenges that families who find themselves blessed in this way can face.

Like any family, the first year, and those chaotic first months can be the toughest.

Here’s my list of top tips for how to survive the first year with twins, triplets or more:

1. Accept all offers of help from friends and family.

2. Prioritise as much as you can – don’t feel your house has to be like a show home – keep things clean but please don’t beat yourself up if they’re not tidy!

3. Learn what your telephone answer machine is for – don’t feel bad if you don’t have the energy to talk to anyone who calls in the evening.

4. Find out about any local groups for families with twins, triplets or more. (More details through Tamba or Twinsclub)

5. Try your best to establish a routine and stick to it. But please don’t stress if it all seems too much. All babies are different, even if they were born minutes or seconds apart.

6. Recognise that caring for babies takes up a lot of energy. Regardless of who leaves the house and gets paid for it, if you are with a partner, you are both working!

7. Get as much rest as you can – if the kids are napping – you can too.

8. Don’t let crying get to you – take time out if needs be.

9. Ring Tamba’s Twinline on 0800 138 0509 if it all gets too much.

10. Find friendship and support online: As well as Tamba and Twinsclub, Twinlets also has a very friendly forum.

Linda Jones is mum to Emily and Melissa, aged eight. She is a former editor of Twins, Triplets & More magazine and has written for a wide variety of publications on multiple birth issues. Catch up with Linda’s blog at Got Your Hands Full.

It’s BBC Children in Need day

Here in the UK, it’s the BBC’s annual charity extravaganza raising money for Children in Need in the UK.

Every penny raised goes towards helping disadvantaged children in Britain.

Fundraising has been going on all week: tonight is the grand finalé, kicking off at 7pm on BBC1.

Join in and raise some money for a worthy cause.

BBC Children in Need

Andy Roddick and Deliver the Dream Team Up to Help Families

Pat Moran, founder of Deliver the Dream, is pleased to announce that Andy Roddick, currently the No. 1 tennis player in the U.S., will serve as spokesperson for the not-for-profit organization which provides retreat weekends for families facing serious illness or crisis.

Roddick recently recorded a public service announcement for the family retreat program that will begin airing in cities throughout the Southeast. According to Roddick, he immediately knew he wanted to get involved after learning about Deliver the Dream, which is based in his hometown and serves families from across the Southeast.

“When a child or parent is seriously ill, Deliver the Dream is there to help the entire family find the strength to prevail. It’s this unique approach to providing support that attracted me to this incredible program,” Roddick said. “I’m really looking forward to attending my first retreat weekend and doing whatever I can to help Pat’s organization further its mission and raise money to help children and families.”

Link (Business Wire)