July CFFC Membership events celebrates 51st Pellon Scouts

We held our July membership event at Lanika Restaurant and brought together Calderdale Council, local businesses, local not-for-profit organisations to celebrate the achievements of 51st Pellon Scouts and showcase how businesses can support the charity sector. 

The event was opened by Steve Duncan, DL, CEO of CFFC who explained what a Community Foundation is and the difference we have made giving out grants to a wide variety of different not-for-profit groups in the borough.

Shabir Hussain from Bluebird Care was welcomed to the stage to talk about how important it is for businesses to support charities and that it isn’t about ticking a box of a Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, it is about truly caring and being able to give back to your local community. It isn’t just about making financial donations (although those help), businesses can give their time, expertise, and introduction to connections which is hugely valuable. This input inevitably has a positive effect on helping the charity make a difference to peoples’ lives. 

Zaheer Khalil, proud leader of 51st Pellon Scouts regaled stories of their recent adventures and achievements. These included winning the King’s Award for Voluntary Services, taking the Scouts on an international trip to Morocco, constant events and competitions that fill up the calendar every week. Zaheer shared their journey over the years and that it hasn’t been easy but the hard work has paid off and reflects the positive impact it has had on hundreds of their Scouts. A group of the Young Leaders (aged 18 to 25 years old) also joined us to share their stories and we celebrated their achievement that everyone of them was in higher education.  Zaheer paid tribute to the funders, without whom, they would not be able to make the difference they are making. He thanked Calderdale Council and CFFC as funders, and businesses as sponsors, and in particular shared how them delivering a Healthy Holidays Calderdale programme had been very successfully in a very short space of time.  

Attendees were treated to a delicious hot buffet from Lanika Restaurant and networked over lunch.