Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page and for helping me celebrate my birthday in a special way this year.  

My family have benefited from the courses, seminars and other resources that Care for the Family provides. In order to make a difference to other struggling families like ours, I chose to promote the charity for my 45th birthday. This will take the form of a birthday 'Praise' celebration, while encouraging donations to the charity, in lieu of birthday gifts (August 5, 2017).  Raising:

• £5 can help to give free resources to a family struggling with life challenges;
• £20 can pay for a bereaved parent to attend one of their hope-giving support days;
• £50 can help subsidise a family-building break for a single parent family; and
• £350 can provide training for a volunteer to deliver relationship training to new parents.

Before connecting with Care for the Family, I had been grieving the death of family connections and the life I had known. Suppressed grief from losing my care-givers (my grandparents who took care of me from 6 months to 16 years); the void left from not having a father in my life; the miscarriages I experienced; along with other marital and parental challenges had taken a toll on my emotions. I felt alone. 

As a fatherless child, I know first-hand the damaging effects the lack of a father's input can have on a child's emotional well-being. I have also been the step-child in two separate relationships and was unfavourably treated. I have also experienced being in a single-parent home. Therefore, I use every opportunity I get to encourage fathers to be actively involved in the lives of their children because they leave a trail of brokenness behind when they don't. Care for the Family also provide for this through 'In the Arena' —‘equipping men for the challenges of life’; 'Time Out for Dads' and other resources. If this is an area of interest, the 2017 magazine features an article entitled, 'Do you love him as your own? The reality of being a step-dad'. 

Parental neglect does play out in our adult years. An absent parent who is either physically away or emotionally disconnected can produce negative consequences to that child. Unfortunately, the impact is not always recognised and the lack of knowledge can find those adult children (as partners) fighting the wrong battles and often repeating history with their own children. Acknowledging this fact and dealing with it can protect our marriages and our children from long-term damage. Care for the Family helps to bridge that gap by providing resources to help keep the family together. 

I found the resources from Care for the Family extremely helpful as they came in various formats such as seminars and courses (that were not too personal) DVDs, books, leaflets and podcasts. With parental, marriage and bereavement support, Care for the Family covered all the areas that needed addressing for me and my family. Your support of £5 or more can make a big difference to another family. Making the first £45.00 of my target, by my 45th birthday, would be a real treat. 

Thank you for your support and for helping Care for the Family continue to do the wonderful work they do of strengthening family life. Find out more about their work by visiting www.careforthefamily.org.uk or their Facebook page.

Together we can make a difference! 

Janice (1-Aug-2017).

“Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.”—JustGiving