Your money allows us to offer specialist support to small voluntary sector organisations operating on your own doorsteps. Over 80% of UK registered charities have an annual income of less than £100,000. We are working on changing that figure. Find out more at www.ccbf.co.uk

Sam has been volunteering in the role of CEO for over one-year. This campaign is to raise the funding to make the charity CEO role a paid role. This will strengthen the infrastructure of our new charity CCBF. It will allow is to grow and develop.

You might like to read Sam's profile:

In 2021 Samantha founded CCBF.

Sam Lee was born in the East End of London, in Custom House, Newham an area which ranks in the top three per cent of the most deprived areas in England, according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation.

At the age of 15, Sam started to volunteer at her local church, teaching children as part of a new group called Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders. As she invested her time in serving others, Sam's talent for helping people develop their gifts became evident, and her passion for working with children grew. Sam was mentored by Shara Brice MBE, and was one of two key young people who helped Shara shape the Ascension Eagles program over the next decade. As Sam grew as a young leader, the Ascension Eagles also became very successful, gaining a national and international reputation.

While Sam was pleased with the voluntary work she was doing with Ascension Eagles, she became increasingly concerned about all the young people whom the cheerleading program was not reaching. Sam began to look for other ways to impact her community and to make a difference. She started by mentoring teenagers at risk of exclusion at the local secondary school. This lead to Sam hosting community development events such as Karaoke evenings, Pie and Mash socials. These low-cost events brought the community together and were enjoyed by many. As people gathered together, she would give them opportunities to talk about changes they wanted to see on their streets, and in their communities. Then Sam would help make it happen, with her results ranging from security cameras being installed, to the promise of double glazing being fulfilled by the local Council, and to more positive activities being available for young people.

In the same decade while Sam was making a positive difference in her community, it is worth noting Samathas academic achievements. At college Samantha received the highest mark in the class and passed with a Distinction.

Sam was awarded two Jack Petchey Awards. She won the first one at the age of 16, as a young person being recognised for outstanding achievements as an Ascension Eagles member. Just two years later, at the age of 18, Sam won a Jack Petchey Leadership Award. The transformational work she was doing in the community was life-changing for her, and for others.

But she did not stop there. After college, Sam pursued a Higher Diploma. At the end of the course she was selected as Student of the Year out of 8000 students.

Sam decided to put her to Diploma to the test, so she took a year out to apply what she had learned and to gain more hands-on experience. Sams passion for working with young people on the margins of society, led Ascension Community Trust to employ her. They created the post of Community Integration Worker for her. Sam went on to obtain £75,000 funding for the post over a three-year period, and used the position to transform lives and build community, generating a great return for the funders investment.

During this time Sam developed innovative community projects in Newham. One example is that of two young people aged 13, teaching computer skills to a group of 75-85 year olds. These projects evolved naturally, as Sam perfected a grassroots approach of listening to local people, and then helping them work together to find solutions in creative ways. Towards the end of this year, to push herself out of her comfort zone, and to stretch her understanding of community, Sam travelled and spent some time in Rwanda.

The following year, while she was still serving as Community Integration Worker, Sam went on to successfully complete a Degree in Informal and Community Education.

By the age of 25, Sam had also expanded her horizons and travelled to over eighteen countries, as diverse as Mexico, Slovenia, Japan, Hong Kong, USA and Africa.

With a quarter of a century behind her and a stellar reputation, Sam started a new job in Walthamstow, where she was a youth and community outreach worker between a Church and a Charity. Her work was never dull, and she did not shrink from challenges. For example, Sam worked with one particular gang on an estate. As part of this role, she organised a residential where she brought eleven youth and community workers together with twenty-two gang members from rival estates, and took them on a boat for a week. For her work in Waltham Forest, Asham Homes recognised Sam with an award for Outstanding Work with Young People.

Sam was selected by the London Met as one of twelve youth and community workers across the whole of London to take part in a week long survival leadership development programme on a remote Island in Scotland (The Bravehearts Programme). For her successful contributions to the programme, Sam received a Commendation from the Violent Crime Directorate/Home Office.

Through the Bravehearts Programme, Sam was introduced to some great like-minded individuals, with whom she embarked on a journey and founded the charity Chaos Theory. As part of the preparation, she spent time in Chicago, going out on different beats with gang members in a community which experienced up to five drive-by shootings a week. Through the Chicago Ceasefire Team of Violence Interrupters, Sam was introduced to various Kings.

After a year of working with Chaos Theory, Sam moved onto fundraising, networking and community development. To date, Sam has raised over half a million pound for Charities. Sam also worked with Community Links and BIG Local to engage local people and find out how they would like £1,000,000 to be spent to benefit their community.

Always interested in learning more, Sam completed a Neurological Linguistic Programming Course and is qualified as an NLP Practitioner.

At the age of 28 Sam had completed The Arrow Leadership Development Course (CPAS), an intensive leadership course taking place over an 18-month period, which included 4 residential's, each one-week long.

Sam likes to do things that people say are impossible. Her aim is to help disadvantaged people to achieve extraordinary results and to feel fulfilled and valued, and for them in turn to impact society positively.

Sam returned (2013) from volunteering in a community development role working with young people in a favela in Brazil. This being a 6 months short term volunteer opportunity. In this time Sam has raised £2300 for the young people and founded The Pink House, a project for girls facing extreme difficulties.

Sam then worked for Groundwork South as a Programme Manager (Youth and Communities) managing a team of 11 overseeing two community hubs, a motor garage, launched the first Groundwork charity shop as a trading subsidery, a schools coaching programme and various other development projects.

In 2019 Sam completed a second degree in Intercultural and Biblical Studies at All Nations Christian College and obtained a 2.1. During the term breaks Sam was temping through Agency work in order to experience different organisation leadership structures. Work has included roles within the homeless community and also supporting girls at risk of sexual exploitation. In 2015 Sam finished an interim management role with Mayday Trust. In five weeks Sam was able to secure a 6 bed property and an office base in the centre of Oxford at a reduced rate.

Sam remains passionate about creating opportunities for people living in deprivation to have extraordinary experiences to release their potential, to lift oppression, to reduce apathy and to raise aspirations. Sam has founded two charities in two years.

CCBF is running this campaign so that we can pay Sam for her time, as she is currently volunteering, and has been doing so for over one-year.

Thank you for your support.