At the start of every year, we take a company-wide vote to decide which of the many worthy organizations in our communities (US and UK) will be the Crick Software “charity of the year.” We then spend the next 12 months baking, quizzing, running, and undertaking all manner of other fundraising challenges to make as much money for them as we can! Last year we worked with Filling in the Blanks, a Connecticut-based nonprofit that fights childhood hunger.
This year, the runaway favorite was KidsAid – a charity in Northampton, England that was born out of the realization that there was a considerable lack of provision for young people in the community who had suffered trauma.
Why KidsAid?
According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), 1 in 6 children and adolescents have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Of those, less than 1 in 3 get access to NHS care and treatment. KidsAid is on the front line of this growing mental health crisis, with referrals to their team more than doubling since the start of the pandemic. The past few years have highlighted more than ever the importance of mental health to the well-being of our children, and the team felt strongly that this was the cause we wanted to pour our efforts into during 2022.
Their work
KidsAid provides early intervention in the form of creative therapies to help young people lead healthier, happier, and more fulfilling lives. Through the mediums of art, dance, drama, and play, their fantastic team of therapists support children struggling with bereavement, illness, neglect, bullying, abuse, family breakdown, and other traumatic circumstances.
Our team was particularly impressed by the way KidsAid also provides assistance to the child’s support network. They offer extensive joint/attachment sessions with caregivers in order to give them the best possible chance to break intergenerational trauma and move forward with their lives.
Where we come in
We have lots of fun activities planned to ensure that 2022 is our most successful fundraising year ever, including a company marathon, cake-off, and bring-and-buy auction – as ever, we’ll keep you posted via our Facebook and Twitter channels.
If you’d like to find out more about KidsAid or support the vital work that they do, you can visit their website here.
