CHARITABLE CAUSES, PROMOTION & PARTNERSHIP
Helping us to help children during times of need
Maria Hanson MBE (pictured), founder and unwaged CEO of the registered charity me&dee, discusses the inspiration behind the charity, how it helps people in need and how businesses can get involved.
What was the inspiration behind setting up a registered charity? In a word, myself. After a period of going through 18 rounds of surgery, much of this life saving which incurred the loss of organs and body deformity, I became homeless with my young daughters, because of the effect on my marriage and home life. My close cousin Delia (Dee) and I were shocked at how
difficult and stressful, in an already challenging position, this could be. I couldn’t tick a box on the many forms received from
various charities, access support out of hours, nor fit criteria. Delia and I vowed to set up a very different charity once I had been rehomed. Sadly, Delia died of cancer and I set up me&dee in her memory, in July 2006. Thirteen years on, me&dee runs with the same ethos, with just myself and my partner Mark at the helm. We work seven-day weeks and my phone is on 24/7 to be there for anyone who needs an ear.
FEATURE
What does me&dee do? me&dee has a simple mission, to ensure families going through difficult and uncertain times are gifted with memories they can treasure, never losing sight of what really matters. It’s those special moment shared with the ones we love, no matter how complicated the circumstances may be, that are most precious of all. We cannot change the difficult times, but together we
can help families going through life changing circumstances to laugh and smile when they need it most, making sure that these special times will always be remembered. We do this by being ‘memory makers’, giving a free
holiday in a custom built huge lodge tucked away in a corner of Sherwood Forest, to give a stress-free space away from all that life built around having someone seriously ill in the family brings. For many families, this may be a last holiday together and making memories is extremely important. Every care is given to ensure the holiday will be the very best that it can be. Memory making gifts are left for each family, beds are made up, towels provided and a hot tub within a luxury setting in a beautiful location. For some on our waiting list, these sadly become bereavement holidays. We do not retract the holiday from the family for the loss of a loved one.
LEFT: me&dee junior Hero, five-year-old Taylor, who had 84 operations following meningitis
ABOVE: The lodge at Sherwood Forest
business network June/July 2020 47
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