Community service project at The Foyer

RYDE ROTARY CLUBS COMMUNITY SERVICE AT THE FOYER

Hello! I would like to speak to someone about the Rotary Club of Ryde making a donation to The Foyer as a Christmas good will gesture.

Thus it began, Ryde Rotary Clubs association with The Foyer for the Island. 

Knowing that the Foyer housed a number of young people the Club agreed that as part of our local community support the Foyer for the Island might prove a good funding idea.  Ryde Rotary Club pledged £500.00 to the Foyer for the Island though we were unsure how it would be spent.  The staff at the Foyer for the Island were genuinely delighted not just with the unexpected generosity of our club, but simply that someone from the community in Ryde should come unannounced off the street and take an interest in the organisation.

When the club agreed to support the young people at the centre we had only a vague knowledge of what the Foyer for the Island was about.  We wanted to know and understand more.

An invitation from the Foyer for the Island was given to Ryde Rotary Club to present our cheque one evening.  A number of Rotarians and partners duly attended and were greeted and hosted most delightfully. A number of young people were on hand to talk with us about the Foyer for the Island, what it did, what it meant to them, how their life prospects had been affected (while we were treated to a mince pie and a coffee in the residents kitchen, a group of young people oblivious to us were sitting round the kitchen table having a very happy and cheerful family time with glue, card, sparkly stuff for home-made Christmas cards, this was a joy to behold). 

It was on the tour of the facilities that we had a defining moment. Whilst the young people had very pleasant en suite rooms, and there was a training base and a small area set aside for a gym, there was no communal meeting place; somewhere to sit, veg out, watch television.

The manager of the centre commented on this and showed us an area of landing which with a bit of creative building work could create a cosy communal lounge area.  The eye contact around the room between Rotarians was quite remarkable.  With nothing said at the time we just knew it was something we had to try to achieve.

Ryde Rotary decided to guarantee the funding of the project to enable the work to progress immediately. The Club looked to spearhead the project funding. Ryde Rotary Club wrote to other local charities seeking assistance in funding the project. To date Ryde Lions Club donated £250-00 to the project.

The Lounge was completed, it has been named Ray's Room is a tribute to the memory and work of a much loved Rotarian who had also been the chairman of the Medina Housing Association under whose auspice the Foyer for the Island sit. A fitting tribute to a much respected Rotarian.

The organising committee at the Foyer had saved some of the original £500 we had donated, and  decided to hold a Christmas Lunch for all the residents, something many of the young people had never enjoyed before and even saved a few bob to buy a television for the new lounge areas.

Post Script

The Foyer for the Island has 45+ residents between the ages 16-24 years old who may reside for up to 2 years.

The organisation based upon the French Foyer model endeavours to provide continuing training, job search, and  independent living skills and provides a secure and caring home for young people whose lives have been disrupted in a very many of ways.

PF