Charities need your support

TEESSIDE community groups and charities need the votes of local people to help them win a share of £20,000 cash jackpot.
The £20,000 Golden Giveaway will give 15 Tees charities, community groups and schools a chance to share the cash, which is being made available by the patrons of Middlesbrough and Teesside Philanthropic Foundation.
They will each receive at least £500 after a panel of patrons shortlisted them from nearly 70 entries – but they could win up to £5,000 if they receive more votes than their fellow charities.
The foundation has regularly held £10,000 Golden Giveaways but has doubled the cash pot this time to mark the achievement of raising £1 million and receiving a further £700,000 boost from an anonymous donor.
The community group receiving most votes will receive £5,000.
The second-placed charity will receive £2,500, there’s £2,000 for third place, fourth and fifth get £1,500, sixth to eighth will receive £1,000, there’s £750 for ninth to 12th, and the final three will receive £500 each.
Foundation chairman Andy Preston said: “Our previous Golden Giveaways have proved to be hugely popular – so we’ve now made them a fixture in our calendar.
“But we’ve also decided to double the usual cash fund to celebrate what has been a fantastic period for the foundation over the past six months.
“The Golden Giveaway is an exciting way to support some of Teesside’s amazing community groups that need our help and to get the public involved in our Foundation. It also raises the profile of our charity and the various community groups that take part.”
Those hoping to receive votes from the Teesside community are:

• 2nd Billingham Scout Group – to fund a 3-day camp for underprivileged members
• Hugs for Homeless – providing food, drink and clothing to the homeless
• A Way Out – to cover resource and volunteer costs helping women involved in survival sex work
• Park End Primary School – to enhance the outdoor learning area for nursery children
• Tees Valley Rural Community Council – helping the old and vulnerable to stay in their home longer
• Sowing Seeds Ministries – providing a summer break for Stockton people who don’t get holidays
• Our Version of Events – funding a trip to London for Teesside adults with a disability
• Redcar & Cleveland Mind – to cover running costs for their rural ‘Mobile Mindspace’ campervan
• The Bungalow Partnership – providing emotional and psychological support to children and families
• The Moses Project – funding rehab for adult males with drug and alcohol dependency problems
• Middlesbrough Catholic Fellowship – North Yorkshire holiday for those with disabilities
• Trinity Family Friendly Centre – The Community Arm of Trinity Methodist Church
• Unicorn Centre – replenishing the surface at Riding for the Disabled centre
• Relate North East – funding a bursary scheme for those suffering relationship breakdown in Hartlepool and Stockton
• Eva Women’s Aid – support for women & children who are or have been victims of domestic abuse or sexual violence

Previous winners of the Golden Giveaway’s usual £2,500 top prize include Grangetown Boys Club, Boro Real Fans Believe in Dreams, MiddlesbroughPowerchair Football Club, Teesside Wheelchair Basketball Club and Trinity Holistic Centre at James Cook University Hospital.
To vote for your favourite good cause in the £20,000 Golden Giveaway, vote on the homepage starting tomorrow. Voting is strictly one vote per server.
The online vote ends at 4pm on Tuesday, March 15.