December 2021 Newsletter

BBS Relief & Coronavirus Assistance

As 2021 comes to an end, the Relief Committee continues to review requests for assistance from a number of Brits whose lives have been impacted by the global pandemic. The applicants all struggle to make ends meet or navigate challenging times.

Since the beginning of November, the charity has paid for ongoing caregiver visits to Ms. P, an 81 year old Brit who has lived in the US for more than 40 years. Ms. P suffers from memory loss and is insulin dependent. Tragically, much of her savings was stolen by private caregivers. The authorities are involved though it is unlikely that any of the stolen funds will be recovered. Since the BBS began assisting Ms. P, we have been able to renew her British Passport and her fiduciary has begun the process of applying for Medical which will eventually allow her to move to a full time assisted living facility. Ms. P has remained in good spirits and is always grateful for assistance from the BBS.

Over the summer the BBS helped a single mother with rental assistance and support to pay for basic newborn child needs. With no work permit she struggled to make ends meet. To make matters worse, her family was unable to come and help because of the travel ban. In November, she received legal authorization to return to the UK with her son. The BBS covered the cost of pre departure covid testing, the flight and covid reentry testing. The thank you we received from Ms. T communicated that she would have never been able to make it without the help of the BBS.

Another request for assistance was from a painter/handyman. He has been without steady work since March 2020. To complicate things, he has experienced serious health problems resulting in long stays in the hospital. His situation is made even more unpredictable because of the ongoing pandemic. Upon his most recent return home, he requested and received assistance to cover rent and buy food. We wish him all of the best with his recovery and hope that he can soon find steady, reliable work.

Our most recent case involved providing financial assistance to a young Brit receiving cancer treatment. Mr. X had been an entrepreneur but his illness made it very difficult to work and he soon lost his income. Recuperating from chemotherapy became increasingly difficult as his apartment was adjacent to a construction project. Every day there was dust in the air, constant deafening noise, and the water was being shut off much of the time. Despite complaints, these challenges still occurred. With the help of the BBS, he moved to an AirBnB where he has been able to convalesce and hopefully make a full recovery. His circumstances reminded us all of just how fragile life can be.

The BBS continues to set records in the amount of aid we provide to British nationals. In the months of October and November, the BBS provided more than $10,000 and is on track to provide another $8,000 by the end of December. Prior to the pandemic, the Relief budget ranged between $28,000 – $30,000 annually.

Thank you as always for your memberships, donations and joining us at our events throughout the year. Your engagement and commitment to the mission of the charity help us continue to connect and help Brits in dire need.

Events

Mark your calendars for our 2022 events! We have begun planning now and hope to see friends and faces in the coming year.

If you are interested in volunteering and becoming involved with the Events Committee, please do get in touch.

Charitable Donations

It is always the right time to consider making a charitable and tax deductible donation to the British Benevolent Society. If you don’t remember the last time you made a donation to the BBS, please consider making one today!

An easy way to make a donation is through AmazonSmile! The difference between Amazon and the AmazonSmile Foundation, is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. By designating the BBS as your preferred charity you are making a simple and easy donation!

Your company may match any donation to the BBS. If the time is right, please consider making a charitable and generally tax deductible donation to the BBS today.

Read More of the December 2021 Newsletter Here