2019 October & November Newsletter

Member Reception at HM Consul Generals Residence

A massive thank you to Andrew and Alex Whittaker for hosting our member reception at their home in late October. The aim of the event was to continue to connect the British Community in the Bay Area and share the impact of relief and charity assistance occurring throughout the West Coast. It was exciting to see members re-connecting and others meeting for the first time.

A special thank you to Goldschmidt Vineyards and Spirit Works Distillery for donating the wine and gin served at the reception. The evening was quite enjoyable, though our thoughts were not far from our neighbors in the North Bay who lost their homes and property in the Kincade Fire. Both Goldschmidt Vineyards and Spirit Works Distillery are based in the affected region, and many neighboring communities are still recovering from the fires of the past years. Our hearts go out to those impacted by all of disasters that have upended the lives of many.

Relief & Assistance

We worked with our partners at the British Consulate General in Los Angeles again this month. They contacted the BBS in the hopes of assisting a Brit who suffers from bi-polar disorder. He had traveled to the US on holiday and stopped taking his medication. Subsequently, he became very unstable and missed his return flight to London. The concern was that he would soon become a danger to himself and possibly become homeless.

The BBS was able to arrange for him to return home, meet with his family upon arrival, and immediately visit his doctor for treatment. The past few months we have been keeping an eye on our friend Sheila. As a reminder, Sheila has been living on her own in Santa Rosa for more than 30 years. She is at a place in her life where she needs additional help looking after herself and maintaining a proper diet. She has led a very isolated life and has few friends to turn to. The Relief Committee has remained in contact with her brother in the UK, keeping him informed of changes in her life and possible next steps in moving into assisted living. As advocates for Sheila, our goal is to ensure that she does not fall through the cracks in the system.

Giving Tuesday 3 December

After the busy shopping day of Black Friday we ask that members keep in mind the tradition of Giving Tuesday. This is a day that encourages people to do good. Since it was created in 2012, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. On this day, we ask that you consider making a donation to the BBS.

Your contributions directly impact our ability to provide desperately needed support to those most in need. We are very grateful to our longstanding life members. If you haven’t made a donation to the BBS recently, please consider doing so today.

AmazonSmile

As you log onto Amazon this holiday season, don’t forget to select the British Benevolent Society as your charity of choice on AmazonSmile! The difference between AmazonSmile Foundation and Amazon 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.

BBS Christmas Dinner

We are looking forward to kicking off the Christmas season at our annual BBS Christmas Dinner on 3 December. If you haven’t purchased your ticket, please do so now! Our few remaining tickets are available until Sunday 24 November.

Read More of the 2019 October & November Newsletter Here