Sponsorship details for 2021 to be announced
Some information on our previous charitable partners:
A MEMBER OF THE CONSERVATION COLLECTIVE
SUPPORTING LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES TO PROTECT, SUSTAIN AND RESTORE
Having raised over €60,000 for The Smile of A Child to date, in 2019 we added an environmental fund to the charities we support.
While the natural beauty of Ionian islands speaks for itself, having been lucky enough to grow up spending summers in the Ionian there is no doubt that the marine environment has been severely affected and that islands struggle to cope with the ever increasing strain of tourism.
The Ionian Environment Foundation (IEF) is an exciting, scalable charitable model which provides the structure and fundraising expertise but leaves the important work to local people and groups with existing environmental initiatives. Overseen by Costa Kaloudis, the local executive director, the fund issues annual grants to empower these initiatives and allow them to scale up their operations and really make a difference.
While we are aware of the challenges of fundraising for a new charity, having seen the success the sister funds have had and having witnessed the enthusiasm of the team that oversees them, we strongly believe in the project and would like to use the Albania Overboard platform to promote it and ultimately help preserve the natural beauty of the archipelago we love.
We will also be donating to The Smile of a Child from funds raised via the swim fee.
While the natural beauty of Ionian islands speaks for itself, having been lucky enough to grow up spending summers in the Ionian there is no doubt that the marine environment has been severely affected and that islands struggle to cope with the ever increasing strain of tourism.
The Ionian Environment Foundation (IEF) is an exciting, scalable charitable model which provides the structure and fundraising expertise but leaves the important work to local people and groups with existing environmental initiatives. Overseen by Costa Kaloudis, the local executive director, the fund issues annual grants to empower these initiatives and allow them to scale up their operations and really make a difference.
While we are aware of the challenges of fundraising for a new charity, having seen the success the sister funds have had and having witnessed the enthusiasm of the team that oversees them, we strongly believe in the project and would like to use the Albania Overboard platform to promote it and ultimately help preserve the natural beauty of the archipelago we love.
We will also be donating to The Smile of a Child from funds raised via the swim fee.
The Ionian Environment Foundation (IEF) is being set up to preserve the Ionian Islands’ exceptional nature and beauty through promoting and supporting a sustainable approach to their way of life, tourism and socio economic development
The key remit of the foundation is to pool funding from people and businesses who love the Ionians, as we do, and to distribute those funds to effective and deserving local environmental initiatives. Eligible projects and campaigns must contribute to protecting, sustaining, restoring and raising awareness of the islands’ natural environment, as well as to promote and work on sustainable ways of living and operating.
There are numerous local organisations working to protect wonderful areas of natural beauty and ecological value in the Ionian Islands. Sometimes this work will restore ecosystems and biodiversity, other times it will be needed to prevent negative things from happening. Most often resources are very scarce, whilst love for nature is abundant. Through them, and with your support, the IEF will be able to promote and improve the sustainability of these marvellous islands and seas. Therefore, please help us and get involved.
The key remit of the foundation is to pool funding from people and businesses who love the Ionians, as we do, and to distribute those funds to effective and deserving local environmental initiatives. Eligible projects and campaigns must contribute to protecting, sustaining, restoring and raising awareness of the islands’ natural environment, as well as to promote and work on sustainable ways of living and operating.
There are numerous local organisations working to protect wonderful areas of natural beauty and ecological value in the Ionian Islands. Sometimes this work will restore ecosystems and biodiversity, other times it will be needed to prevent negative things from happening. Most often resources are very scarce, whilst love for nature is abundant. Through them, and with your support, the IEF will be able to promote and improve the sustainability of these marvellous islands and seas. Therefore, please help us and get involved.
'Hamogelo tou Paidiou' - The Smile of a Child
The Smile of a Child is a registered Greek Charity with ten 'houses' across the country. In the Charity's 25 year history it has helped over 1.3m children recover from the effects of violence, health problems and extreme poverty, as well as spearheading countless missing children's campaigns.
The Corfu Centre currently houses around 20 children who, for one shocking reason or another, have been removed from the care of their family by court order. The Smile of a Child receives no financial assistance from the government and the Corfu Centre relies solely on funds raised locally. Supporting and educating children through to higher education is an expensive business and many of the children require intensive therapy to overcome the traumas they have experienced. The life changing impact Smile of a Child has to their lives is unequivocal.
Revered across Greece for the excellent work that it does, The Smile of a Child was also supported by the late parents of our founders, Patricia Cookson and Spiro Lemis.
The Corfu Centre currently houses around 20 children who, for one shocking reason or another, have been removed from the care of their family by court order. The Smile of a Child receives no financial assistance from the government and the Corfu Centre relies solely on funds raised locally. Supporting and educating children through to higher education is an expensive business and many of the children require intensive therapy to overcome the traumas they have experienced. The life changing impact Smile of a Child has to their lives is unequivocal.
Revered across Greece for the excellent work that it does, The Smile of a Child was also supported by the late parents of our founders, Patricia Cookson and Spiro Lemis.
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A Personal Note From A Founder
The following note was written to the sponsors after the first swim in 2014. This offers a more personal insight to the Corfu centre where moneys raised will be sent:
I set off a beautiful October morning towards Sidari in the north of the Corfu in search for The Smile of a Child center.
After meandering through sleepy Corfiot villages, negotiating death defying turns and finally bumping my way down a three mile dirt track, I arrived at an old secluded monastery. Surrounded by nothing but olive groves and with views down a green valley and the Corfu channel beyond, it was a truly enchanting place.
During the 19th century it was a fully functioning monastery and its charitable use came about when the nuns began to take in women who were pregnant with illegitimate children. Gradually the monastery began bringing up children who for one reason or another had no home and when the last nun died in the 1980's the monastery was left to The Smile of a Child to became their permanent base in Corfu.
I was met by Jordanis who has run the Corfu center for over twenty years and is effectively father to 27 children. I was in awe of this man who has dedicated most of his adult life to these children while asking for nothing in return.
The first thing he told me was that "unfortunately" the children were not orphans - they had been removed from their parents care by court order due to various forms of abuse or neglect and are sent there, often in secrecy. A few years ago the father of one of the children discovered where his son was and upon being released from jail came to get him back armed with a hand gun. Jordinas called the police and the man's freedom was short lived.
Despite the fact that the children are sent there by court order, the center receives no funding from the government whatsoever. It relies entirely on locally raised funds which is why Jordanis was almost moved to tears when I gave him the €4,000 raised by Nick Lemis and myself. The price of oil has rocketed in Greece since the crisis and he informed me that the money will pay for the center to be heated over the coming winter.
This is a serious operation to fund - 3 minibuses are needed (with drivers) to drop off and collect the children from various schools around the island and they also keep a flat in Corfu Town where the older children go to study and prepare themselves for the real world. In addition they have a team of people who act as mentors, all of whom need to be paid in order to guarantee consistency through the children’s lives as well as the ongoing costs involved with feeding and housing them all.
I set off a beautiful October morning towards Sidari in the north of the Corfu in search for The Smile of a Child center.
After meandering through sleepy Corfiot villages, negotiating death defying turns and finally bumping my way down a three mile dirt track, I arrived at an old secluded monastery. Surrounded by nothing but olive groves and with views down a green valley and the Corfu channel beyond, it was a truly enchanting place.
During the 19th century it was a fully functioning monastery and its charitable use came about when the nuns began to take in women who were pregnant with illegitimate children. Gradually the monastery began bringing up children who for one reason or another had no home and when the last nun died in the 1980's the monastery was left to The Smile of a Child to became their permanent base in Corfu.
I was met by Jordanis who has run the Corfu center for over twenty years and is effectively father to 27 children. I was in awe of this man who has dedicated most of his adult life to these children while asking for nothing in return.
The first thing he told me was that "unfortunately" the children were not orphans - they had been removed from their parents care by court order due to various forms of abuse or neglect and are sent there, often in secrecy. A few years ago the father of one of the children discovered where his son was and upon being released from jail came to get him back armed with a hand gun. Jordinas called the police and the man's freedom was short lived.
Despite the fact that the children are sent there by court order, the center receives no funding from the government whatsoever. It relies entirely on locally raised funds which is why Jordanis was almost moved to tears when I gave him the €4,000 raised by Nick Lemis and myself. The price of oil has rocketed in Greece since the crisis and he informed me that the money will pay for the center to be heated over the coming winter.
This is a serious operation to fund - 3 minibuses are needed (with drivers) to drop off and collect the children from various schools around the island and they also keep a flat in Corfu Town where the older children go to study and prepare themselves for the real world. In addition they have a team of people who act as mentors, all of whom need to be paid in order to guarantee consistency through the children’s lives as well as the ongoing costs involved with feeding and housing them all.
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