October was a month of incredible achievement, collaboration, and remembrance for JAF. We’ve been extremely busy building opportunities, forming exciting initiatives and celebrating the spirit of community. Here are some of our highlights from October:
Grant Successes:
Wandsworth Robbery Fund
We're very proud to announce that The Jimmy Asher Foundation has been awarded a two-year grant from the Wandsworth Robbery Fund. We’ve collaborated with our incredible partners at Ernest Bevin College, Nightingale Community Academy, Providence House Youth Club, and Francis Barber Pupil Referral Unit to deliver a transformative project at these Wandsworth locations, offering weekly dynamic basketball sessions with tournaments at the end of each term, paired with an interactive mentorship programme to help the young people to navigate life's challenges. The sessions are designed to offer a platform to participate in a fun sport, increasing confidence and teamwork skills, while using mentoring to self-reflect, encourage positive decision-making and support personal development. The project kicks off in January 2025, and we can’t wait to make a massive positive impact!
Critical incident Fund – Wandsworth Council
We were also awarded funding to run a 12-week programme of mentoring and support sessions to pupils at Ernest Bevin School. The project, comprising of one-to-one and group sessions will commence on 27th Nov and was set up as an urgent response to a serious violence-related incident at the school. Our support services will help Ernest Bevin pupils who witnessed or were affected by the incident to process their trauma and feel safe and secure at school and beyond.
Annual Memorial Celebration
We paid tribute to Jimmy and Donovan Maye, Victor Greenidge and many more of our loved ones who were remembered at our JAF Annual Memorial Celebration on the 12th October. It was a vibrant occasion filled with music, laughter, and fond memories. The 12 Tribes of Israel Drummers created a powerful atmosphere yet again this year with a thunderous drum and chanting performance, while dedicated supporter of the Foundation, Gavin Brown debuted his cultural collage art pieces, which were warmly received by the crowd. It was a joy to celebrate the countless contributions of everyone involved with the Foundation – volunteers, supporters, coaches, mentors and young people alike. The certificate ceremony and entertaining speeches were a highlight of the evening - a beautiful reflection of how we all come together to honour the past and inspire the future.
A special thank you goes to Danielle Brown and her partner James for arranging the decor and fabulous balloon display in our brand colours. Also photographer Tanya from TSA, and cameraman Ja’Anubis for their services on the day. Much appreciation to the DJs who provide entertainment every year for the event, notably DJ Weng Weng who helped set up the music equipment on the night.
Youth Activity Support
Throughout the month, we continued to support our local youth as usual, by providing youth workers to Pollards Hill, Phipps Bridge Youth Club, and Acacia Adventure Playground. Our dedicated team is committed to nurturing positive youth development and creating safe and supportive spaces for young people to grow, learn, connect, and thrive through sports, mentoring, education, and engaging activities.
JAF Founder Joseph Maye to be awarded at the Legacy Gala 2024
We're delighted to announce that our Founder/ CEO Joseph Maye will be receiving the International Business/Entrepeneur Youth and Community Legacy Champion award at the prestigious Legacy Gala on Saturday 7th December. We're honoured to see Joseph being recognised for the years of work that he has put into supporting communities globally through his various initiatives. Go Joseph!!
Tickets for the Legacy Gala, which features the awards, dinner, show and dance, are available here: Legacy Gala 24
Looking Ahead
We’re incredibly proud of our continuing progress, and excited for the journey ahead for JAF and our beneficiaries. Whether it’s on the basketball court, at a community celebration, or through everyday interactions, our commitment to supporting young people and strengthening communities is strong. As always, we like to give thanks to all our supporters, partners, and participants for yet another impactful month.
Stay tuned for updates on our November activities—we’ve got even more news to share!
Until then, join us on Instagram to keep up with our latest news, or reach out to get involved in our programmes.
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