Dear Supporter,
As a relatively new trustee, it is my absolute pleasure to write the Autumn newsletter, on behalf of the Dorothy Kerin Trust (DKT).
We recently held our Annual Gathering in the newly renovated St John’s Chatham. We were privileged to play a small part in enabling the church to be reopened in 2021, and brought back to the heart of it’s community, alongside multiple other grants, donations and community fundraising efforts. Our thanks to Luke and the team for hosting us, and for the very warm welcome.
This day is always a joyful event for the Trustees, as we hear first hand from some of the incredible projects the Trust has been able to support. Hearing about the life changing effects their work has for some of their recipients, bathed in God’s love, caused me to reflect on how compassion is at the very heart of our lives as Christians. Isaiah 58:10 states “If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday.” The individuals that spoke at the event truly were shining lights of hope, compassion and love.
We heard from Matthew 25 Mission in Eastbourne, offering hot meals, practical advice and wellbeing support to the vulnerable, homeless and others in need. We saw visuals of The Cabin in Margate, a stunning community space for local activities, connection, and creativity, located in nature and run by a local group focused on faith and community. Our final speaker shared an update of the incredible work being done by Emerge Advocacy providing a voice of hope and support to young people in Kent and Sussex, following a crisis admission to hospital from self-harm, feeling suicidal or emotional crisis.
I was also able to present the new Dorothy Kerin Trust branding and website to our guests. The website provides an easy to use platform for potential grant applicants to see if they are eligible to apply for funding from the Trust. We are committed to not wasting busy charities time applying for funds that do not fit within our criteria for support. The brand design reflects the values that have remained true within all of Dorothy’s work, to bring together spiritual, mental and physical support, rooted in nature. The logo depicts a hand holding an acorn, representing our commitment to supporting the start of great projects and programmes that help others to repair, to feel loved, to thrive.
We remain incredibly grateful to you, our supporters, who help us to continue to deliver spiritual, physical and mental health support to those in need in our community, and would ask that you pray for us as we pray for you. Please feel free to share this with anyone you know who may like to know that the legacy of Dorothy’s vision is still very much present in some very special places across the Kent and East Sussex countryside that she came to love so much.
God bless
Sarah Raine
Trustee – Dorothy Kerin Trust
