Ernst & Young Volunteers Lend A Helping Hand

Many hands make light work

It was in 1546 that English playwright John Heywood coined the phrase "Many Hands Make Light Work", meaning that if everyone comes together and helps with a large task, it will be done quickly and easily. While we cannot say that the work we do is quick and easy, one of the key tasks of Bridging The Gap is to bring people together from different backgrounds and environments to make a difference by working together and performing large tasks. 

The charity "Casa Ioana" may not be one you have heard much about in the grand scheme of global charities, however their work and mission is one that cannot be ignored. Ian Tilling, who has been based in Romania since 1992, started off with a vision to convert 10 apartments into accommodation for disabled children who had recently left the state's institutions. Fast forward 22 years and Ian and his team at Casa Ioana have worked with over 4000 people who have benefited from the shelter for displaced families in Bucharest. More recently, the Casa Ioana team have been working hard to provide Bucharest's first shelter for women and children who have become victims of domestic abuse.

At Bridging The Gap, we are big fans of what Casa Ioana do and we were keen to see how we could help them meet their needs. Our friends at Ernst & Young, one of the "big four" audit firms, had recently asked if there were any projects that their staff members could get involved in and so we linked them with Casa Ioana and over two weekends in August, the Casa Ioana team were helped by the Ernst & Young team in getting their new shelter ready for the grand opening in the autumn. The renovation of the shelter was hard work, especially in the summer heat, however the volunteers got involved with gusto and made great progress. We've attached below some pictures of the great efforts made over the last two weekends. 

The enthusiastic team from Ernst and Young

Lifting the flooring

New friendships were formed

Some heavy duties took place

The furniture for the project has already started to arrive

Ian tells us, "Casa Ioana has come to rely on volunteers more and more to drive our work forward and capitalise on the skills that volunteers can bring. Ernst and Young's volunteers have really made a difference in bringing forward the time that we can open our doors to women and children experiencing domestic violence. Thank you!"

We are grateful to the volunteers who so willingly gave up their time to help with the project and they have even nominated the shelter to be considered for future help from Ernst and Young. This is what some of the volunteers had to say: 

• I would definitely volunteer again. I think volunteering gives me the chance to use and explore my skills and abilities and for a higher purpose, 
• What I liked about the project was working as part of a team, having a good time together with my colleagues and Casa Ioana’s friends, participation in a project that strives to build a better world.
• I would love to help out with another project as long as others in need benefit from my help! 

If you or your company is interested in helping out as a volunteer with any of our projects, please check out our Facebook page and contact us for more details. As you can see from the above reports, it's a worthwhile opportunity to get involved. Don't just take it from us, we'll leave Ian Tilling to have the last word. 

"Bridging the Gap has introduced us to Ernst and Young and opened the doors to a pool of volunteers just when we needed them most. Additionally, Bridging the Gap is putting us in contact with others who want to help. We all know that it's about connections, and Bridging the Gap is about as good a connection as it gets! Thank you!"