About our organisation
In 1994, having seen on TV the poverty stricken people in Eastern Europe, Mark Johnson went into action. He gathered a small team of volunteers and with the help of Isle of Wight Radio persuaded people to fill shoeboxes with gifts hoping to get 500 boxes. Islanders responded but so did people from Fareham and Gosport and 5,117 boxes were sent to Bosnia. In subsequent years Mark made trips to Ukraine and Russia and finally to Romania.
Successful shoebox appeals, generate income for other projects. When, on the 1997 trip, bad weather delayed the ‘shoebox’ lorry Mark and Liz Harris were taken to visit places including an orphanage/hospital unit at Poieni. Liz, then Deputy Head of Uplands Primary School, Fareham, had been a keen supporter from the start persuading many schools in the area to do boxes and this was her first trip to Romania.
They identified several urgent needs and set to work to organise the employment of a social worker to support the children at Poieni as well as funding the complete refurbishment of a room for their use with adjoining shower and toilet. Thanks to people from Gosport we were able to furnish this room.
With the expansion of our work beyond the shoeboxes it was time to apply for charity status. Mark contacted a local solicitor who agreed to help us. We became a Company limited by guarantee and finally achieved charity status on 3rd January 2001. Our working name is SPARC the full title being (Supporting Parents by Assisting Romanian Children in need). Restrictions on what could be put into shoeboxes had been causing problems and in the summer of 2002 we contacted our partners in Romania for guidance receiving the following reply “The Romanian law definitely forbids the import of food items from the UK. Shampoo and soap is allowed with special authorization from a State institution.” We took the decision to abandon shoeboxes in favour of Hamper Appeals. The cash these appeals raise is sent to our partners in Iasi. They buy food at a Cash and Carry, volunteers pack and deliver it to families in need.
When Mark resigned in August 2002 Liz Harris took on the role of Chairman until June 2003 when she moved out of the region which caused her resignation. Joan Butter, who had been involved since the beginning, took over the running of the charity.
If you are able to help the
children please contact us at
sparcromania@btinternet.com |
We can now receive
donations online
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