ABOUT US

 

The S.A.M Fund ( Smiles And Memories) was set up in memory of a very special young boy called Sam



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Sam was born with an extremely rare blood disease which consequently meant he spent a great deal of his short life in hospital undergoing unpleasant treatments including a bone marrow transplant.  Despite all of this, Sam was an exceptional child who touched the lives of all who met him.  Sadly, Sam died at the age of eight.

In 1999, in Sam's memory, we became The S.A.M Fund, a fully registered, not for profit charity working in and around the South East of England to give some relief for families trying to cope with a chronically sick or disabled child.  In this year, we ran a Race and Raffle night, our first official fundraising event, raising £1,845!  From the generous proceeds of this night, we were able to purchase a state of the art computer with disability programs for use within the Special Needs Department of Hillsgrove Primary School, the school Sam had attended.  We also purchased an oak tree which was planted in the grounds of the school in memory of Sam.


Extra donations from kind supporters enabled us to buy a series of books called 'All About Me' which were given to severely disabled children who had no means of communication, to record their personal likes and dislikes with regards to their care.

 

In 2000, we ran a Quiz Night with a raffle.  This quiz night has since become our signature fundraiser, raising between £2,000 and £3,000 every year.

 

Since we began in 1999, The S.A.M Fund has gone from strength to strength with more and more people wanting to help, enabling more and more families with a sick or disabled child to be sent on desperately needed holidays.  We now run six official charity events throughout the year, including quiz nights, sporting events and our newest event, The Black Tie Dinner and Dance.  We also have many volunteers supporting us and raising money through their own fundraising events.

 

Since we began in 1999, we have raised over £250,000 which has given us the chance to send nearly 60 families on one of these amazing holidays giving them the Smiles And Memories that will help them face the future, whatever that may bring