WK News - Issue 13 (2) - Flipbook - Page 28
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WEST KENT NEWS | ISSUE NO.13 SUMMER 2024
WEST KENT FESTIVAL
CHARITY NEWS
West Kent Mason gets
help from lodge and
the MCF
Our Son started secondary school in
September
2019,
we
always
expected it to be a difficult transition
for
him
as
he
had
always
experienced high levels of anxiety
when faced with new situations and
ongoing health issues. From day one
we noticed changes in him that were
out-of-character and within the first
week he was refusing to go in and
had already missed a day of school.
At first the school was supportive
putting it down to just settling in, We
then found out that he was being
bullied and the school had put
measures in place that dealt with
that. As time moved on, panic
attacks were quite common as was
refusing to go to school along with
bouts of depression.
We decided to pay to see a
Councillor to help with the anxiety
which he found very difficult to open
up to. It was suggested that he
would benefit from being assessed
for ASD and get on the waiting list
for CAMHS, which in our area was a
two year waiting list due to delays
from Covid. The only option we had
was to go private which would have
meant
taking
out
a
loan.
I
approached my Lodge Almoner who
advised me to make contact with the
MCF and in the meantime he would
contact the lodge members to
discuss using some of the lodge's
relief chest to pay the deposit if
nothing else.
Within a couple of hours the deposit
was in our account and the next day
we were contacted by the MCF to
discuss what our requirements
were. It wasn't an easy conversation
as we had to give details of what
had happened and what medical
help we had already received. The
lady
we
spoke
to
was
so
understanding and emphatic that it
made the experience a lot easier.
FESTIVAL DONATIONS
Masonic Grants
She explained the options that were
available to us regarding funding
and how it would work and as a
family, we were offered counselling
sessions to help support us through
some of the issues we had faced if
needed.
Part of the process for funding
involved giving information on our
financial situation as a form of
means testing and whether i had
approached my lodge for any
assistance. To be honest, the fact
that we'd had the support and
generosity of my lodge for helping
out with the deposit, we were so
grateful that we did not expect to
receive any more funding.
Charity Grants
However after a short while I
received an email from the MCF
offering to pay the full cost of the
assessment including the deposit,
which was returned to the lodge
relief chest and the offer for
counselling was still available if
needed.
The funds were paid directly by the
MCF to Kent Autism following the
assessment, so we didn't have to
deal with any of the finances.
Having the assessment was the
start of a long journey into helping
our son with his mental health and
preparing him for a future where he
can have the confidence to succeed
in whatever he chooses to do.
Total So Far
Please continue to give what you can to support the Festival. Your
contributions make a real difference to the lives of Masons across the Province.