Last night John Mouatt, regional champion for the Benevolent Fund of the Institution of Civil Engineers (BFICE) met with the regional board to explain just what services BFICE offers to ICE members and how those members can help the fund and their fellow engineers by choosing to donate.
John showed a short video and gave presentation giving more details on the support that the Fund offers such as:
■ Financial help for those unable to make ends meet and on low incomes
■ 24 hour free helpline covering a range of subjects such as stress, bereavement, debt, accident, illness and health problems
■ The opportunity to benefit from a free financial health check from an appropriately qualified individual if you are struggling to meet financial commitments –
■ Access to the Fund’s back to work programme – a free course designed to assist those out of work increase their marketability and improve job prospects
■ Help for disadvantaged ICE students who may be unable to complete their studies because of financial difficulties
All these services are paid for by the donations made by civil engineers like you.
The fund would like every member of ICE to commit to supporting their own charity by giving a regular annual donation of at least £5, this equates to just £200 over a forty year working life. And for those working engineers, we hope that they could consider doing a bit more - £10 or £15 a year to help fellow civil engineers and their families is not a huge sum.
It is easier than ever to donate, either by making the payment with your ICE subscription or by visiting www.bfice.org.uk. Here you can either set up a standing order or click on the “donate now” button to make a donation through Just Giving. A standing order is the most cost effective way for the Fund, but donating through Just Giving is still cheaper for the Fund than donating by credit card or cheque.
Remember the fund is here to support engineers just like you. No-one is immune to misfortune.