Earlier this year, a single Facebook post and a news article helped to raise 106 teddy bears over just two weeks. The cuddly toys were being collected as in-kind donations for Abu Dhabi Cause Connect’s Teddy Bear Appeal for Palestinian children, benefitting from the US registered non-profit Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). The community responded with generosity and enthusiasm, and many schools and community groups came forward with a desire to collect even more.
‘But we only needed 100,’ said Suparna Mathur who is co-founder and campaign manager at Abu Dhabi Cause Connect (ADCC). ‘We knew there was potential here and contacted the PCRF to find out how we could further support them.’ The Canadian-Indian brought up in Abu Dhabi is one of five people who established ADCC in 2011.
‘The idea began long before we formalised the group,’ she explained. ‘Since we have each been personally involved in service and charitable activities in the capital for the last four years. You might say we have been “cause connectors” long before we coined the term ourselves.’
ADCC is a community group that is dedicated to increasing creative collaboration between causes, communities and companies.
‘We have built strong partnerships with non-profits and charities, community groups and socially responsible businesses to achieve the highest social impact,’ said Suparna. We couldn’t help wondering what cause connecting involves.
‘At a simple and regular level, our aim is to be a consolidated resource that keeps the community informed about all charitable events, campaigns and social initiatives,’ she said. ‘I cannot count the times someone has said: “That sounded like such a great charity event, I wish I’d known about it before!” Each charity or event organiser or group has a different audience. We are here to share anything and everything to do with a good cause, using social media and direct marketing.’
The group also does advocacy work by making the community aware of which socially responsible companies are going that extra mile. And of course they’re always on the lookout for creative ways to support causes – like the teddy bear appeal.
‘We know that charities need funds to survive,’ explained Suparna. ‘But we also know people suffer from ‘donor fatigue’ and often want to do more than just give their money. We are here to engage them.’
And we think that’s probably why the teddy bear appeal was so successful – Suparna agrees. ‘People love the idea of giving something tangible, a teddy bear, a soccer ball…They could just give Dhs5 or Dhs20 but it has a completely different meaning this way.’
Following on from the previous event, ADCC has now launched their second appeal. They’re helping the PCRF source games and art supplies for underprivileged children attending summer camps in Palestine.
‘We are looking to collect as many items for as many camps as possible’ said Suparna. ‘Our goal would be to be able to say to PCRF “Here are all the materials you need for all 17 camps.” We want children from these camps to know that there were enough people in the community that physically went out there and bought and donated the items themselves. It has so much more meaning and love than funds transferred. And by choosing to purchase specific items,’ she continued, ‘you can visualise the meaningful effect of your contributions; be they soccer balls and jerseys to encourage children’s fitness; or paint kits to nurture artistic talent.’
Suparna’s passion for supporting causes started early. In 1995, at age 11, she was volunteering to hand out water at Abu Dhabi’s very first Terry Fox Run, when it was just a few hundred people.
‘Today I am on the organising committee of the event which now enjoys the support of over 18,000 residents. It’s a great example of how service and social awareness has grown in Abu Dhabi, and it’s been wonderfully fulfilling to be an adult and give back to the city I’ve grown up in.’
Her passion is contagious and it’s a joy to listen to her talk about those ‘wow’ moments where the realisation of how great a difference we can make with such small gestures sinks in like an epiphany. ‘When PCRF CEO Steve Sosebee himself emailed us,’ she recalls about one of her most recent ‘wow’ moments, ‘with photos of the teddy bears being handed out to the young children undergoing medical treatment in hospitals – that was a “wow” moment.’
Collection for the Art and Game appeal is running until April 30. ADCC have several drop off points around the capital. To find out how you can contribute to the campaign and where your nearest drop off point is, email: AbuDhabiCauseConnect@gmail.com To connect with ADCC go to www.facebook.com/AbuDhabiCauseConnect
