This #MadeInSandwell Monday we’re celebrating the community spirit and social responsibility demonstrated by two organisations in the borough. Sandwell shipping group KMB has donated computers to Smethwick charity Community Connect Foundation (CCF).

Set up in 1997, Community Connect Foundation strives to improve the social and economic wellbeing of disadvantaged local communities by providing opportunities for people to develop their skills, gain qualifications and improve their health.

With the help of managed funding from a variety of sources, CCF has been able to support more than 8,000 people across the region so far. Many of these people have gained qualifications and moved on to find employment.

The charity provides essential training opportunities, heath advice and youth development support to those that need it most and its success relies on its strong partnerships with statutory providers and community-based organisations. Much of Community Connect Foundation’s work is delivered on an outreach basis throughout Sandwell and Birmingham.

KMB Shipping Group first came across CCF through IT company Geex, and discovered the amazing work the charity does for communities across the borough. Impressed by its aim to provide high-quality services that enable people to flourish, grow, develop skills and the capacity to improve their quality of life, KMB wanted to contribute to this mission.

KMB shared Community Connect Foundation’s vision of a community working together, moving forward towards a better quality of life where every member of the community has the opportunity to thrive in education and employment.

KMB director Paul Hull, who is also a Sandwell Business Ambassador [LINK], said it was a privilege to make the donation to “such an amazing community organisation”.

“The unsung work and effort that is done on a daily basis is nothing short of heroic from Soyfur and his team. These community centres are the heart beats of local areas and make such a huge difference to so many lives. I urge everyone to help in any way they can as they need all the support possible”.

KMB is a worldwide freight forwarding company based in Sandwell. Its specialist areas are sea and air freight shipping, European logistics, bulk haulage and UK and domestic transport services.

As a leader in the industry, KMB is passionate about high levels of customer service and communication, and the company prides itself on being helpful and friendly. Established in 1987 KMB has since developed a reputation across the industry for professional, efficient and friendly services. It was the only Black Country recipient of a 2021 Queen’s Award for Enterprise [LINK]. 

As an extension of all this, KMB takes its social responsibility very seriously and was delighted to discover the work of CCF. It was more than happy to donate the computers to help the charity to continue its excellent work in the community.

Soyfur of CCF said: “Having these computers donated by KMB is a real help to the community as we have replaced our old computers which struggled to cope with newer and updated programmes. These computers will benefit our learners as they engage in IT training as many of our learners are not used to working with computers and this is a first time experience. Our work club users are also using these computers to carry out guided job searches, prepare CVs and make online job applications. The community uses these computers on a drop in basis to work independently or simply for browsing the internet. CCF would like to thank Paul and his company for this generous donation.”

#MadeInSandwell Monday is a celebration of the talent and diversity within our borough. If you’re interested in being considered for a #MadeInSandwell Monday profile and having information about your organisation shared on Think Sandwell and through Twitter, read this.

 

[Image shows Paul of KMB with Soyfur from CCF at an open day held by CCF.]