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Enterprising Angels play Santa to Aldershot's homeless young people

Generous staff at Enterprise Rent-a-Car's UK Call Centre in Aldershot brought an added sparkle of Christmas cheer to the clients of Step by Step - the town's charity working with homeless young people – by providing each with a helpful and practical gift.

At the heart of the initiative was an 'Angel Tree', which was set up in the company's Birchett Road offices during December. Based on a traditional Christmas tree, it was decorated with attractive paper angels, each one giving details of a gift suitable for one of Step by Step's clients. Enterprise personnel then selected an 'angel' and committed to choosing and paying for the item from their own resources. The gifts listed included bedlinen, towels, watches, hair dryers, kettles, cooking utensils, tool kits and personal grooming items.
Virtually all the staff at Enterprise took part in the scheme, and as a result, over 50 gifts were delivered to Step by Step, ready for the clients to open and enjoy during their Christmas Day celebrations.

“Our people in Aldershot really got behind this scheme,” reports Lee Broughton, Corporate Communications Manager for Enterprise Europe. “A group from Step by Step came in to explain what they are doing, and we were really impressed by the breadth of their vision and the comprehensive range of projects designed to get young people out of the homelessness spiral. It was one of our staff who came up with the idea of the Angel Tree, and it quickly caught on as a practical way of showing our support and concern.”

He added, “Enterprise places a high value on making a strong positive contribution to the local community, and this seemed like an ideal way of achieving this aim. Our staff are very keen to strengthen our commitment to Step by Step during 2008.”

Amanda Dubarry, Step by Step's Chief Executive, said “Christmas can be a distressing time for our clients, when they feel lonely and friendless. The realisation that someone has taken the trouble to select and buy them a present is a great boost to their morale, as well as providing something practical that they can use during the coming year. We are tremendously grateful to everyone at Enterprise for their generosity and support, and look forward to developing our links with them in the coming months.”

Step by Step welcomes support from other local businesses committed to helping their community. In addition to providing a staged accommodation programme leading towards independence, Step by Step also helps to improve the area by providing training and development opportunities at its Daylight centre, while the D'n'A project provides counselling for those afflicted by substance abuse. HELP, its award-winning peer education team, goes out to schools and youth clubs to provide a powerful message about the difficulties and dangers of homelessness, based on their own experience.

©2008 Step by Step Partnership Ltd   :   Reg. Charity No. 900308    :   Company No. 2431825