Fundraising for CHS: The Great Brussels Charity Bake Off is back

Benevolent bakers are gathering at the British Chamber of Commerce office on 1 March for the launch of the 2016 edition of the popular charity competition. Organised by the chamber’s young networking wing, Brussels New Generation, the bake off is raising money for the non-profit Community Help Service.

In a twist to the popular event, this year’s theme is music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. At next Tuesday’s cocktail reception, teams will be assigned to one of the three categories. And then they have three weeks to come up with a rocking recipe and chart-topping cake. The bake off final is on 21 March, hosted by the Brussels office of global legal firm Linklaters.

It is the first time that CHS is to benefit from the fundraiser. Chairman Geoff Brown says: “It was a very pleasant and welcome surprise.” Although the mental health centre is self-financing, the helpline is reliant on fundraising. “Unlike the French, Dutch and German speaking lines, we don’t have any outside subsidies. We have to seek funds elsewhere, from promotional sales such as our calendar, fundraising events, sponsorship, advertising on our website and donations,” says Brown.

Since its launch in 1971, CHS has been a lifeline for the international community. The free and confidential 24-hour English language helpline for children, adolescents and adults is a unique service, providing callers with reliable information and emergency support. “Calls can be about basic things such as ‘I need a doctor in Woluwe’, to support for loneliness, bereavement, depression, addiction, relationship problems and people contemplating suicide. It’s really the full range so we have to be ready for everything,” says Brown.

Equally equipped to tackle a spectrum of issues is the mental health centre team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and psychotherapists. Many of the experienced professionals also work in languages other than English. Among its expanding services is the assessment of learning difficulties, in French and German as well as English. For Brown, one of the important qualities of the centre is the ability of its professionals to work together as a team, “I think it is very positive that the therapists can get together and be self-supporting. I believe that they can handle pretty much anything that turns up.” While clients were once Anglophone expats, this has steadily evolved over the years. “The mental health centre had just over 700 new clients in 2015, from 38 different nationalities,” he says. For counselling, CHS can take into account individual financial circumstances. “No-one is turned away for lack of funds,” he adds.

Brown took over the chair from Rex Parker in 2015. The Northern Ireland native was a Director in the financial division of Euroclear until his retirement in 2011. Volunteering at CHS was high on his priorities. “I just thought it was something that could suit me. I was accustomed to playing a helpful role for people who were having trouble at work and I’m a good listener which is one of the main criteria, along with being empathetic and non-judgemental. It really is a very rewarding experience.”

Due to the transient nature of Belgium’s international community, CHS is continually looking to recruit voluntary staff to join the organisation. It runs regular training and mentoring sessions for helpline staff. Says Brown: “For the helpline, volunteers work on average ten hours a week, while for the office it varies from half a day to two days a week. People joining us have differing interests and skills and the main thing is that they have the right kind of chemistry to get on with callers or clients and within the organisation, which numbers more than 65 people.”

Helpline 02.648.40.14
Mental Health Centre 02.647.67.80
26 Avenue des Phalènes, 1000 Brussels