The Rosie May Foundation puts time and money into projects all over the world to help struggling children and families. The charity also gives lots of students the opportunity to gain some insightful work experience through their various internships, which is something Khatira and Emma have taken on this year.
Emma’s story:
I am a 21-year-old student at Nottingham Trent University, studying my final year of Journalism. I have lived in London my whole life with my mum, dad and older sister.
I first found out about the charity when my course interviewed Mary, over Microsoft Teams, in late 2020. This was to put in to practice some skills we had learnt about trauma reporting. I always enjoy guest speakers coming in as it provides something different to a normal lecture, but I am not normally as inspired as I was by Mary. My course and I were so thankful and moved by Mary, that we made a donation of £70 to the charity.
Mary told her story and all about the Rosie May Foundation and it just seemed like such an amazing charity. I think the thing that drew me in the most was how positive Mary is, despite everything that has happened to her. She mentioned at the end of the interview that there were some potential internships which people could get involved with and that, immediately, set off a light bulb in my head.
The fact Mary took the time to talk to us was so great and the charity changes lives all over the world. So, I wanted to get involved to learn more about it and give something back, no matter how big or small that was.
I sent Mary my CV and didn’t really think much of it but when Mary emailed me to say I had been successful, I was really excited. That brings me to where I am now. I started my internship in February 2021 and have already learnt so much. I thought that my journalism skills could help to write pieces which would help raise awareness for the charity and just get their name out there, as I think they don’t get as much recognition as they should!
The weekly meetings with Emma and Mary have been great to catchup on the work I have been doing in the past week but also just to have an informal catchup to see how everyone is doing. As I have never done anything like this, there were some anxious feelings, but I feel very supported at the Rosie May Foundation and I hope to continue my work with them for as long as I can!
Khatira’s story:
I am a 20-year-old student, also studying at Nottingham Trent University. I am on the Broadcast Journalism course and am originally from Afghanistan. I came to England in 2012 and I currently live in Peterborough.
I also found out about the Rosie May Foundation at university, when Mary was a guest in one of our lectures.
I was drawn to the charity because of their mantra of girl power, how passionate Mary is about the charity and how far it has developed. What drew me to Mary’s story was her energy and how she explained everything in such a calm manner. I knew instantly something about her reminded me of my mum, who passed away when I was 14. Mary seemed to have such passion and resilience for what she does, and my mum also had those qualities. She strived for greatness and she had faith in whatever she did. She raised me with love and passion, and she made sure I knew what I needed to know way before she left her physical body.
I feel like I’m drawn to this charity because, like Mary, I don’t believe in coincidences as when situations out of the ordinary happen it usually means there is an extraordinary reason behind it. After I lost my mother, it took me years to understand that death isn’t the end. Sometimes people leave because they are far better outside of the human form. Those we lose we gain in a different form.
For me, it’s a matter of similarity and familiarity with unexpected things that happened in Mary’s life. The exact way she feels Rosie May’s departure gave her a reason to do what she has, I feel like I can understand her because I know her daughter helped her start the Foundation and she will continue to do so by guiding her in all the areas of her life, just like I have come to understand and appreciate how my mum is able to guide and support me, regardless of her not being here in the physical form. That’s something I know for a fact because I feel her energy and I feel like it’s the same for Mary when it comes to her daughter.
Now that I have got the internship with the charity, I want to be able to help in any way I can. I want all girls to have equal opportunities, much like the charity’s visions. I want to turn my beliefs and understanding of the charity and help support them to raise awareness.
We are both excited to bring our skills together and create some, hopefully, great pieces of content for the charity! In the month of April, we are putting a spring in our step with our ‘Walk and Talk’ challenge where we aim to walk 5,000-10,000 steps, five days a week and raise £50 each for the Rosie May Foundation. If you would like to get involved or you would just like to support us, check out the charity’s social media pages for more details:
You can still donate, arrange a walk and talk with Mary or Emma or create your own ‘Walk and Talk’ fundraiser so please get in touch! We’d love you to help!
Instagram – @rosiemayfoundation
Facebook – Rosie May Foundation
Twitter – @RosieMayNPO
TikTok – @rosiemayfoundation
To make a donation to the Rosie May Foundation team taking part in the ‘Walk and Talk’ challenge, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/team/Aspringinyourstep