Leus Family Foundation donates minibus to The Harrow Club

Dmitry Leus and Michael Defoe – the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The Harrow Club, which has six youth clubs across west London serving over 500 children and young people, has received a much-needed bus donated by the Leus Family Foundation.

The Harrow Club has been working with the local community since 1883. Their aim is to  address needs amongst young people related to disadvantage and poverty. The Club’s activities range from sports clubs to drama and dance.

Their network of clubs includes Harrow, Chelsea, Old Oak, Sands End, White City and Lancaster Road and welcomes children and young people between the ages of 8 and 21 years old, of whom 80 percent are eligible for free school meals, 90 percent are from ethnic minority backgrounds and 20 percent have been diagnosed with learning difficulties or disability issues.

Dmitry Leus and Michael Defoe with club members in the new minibus.

The local areas The Harrow Club works with have some of the highest rates of school exclusion in the country and many of the young people the club engages with are at risk of being recruited by gangs and drawn into gang-related conflict, making the Club’s work crucial.

The bus donated by the Leus Family Foundation will facilitate the transfer of young people between their activities and the different sites and will also open up the possibility of easier outings for the groups.

Michael Defoe, CEO of The Harrow Club, welcomed the donation: “We are delighted to receive this contribution. It will make a great difference to us to be able to transport the young people we work with using our own bus. We are very proud of the quality of programmes we offer to help young people learn and engage and this practical assistance is greatly appreciated. A big thank you to the Leus Family Foundation.”

Dmitry Leus with attendees of the Harrow Club.

Dmitry Leus, the founder of the Leus Family Foundation said:“I am a huge admirer of the work that the Harrow Club does, both their long-standing programmes and also the way they step up to address the most pressing current needs. They took the initiative to start a weekend programme for assist newly arrived young refugees from Afghanistan who are living in West London hotels. Their efforts with young people who are in danger of being recruited by gangs is vital. They have a real impact, helping the most marginalised young people to maximise their life chances and to enhance their personal development, getting them on the road to employment and building their resilience and well-being. It is a great pleasure to provide the bus as a practical support for this great work.”

To learn more about the work of The Harrow Club and to make adonation, please visit their Christmas appeal page.

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