Damian Lewis is the proud patron of two charities, Cure EB and Sir Hubert von Herkomer Arts Foundation (HvH Arts). In the photo above, you see him with two formidable ladies: On the left is Debbi Clark, the founder and CEO of Sir HvH Arts, and on the right is Sharmila Collins, the founder and CEO of Cure EB. Two wonderful human beings that I feel so lucky to know!
And here I am kindly inviting you to consider giving to these two charities this holiday season. I am sharing information about both below as well as about how to donate to them.
The kids that are born with Recessive Dystropic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB) or EB for short lack the protein that holds their skin together. They have extremely fragile skin that they are sometimes called “butterfly children.” Lots of activities we take for granted as easy routines in our daily lives are a struggle for them. Can you imagine a day where your dressing up takes up to two hours and eating and drinking cause blisters in your mouth and throat? These kids have to deal with this kind of pain every single day. Besides, they are under extra risk to develop skin cancer later in life and their life expectancy is not very long.
Sharmila and James Collins are the two heroes behind Cure EB (formerly Sohana Research Fund) – a fund to raise awareness as well as money for research to ultimately have a cure for this terrible skin condition. The couple founded Cure EB because their daughter Sohana was born with this condition. Here is what Sohana, now a college student, says about EB.
Damian is on the trading floor every year on BGC Charity Day to raise money for Cure EB that would fund the on-going research projects to find a cure for this terrible skin condition. Cure EB is currently raising money via Big Give UK for The Gene Editing Project aimed at turning medical research into effective treatments, and eventually, cures for EB. Since Collins family covers the cost of events, fund-raising as well as the administration services for Cure EB, 100% of your donations will go into the gene editing project.
If you want to donate to Cure EB, the best time to do it is between 12 pm UK time December 3 to 12 pm UK time December 10, because donations will be DOUBLED by generous fund matchers! All you have to do is visit Cure EB on Big Give UK Christmas Challenge website, and donate securely. I did it for the last couple of years and I can vouch for the donation process to be quick and very secure. Please keep in mind that the matching funds could be limited so the earlier you donate, the more likely your donation will be doubled!
Helen McCrory was the patron of Sir Hubert Von Herkomer Arts Foundation (HvH Arts in short) a charity that is dedicated to ensuring every child is given a chance to connect with art when funding for the arts is squeezed out of the mainstream curriculum at schools.
A huge believer in that every child should have access to arts, Helen championed the charity starting on day one when it was founded in 2013. We saw her and Damian attending HvH Arts Student Exhibitions and chat with students about their art as well as working the phones on the trading floor to raise funds for the foundation over the years.
After Helen passed away in 2021, Damian kindly asked us to add HvH Arts to his charities on his fan site because he would now take over as the patron of HvH Arts. The family also kindly asked donations in memory of Helen be made to HvH Arts. And Debbi Clark, the CEO of Sir HvH Arts Foundation and Helen’s close friend, penned a tribute for her “beautiful one” and announced the ‘McCrory Award.’
“The ‘McCrory Award’ will be dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people who are gifted in their art, yet many do not have access to the resources, the training, the income to support them fulfill their dream. The ‘McCrory Award’ will make their dreams become a reality.”
When Damian attended the McCrory Awards exhibition in 2024, he discussed the urgent need for funding for underprivileged artists.
And this is exactly what Debbi aka “the pocket rocket” in Damian’s words, and her husband Mark did with HvH Arts. They galvanized this charity and gave an opportunity to underprivileged young people in Kentish Town and Camden to find their inner artist. But they need donations to keep the brilliant work they have been doing.
If you want to donate to Sir HvH Arts, you can always do so via their secure Just Giving page. You may also want to check out “I SPY, WHAT AM I “- a wonderful book of riddles and rhymes in the HvH Arts catalogue. All featured creatures in the book have been illustrated by HvH Arts’ young artists. It would make a fabulous holiday gift!
