Wellington Boys’ and Girls’ Institute (BGI)
Since August last year, the Challenge for Change Programme Co-ordinators received over 40 referrals for rangatahi to join the programme. They then completed home visits to explain the programme to all of the young people who were referred, along with their whānau. 20 volunteer mentors have now also completed the first five training sessions, and have been matched to their mentees.
A matching dinner was held on the 1st of March, where the rangatahi, with their whānau, met their mentors for the first time. A few days later, all of the new partnerships attended the Challenge for Change camp at El Rancho in Waikanae, which helped to cement the relationships between the mentors and mentees quickly, and the new friendships between the mentees, too. Camp was a real highlight for everyone involved, and helped us all to feel very excited and hopeful about the mahi that will be undertaken by the mentors and mentees together this year.
Since camp, the mentors have been seeing their mentees twice a week, with one session being dedicated to working through a journal that focuses on relevant experiences that the young people can reflect on, and the other session aimed at having fun. These twice weekly sessions will continue to the end of the programme in late November 2021. We have also now completed the first three out of ten scheduled sessions of the Te Awhi parenting programme, which runs alongside Challenge for Change .
A matching dinner was held on the 1st of March, where the rangatahi, with their whānau, met their mentors for the first time. A few days later, all of the new partnerships attended the Challenge for Change camp at El Rancho in Waikanae, which helped to cement the relationships between the mentors and mentees quickly, and the new friendships between the mentees, too. Camp was a real highlight for everyone involved, and helped us all to feel very excited and hopeful about the mahi that will be undertaken by the mentors and mentees together this year.
Since camp, the mentors have been seeing their mentees twice a week, with one session being dedicated to working through a journal that focuses on relevant experiences that the young people can reflect on, and the other session aimed at having fun. These twice weekly sessions will continue to the end of the programme in late November 2021. We have also now completed the first three out of ten scheduled sessions of the Te Awhi parenting programme, which runs alongside Challenge for Change .
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Christchurch
Our grant from Thankyou Charitable Trust was used to screen, train and support new volunteer mentors like Maiera and Hamish. BBBS volunteers make a big difference in the life of the young person they mentor. Tamariki with mentors experience an increase in self confidence, make better life choices and have a more positive outlook on life.
Maiera and Greer met for the first time together over a hot chocolate to talk about all the things they can do together in the future, and they already have their own handshake too! They are looking forward to making Tik Tok videos, going for walks and exploring all our city has to offer.
When they met Hamish and Tobey hit it off immediately! They plan on going biking, watching movies, going to lots of parks, exploring the bike park, and especially lots and lots of talking and laughing. Tobey could not have had a bigger smile knowing that Hamish is now his big brother.
We are grateful to Thankyou Charitable Trust for supporting these new friendships!
Maiera and Greer met for the first time together over a hot chocolate to talk about all the things they can do together in the future, and they already have their own handshake too! They are looking forward to making Tik Tok videos, going for walks and exploring all our city has to offer.
When they met Hamish and Tobey hit it off immediately! They plan on going biking, watching movies, going to lots of parks, exploring the bike park, and especially lots and lots of talking and laughing. Tobey could not have had a bigger smile knowing that Hamish is now his big brother.
We are grateful to Thankyou Charitable Trust for supporting these new friendships!
Maeira and Greer
Hamish and Toby
Kingdom Resources
‘Taking the First Step’ is transformational programme run from Kingdom Resources’ office in Addington. The course is designed to empower, equip, and build confidence in women (over the age of 20) who are looking to gain employment and/or take a step forward in life.With the help of the Thankyou Charitable Trust, we were able to help women discover their strengths, goals, skills, passions, and direction for future employment. There were lots of laughs, reflections, and new-found positivity as these women developed practical tools to navigate their future.
It’s been amazing to see the attendees’ self-esteem and confidence grow! Some fantastic feedback from our attendees includes:
“It has honestly changed my life in such a short time. I’m a more confident, happy, valuable woman.”
”I found I have unlocked a lot of keys to my true self, and I feel more confident and motivated.”
“It has been lifechanging, informative, fun, entertaining, and awesome.”
“The course was the greatest gift I have ever received”.
Kingdom Resources is grateful to Thankyou Charitable Trust for helping support women to explore future possibilities, discover their strengths & skills, and be inspired to move ahead with confidence and courage.
It’s been amazing to see the attendees’ self-esteem and confidence grow! Some fantastic feedback from our attendees includes:
“It has honestly changed my life in such a short time. I’m a more confident, happy, valuable woman.”
”I found I have unlocked a lot of keys to my true self, and I feel more confident and motivated.”
“It has been lifechanging, informative, fun, entertaining, and awesome.”
“The course was the greatest gift I have ever received”.
Kingdom Resources is grateful to Thankyou Charitable Trust for helping support women to explore future possibilities, discover their strengths & skills, and be inspired to move ahead with confidence and courage.
Some of the workshop participants.
Greater Hornby Residents Association
The Greater Hornby Residents Association is extremely grateful to the Thank you Charitable Trust for our grant recently which went towards the purchase cost of one of our new speaker systems to assist with our two “Hornby Can Food Drives” that we hold at the start and end of daylight saving.
The grant will allow residents to hear more clearly when we are in their street collecting cans for the Food Bank which will lead to more cans being collected and our local Food Banks being in a stronger position to meet the needs of our community.
Thank you to the Thank You Charitable Trust for your grant it will make a massive improvement to our Food Drives.
The grant will allow residents to hear more clearly when we are in their street collecting cans for the Food Bank which will lead to more cans being collected and our local Food Banks being in a stronger position to meet the needs of our community.
Thank you to the Thank You Charitable Trust for your grant it will make a massive improvement to our Food Drives.
Otepoti Dunedin Carrier Library
Otepoti Dunedin Carrier Library is a volunteer-run parenting organisation. At our monthly meets we show parents and caregivers how to comfortably and safely carry babies and young children in carriers. We have a library of carriers that can be hired for a small monthly hireage fee of $10. We are also able to help people to use carriers they already own. We hold meets once a month, on the last Wednesday morning of the month. These monthly meets are held at the Plunket rooms in the South City Mall.
Carrying your baby or young child close to you can be beneficial for many reasons. It provides comfort to the child. Being held in an upright position can be soothing for babies with colic and reflux. The parent or caregiver can have their hands freed up to do routine daily tasks or attend to other children’s needs. The close contact can help both parents and other important whānau members bond with the child. It is also great for social and cognitive development, as the child is able to see more when they are up higher and tend to have more face to face interaction with other adults and their caregiver.
In addition to our monthly meets we hold workshops that focus on a specific part of baby carrying. These are held on a weekend so allow parents and caregivers who are not able to get to a week day meet to attend. Our most recent workshop was focussed on back carrying. Carrying a child on your back can give you more freedom to do everyday tasks. It can also be useful for children who want to look around a lot.
The cost of room hire is a significant portion of our operating cost. It is important for us to have adequate space to be able to demonstrate and assist people with carriers. It is also important that our meets are held at a location that is accessible to the community. The Thankyou Charitable Trust grant was gratefully received to enable us to cover one year of monthly and workshop hires.
If you would like to contact us for any more information or to find out any more details about our meets find us at:
facebook.com/otepotidunedincarrierlibrary
instagram.com/otepotidunedincarrierlibrary
dunedinbabywearing@gmail.com"
Carrying your baby or young child close to you can be beneficial for many reasons. It provides comfort to the child. Being held in an upright position can be soothing for babies with colic and reflux. The parent or caregiver can have their hands freed up to do routine daily tasks or attend to other children’s needs. The close contact can help both parents and other important whānau members bond with the child. It is also great for social and cognitive development, as the child is able to see more when they are up higher and tend to have more face to face interaction with other adults and their caregiver.
In addition to our monthly meets we hold workshops that focus on a specific part of baby carrying. These are held on a weekend so allow parents and caregivers who are not able to get to a week day meet to attend. Our most recent workshop was focussed on back carrying. Carrying a child on your back can give you more freedom to do everyday tasks. It can also be useful for children who want to look around a lot.
The cost of room hire is a significant portion of our operating cost. It is important for us to have adequate space to be able to demonstrate and assist people with carriers. It is also important that our meets are held at a location that is accessible to the community. The Thankyou Charitable Trust grant was gratefully received to enable us to cover one year of monthly and workshop hires.
If you would like to contact us for any more information or to find out any more details about our meets find us at:
facebook.com/otepotidunedincarrierlibrary
instagram.com/otepotidunedincarrierlibrary
dunedinbabywearing@gmail.com"
Look! No Hands!
Mornington Playcentre
Earlier this year Mornington Playcentre received resources paid for via our Thankyou Charitable Trust grant. The children and parents were very excited to receive these beautiful resources which were chosen specifically to promote wellbeing in our Playcentre community.
When considering the different aspects of wellbeing, our centre recognised that normalising marginalised identities would create a greater sense of belonging in our community. We selected resources within which parents and tamariki of all walks of life could see themselves. The resources included dolls with Asian features, books on people from a range of family structures, life circumstances and gender identities. We also selected a Maori pā resource to enrich our play area.
The resources not only allow current members to feel seen and accepted but also open the door for discussion with our tamariki and families about the diversity of life. We also see the resources providing a greater welcoming environment to future families who may join us.
We'd like to thank the Thankyou Charitable Trust for helping us create a richer experience for all whānau that join our centre. We appreciate that you have supported us in our goal to increase a sense of wellbeing at Morning Playcentre.
When considering the different aspects of wellbeing, our centre recognised that normalising marginalised identities would create a greater sense of belonging in our community. We selected resources within which parents and tamariki of all walks of life could see themselves. The resources included dolls with Asian features, books on people from a range of family structures, life circumstances and gender identities. We also selected a Maori pā resource to enrich our play area.
The resources not only allow current members to feel seen and accepted but also open the door for discussion with our tamariki and families about the diversity of life. We also see the resources providing a greater welcoming environment to future families who may join us.
We'd like to thank the Thankyou Charitable Trust for helping us create a richer experience for all whānau that join our centre. We appreciate that you have supported us in our goal to increase a sense of wellbeing at Morning Playcentre.
Wood Hatton Playcentre
Wood Hatton Playcentre has been part of the Wainuiomata community since the 1970’s and is situated in Wood Street near the Coast Road. It is a parent-led early childhood education centre, catering for tamariki from birth right up to school age. We currently have approximately 20 children enrolled, from new-born to 5 years, attending three sessions per week.
We were delighted to receive a grant from the Thankyou Charitable Trust last year to purchase new bikes and a trike for our centre. With the money we received we were able to purchase one fire truck tandem trike and three balance bikes. These are being used very enthusiastically by the tamariki at our centre.
Having a variety of bikes available at Playcentre has been great for our children and is a very popular activity. We have a large outside area where the children like to race around, developing their bike riding skills, as well as their social skills, interacting with each other and using their imaginations. The tandem trike is particularly popular for imaginative play and is often used by older children driving younger ones around in the rear seat. This is great for fostering a tuakana/teina relationship - older/younger siblings. The balance bikes help to develop balancing skills used later for riding pedal bikes. We are sure that the bikes we have purchased will get a lot of use in the years to come.
We were delighted to receive a grant from the Thankyou Charitable Trust last year to purchase new bikes and a trike for our centre. With the money we received we were able to purchase one fire truck tandem trike and three balance bikes. These are being used very enthusiastically by the tamariki at our centre.
Having a variety of bikes available at Playcentre has been great for our children and is a very popular activity. We have a large outside area where the children like to race around, developing their bike riding skills, as well as their social skills, interacting with each other and using their imaginations. The tandem trike is particularly popular for imaginative play and is often used by older children driving younger ones around in the rear seat. This is great for fostering a tuakana/teina relationship - older/younger siblings. The balance bikes help to develop balancing skills used later for riding pedal bikes. We are sure that the bikes we have purchased will get a lot of use in the years to come.
Mornington School
We used the grant from the Thankyou Charitable Trust to transform our tired school entrance way into a Leavers’ Garden. Our plan is to have each graduating Year 6 class co-construct a concrete footprint for their year which will be placed in the garden. The footsteps signify these students taking their steps out into the world after their time at Mornington School. We hope that in years to come, students will revisit the school and be able to see these life markers.
Again we really want to thank the Thankyou Charitable Trust for making this legacy work possible.
Again we really want to thank the Thankyou Charitable Trust for making this legacy work possible.
The garden, just after it was planted
Jessie's Mural Project
I had an idea that my ugly brick garage wall bordering the Kirriemuir Park could be made into something magical. Thanks to the generosity of Thankyou Charitable Trust, DCC Keep NZ Beautiful + Neighbourhood matching grant, and talented artist Claire Rye my dream has come true! It's been fun to see local children involved in the project, bringing together neighbours who had not previously met at a community picnic, as well as with creating something beautiful for all ages to enjoy.
Kaikorai Valley College
We used our grant to allow our year 9 students to attend the "Failing Well, Learning Resilience" programme. The programme was delivered by Alan Reilly who represents an organisation called The Art of Learning, New Zealand. It is taught in over 300 schools in 34 countries and is a specialist in the teaching of 21st Century skills.
The programme focused on what are considered the ‘soft skills’ for learning with a particular focus on resilience in learning. The students were taught about ‘failing well’ which included:
- Acknowledging failures
- Taking responsibility for their own actions
- Working out what they did wrong
- Making changes
It was an excellent and valuable day for our Year 9 students who have given a lot of positive feedback. Our hope is that the students will take some of the learning and new skills and apply them to their work in the classroom.
Alan also presented a professional development session to the staff after school on Monday. It was an entertaining and interesting session with a number of ideas that stimulated thinking from the staff, and provided some ideas for use in their teaching.
Kaikorai Valley College would like to sincerely thank the Thankyou Charitable Trust for the funding support that enabled us to run this programme for our students and school.
The programme focused on what are considered the ‘soft skills’ for learning with a particular focus on resilience in learning. The students were taught about ‘failing well’ which included:
- Acknowledging failures
- Taking responsibility for their own actions
- Working out what they did wrong
- Making changes
It was an excellent and valuable day for our Year 9 students who have given a lot of positive feedback. Our hope is that the students will take some of the learning and new skills and apply them to their work in the classroom.
Alan also presented a professional development session to the staff after school on Monday. It was an entertaining and interesting session with a number of ideas that stimulated thinking from the staff, and provided some ideas for use in their teaching.
Kaikorai Valley College would like to sincerely thank the Thankyou Charitable Trust for the funding support that enabled us to run this programme for our students and school.
The year 9 students engaging in the "Failing Well, Learning Resilience" programme
Wakari Kindergarten
We used the money to create a community garden. These have now been built and producing food for our local kindergarten community. The children have eagerly been involved in planting, maintaining and harvesting food to share with others. We have also bought a worm farm, compost bins and children sized tools (gloves, rakes and spades). This area compliments our established orchard providing food for children, families and wider community.
It's hard work, but the rewards are worth it!
Brockville Kindergarten
A HUGE kia ora/thank you to the Thankyou Charitable Trust for the funds to purchase our wonderful whare to support the bicultural programme at our kindergarten. The mokopuna love it, and it gives us opportunities to talk from a Māori world view. Kia ora, kia ora, kia ora.
The first sunrise on the new whare
Wainuiomata Playcentre
Wainuiomata Playcentre is a parent-led early learning centre, that has been supporting the Wainuiomata Community for many years. We cater for the needs of pre-school children from ages 0-6. Parents are directly involved in the session planning and management of the Playcentre, with a supervisor that supports the sessions. We have a range of cultures, and run a bilingual session to keep our commitment to Te Kananga Maori. We keep the fees low to keep the Playcentre available to everyone in the community.
Wainuiomata playcentre has been grateful for the funding received from Thankyou Charitable Trust. The money received from this grant has enabled us to purchase a new bench seat. We are completing the renovations to our
playground, and the bench seat will replace the old donated school seat. We are making the playground more inviting for our Tamāriki. We hope the seat will encourage children’s imaginary play and act as a quiet place to sit with an adult. The seat remembers those that have moved on, and benefits the new generation of Tamāriki that attend.
Wainuiomata playcentre has been grateful for the funding received from Thankyou Charitable Trust. The money received from this grant has enabled us to purchase a new bench seat. We are completing the renovations to our
playground, and the bench seat will replace the old donated school seat. We are making the playground more inviting for our Tamāriki. We hope the seat will encourage children’s imaginary play and act as a quiet place to sit with an adult. The seat remembers those that have moved on, and benefits the new generation of Tamāriki that attend.
Acting Out
Acting Out NZ is Wainuiomata’s youth theatre where three volunteers work with youth aged nine years and over on a weekly basis. At these weekly sessions, children are taught stagecraft and vocal skills through fun games and activities. Annually, the children are given the opportunity to audition for and perform a junior version of a well-known musical to the local community. This year they’re performing Disney’s Aladdin Jr. Acting Out NZ is extremely grateful to the Thankyou Charitable Trust who helped make this possible by contributing towards the costs of securing the show’s licensing fee.
The cast of 2020's show 'The Wizard of Oz: Young Performer's Edition'
The Petone Beach Clean Up Crew
The Petone beach clean up crew has been cleaning areas of Petone beach since 2017. In Jan 2020 Noelene Angus and Lorraine Shaab took on the mission to clean up the Turakirae Head Seal Colony out at the Wainui Coast. We have regular trips out to the coast (with any other friends we can round up ) and we spend a solid 6 hours plus picking up rubbish. This has resulted in 2042 tonnes of rubbish removed throughout the year.
We've collected:
187 coffee sacks filled with rubbish
12 commercial craypots
48 tyres
2 mussel buoys, which we donated to the Wellington zoo as playtoys for the carnivores and primates.
The funding we received from the Thankyou Charitable Trust was used to buy two robust trolleys to use out the coast to bring back the full sacks , craypots and bulky items that we were struggling to carry out of the isolated areas.
The trolleys have been worth their weight in gold saving us from having to carry the rubbish out.
We've collected:
187 coffee sacks filled with rubbish
12 commercial craypots
48 tyres
2 mussel buoys, which we donated to the Wellington zoo as playtoys for the carnivores and primates.
The funding we received from the Thankyou Charitable Trust was used to buy two robust trolleys to use out the coast to bring back the full sacks , craypots and bulky items that we were struggling to carry out of the isolated areas.
The trolleys have been worth their weight in gold saving us from having to carry the rubbish out.
One of the trollies, piled up with beach rubbish.
Heart Kids Wellington
Heart Kids Wellington are incredibly grateful for the grant received from Thankyou Charitable Trust in 2020. In what was an incredibly challenging year for our community, the grant allowed us to provide some of our Wainuiomata families with financial support in the form of petrol and supermarket vouchers when making visits.
We have some high needs families in the Wainuiomata region at the moment with one family in particular going through a rough time. They have recently been given 90 days notice to move out of their rental which has created a lot of extra stress. The grant from Thankyou Charitable Trust has allowed us to offer her subsidised counselling which will be used when the family have moved house.
One family with a 3 year old Heart Kid said “Thank you so much…..what a nice surprise. It was all so generous and really appreciated. Thanks for everything and the work that you do.”
We have some high needs families in the Wainuiomata region at the moment with one family in particular going through a rough time. They have recently been given 90 days notice to move out of their rental which has created a lot of extra stress. The grant from Thankyou Charitable Trust has allowed us to offer her subsidised counselling which will be used when the family have moved house.
One family with a 3 year old Heart Kid said “Thank you so much…..what a nice surprise. It was all so generous and really appreciated. Thanks for everything and the work that you do.”
Ignite Sport
Ignite Sport has really appreciated the generous funding from the Thankyou Charitable Trust which enabled its Oho Ake programmes to provide breakfast and/or lunches for the young people they regularly engage with in the Wainuiomata community.
Oho Ake provides positive mentoring, support and adventure-based learning experiences for young people disengaging from education, aged between 11 – 16 years of age who attend Wainuiomata Intermediate,
Wainuiomata High School and Te Rangatahi Learning Centre. With the provision of healthy breakfasts and
lunches, these young people have been able to fully participate in all the physical activities during the day eg
rock climbing, sports, team building as well as being able to focus and concentrate during workshops and
mentoring.
Young people’s feedback from participating in Oho Ake.
∙ I’ve learnt to be proud of what I do and what I achieve. This has made me a lot more confident.
∙ I feel like it has changed me by teaching values and all the leaders gave me confidence in myself.
∙ It changed me because I made new friends and I love Ignite Sports and Ignite Sports made me feel good in my body. I learnt to cook.
Oho Ake provides positive mentoring, support and adventure-based learning experiences for young people disengaging from education, aged between 11 – 16 years of age who attend Wainuiomata Intermediate,
Wainuiomata High School and Te Rangatahi Learning Centre. With the provision of healthy breakfasts and
lunches, these young people have been able to fully participate in all the physical activities during the day eg
rock climbing, sports, team building as well as being able to focus and concentrate during workshops and
mentoring.
Young people’s feedback from participating in Oho Ake.
∙ I’ve learnt to be proud of what I do and what I achieve. This has made me a lot more confident.
∙ I feel like it has changed me by teaching values and all the leaders gave me confidence in myself.
∙ It changed me because I made new friends and I love Ignite Sports and Ignite Sports made me feel good in my body. I learnt to cook.
Dunedin Parents Centre
The Dunedin Parent Centre is a busy place. During the day we have volunteers running playgroups, weekday evenings we often have childbirth education classes, and in the weekends and other evenings the centre is booked for kids parties, meetings or events by DPC members or the public. As we have so many people accessing our venue, security is of great importance to us. We bought the new E-Lok system from Beggs and had it installed last week. It is looking fantastic and is very easy to use and we have already transitioned to using it for all our house bookings which has increased security for the centre.
The new locking system
Ulalei Sports Club
The Ulalei Sports Club thanks the Thankyou Charitable Trust for its sponsorship this season.
The funds were used to buy new uniforms, hoodys and equipment for our flag football and touch football teams. Our four teams play in the two Wainuiomata competitions at Wise Park and Wainuiomata High School.
Ulalei was originally formed in the village of Vaiala near Apia in Western Samoa (as it then was). Originally the club’s focus was on rugby union.
With the great migration to New Zealand in the 1960s and 70s, the club was set up in Auckland by members from the Ulalei club. In 1995, Ulalei Wellington was established, headed by Wainuiomata patriots Fauono Ken Laban and Luamanuvao Winnie Laban. The focus initially was on touch football with the kaupapa being about involving the younger generation.
In 2019 after a lengthy period in the wilderness Ulalei returned to the summer sports competitions playing in the Wainuiomata rugby club’s touch football competition and the Wainuiomata rugby league club’s flag football competition. Ulalei won the Wainuiomata Rugby Club touch competition in 2020, but the ethos of the club is about more than that.
These teams have been entered with the kaupapa of getting our children active and off the devices, whilst also supporting the local club competitions. The flag football competition in particular is about having parents and their children playing on the same field together. Looking forward, this new generation will take over the running of the Ulalei club to ensure the name retains its relevance. Ulalei is now proud that this season it fielded two grandfathers including Fauono Ken Laban, this time playing with his granddaughter.
The funds were used to buy new uniforms, hoodys and equipment for our flag football and touch football teams. Our four teams play in the two Wainuiomata competitions at Wise Park and Wainuiomata High School.
Ulalei was originally formed in the village of Vaiala near Apia in Western Samoa (as it then was). Originally the club’s focus was on rugby union.
With the great migration to New Zealand in the 1960s and 70s, the club was set up in Auckland by members from the Ulalei club. In 1995, Ulalei Wellington was established, headed by Wainuiomata patriots Fauono Ken Laban and Luamanuvao Winnie Laban. The focus initially was on touch football with the kaupapa being about involving the younger generation.
In 2019 after a lengthy period in the wilderness Ulalei returned to the summer sports competitions playing in the Wainuiomata rugby club’s touch football competition and the Wainuiomata rugby league club’s flag football competition. Ulalei won the Wainuiomata Rugby Club touch competition in 2020, but the ethos of the club is about more than that.
These teams have been entered with the kaupapa of getting our children active and off the devices, whilst also supporting the local club competitions. The flag football competition in particular is about having parents and their children playing on the same field together. Looking forward, this new generation will take over the running of the Ulalei club to ensure the name retains its relevance. Ulalei is now proud that this season it fielded two grandfathers including Fauono Ken Laban, this time playing with his granddaughter.
Grandfather 1: Fauono Ken Laban in action on the field
Pregnancy Help Otago
Pregnancy Help bought all of this beautiful merino wool from funding granted by the Thankyou Charitable Trust, and the Otago Community Trust. It is all being knitted up by their wonderful community of knitters, and will help to keep babies warm with singlets, booties, and hats once the cold weather arrives again next year.
A pile of gorgeous, warm wool, all ready to be knitted.
Twigger Street Plunket
This project was an idea that came from the popularity of the clothing area in Aranui, where we have clothing suitable for newborn through to 5 years of age. The idea is that people can come in and receive clothing for their children. Some may not be able to afford clothing, circumstances have changed for some especially in these unusual times, people who prefer to recycle and not see so many clothing going to land fill. This is also a place where we can put the knitting that we get donated by some pretty spectacular groups that keep our babies warm.
The units and bins that we brought with the help of the Thankyou Charitable Trust allows our parents/caregivers to see the clothing that's available, and it allows them to choose the clothes for their children. This gives parents choice which is really powerful. People who take clothing often come back with the pieces that have been outgrown. Exchanging the clothing gives the feeling that they are also giving back and helping others creating the sense of community.
The units and bins that we brought with the help of the Thankyou Charitable Trust allows our parents/caregivers to see the clothing that's available, and it allows them to choose the clothes for their children. This gives parents choice which is really powerful. People who take clothing often come back with the pieces that have been outgrown. Exchanging the clothing gives the feeling that they are also giving back and helping others creating the sense of community.
Just look how organised!
CDN Trust Teen Adventure Camp
Camp began Saturday morning with 19 young people. Once we arrived at the site we had a jam packed Saturday with lots of sports and games, group activities and then some team building challenges
Jasper spoke this camp on what kind of different ‘friends’ you can have in your life. Peripheral friends, friends that are closer (the good influences and the bad), inner circle friends that are so close they can develop to be family. For a visual element he had a balloon and used static electricity to demonstrate how we lose friends over time and when we have ‘bumps’ in life
On the Sunday we went to Adrenalin forest where everyone had an amazing time, lots of people challenged themselves and those who were not wanting to climb, hung out at a picnic table where we sang songs, played cards and cooked the sausages for lunch. The afternoon went really quickly and before we knew it, it was time to head back to the campsite to gather around for poroporoaki. We took turns sharing a highlight of camp or thank-yous. We reiterated the idea of finding a youth community to be a part of going forward from camp. Some of the things shared as being camper’s highlights included the food, laser tag, adrenalin forest and archery but there were also lots of campers who spoke about valuing the connections with leaders and the friendships they made on camp which was so cool to hear!
Jasper spoke this camp on what kind of different ‘friends’ you can have in your life. Peripheral friends, friends that are closer (the good influences and the bad), inner circle friends that are so close they can develop to be family. For a visual element he had a balloon and used static electricity to demonstrate how we lose friends over time and when we have ‘bumps’ in life
On the Sunday we went to Adrenalin forest where everyone had an amazing time, lots of people challenged themselves and those who were not wanting to climb, hung out at a picnic table where we sang songs, played cards and cooked the sausages for lunch. The afternoon went really quickly and before we knew it, it was time to head back to the campsite to gather around for poroporoaki. We took turns sharing a highlight of camp or thank-yous. We reiterated the idea of finding a youth community to be a part of going forward from camp. Some of the things shared as being camper’s highlights included the food, laser tag, adrenalin forest and archery but there were also lots of campers who spoke about valuing the connections with leaders and the friendships they made on camp which was so cool to hear!
Some of the fabulous campers!
Manuka Cottage Addington Community House
Manuka Cottage Addington Community House Incorporated is a Community Development Hub that delivers activities, groups and projects as a platform to connect, to improve the well-being of those who live in Addington and to inspire Addington to develop, enhance and strengthen their own local identity.
One project that assists with this is the Addington Times. The Addington Times has benefited greatly from the financial support received from Thank You Charitable Trust. In this last year volunteers dedicated a whopping 924 hours to this project in editing, proof reading, writing articles, taking photos and delivering to every mail box in Addington. We have seen a greater uptake in interest in what is happening at a local level. People have appreciated being informed of local events, COVID related information, reading about local entities and so much more!
At a recent event 2 different people came up to me and said how much they love the Addington Times. They were both professional people who were pleased that their local community had this fabulous asset in their own backyard. Another person excitedly told me they can’t wait for the next edition and they always look out for it in their mail box. Another comment was ‘I love recognising people in the newsletter and often enjoy reading about people I have seen in passing’.
You can read the latest edition of the Addington Times on our website.
One project that assists with this is the Addington Times. The Addington Times has benefited greatly from the financial support received from Thank You Charitable Trust. In this last year volunteers dedicated a whopping 924 hours to this project in editing, proof reading, writing articles, taking photos and delivering to every mail box in Addington. We have seen a greater uptake in interest in what is happening at a local level. People have appreciated being informed of local events, COVID related information, reading about local entities and so much more!
At a recent event 2 different people came up to me and said how much they love the Addington Times. They were both professional people who were pleased that their local community had this fabulous asset in their own backyard. Another person excitedly told me they can’t wait for the next edition and they always look out for it in their mail box. Another comment was ‘I love recognising people in the newsletter and often enjoy reading about people I have seen in passing’.
You can read the latest edition of the Addington Times on our website.
Injury Prevention team, Dunedin Plunket
The Injury Prevention team at Dunedin Plunket have recently received a grant from Thankyou Charitable Trust, and we have had a busy few months putting our funds to work! The majority of our grant was used to fund our bike decorating station at our recent Family Bike Day event, that we put on at Marlow Park in collaboration with DCC and NZ Police. Our event was a huge success, with lots of happy children on their newly decorated bikes and caregivers who were engaged with our safety messages.
In addition to Family Bike Day, we have used our grant to provide car seat education at Catholic Social Services, Little Citizens daycare, SPACE at Rainbow Preschool and St Kilda Kindergarten. Through our car seat education talks, we have been able to reach and support families and whanau who otherwise may not have sought help on their own. Thank you very much for supporting our work in keeping South Dunedin tamariki safe!
In addition to Family Bike Day, we have used our grant to provide car seat education at Catholic Social Services, Little Citizens daycare, SPACE at Rainbow Preschool and St Kilda Kindergarten. Through our car seat education talks, we have been able to reach and support families and whanau who otherwise may not have sought help on their own. Thank you very much for supporting our work in keeping South Dunedin tamariki safe!
Look at those decorations!
St John, Dunedin
Funds raised through our St John Community Shop supports our ambulance operations and local community health services. Our volunteers help us step forward, when help is needed for better, for life. How we reward and recognise volunteers is a critical component of their entire journey with St John. While volunteers are, by the very nature of their role, not paid, their activities should incur no personal cost. These funds allowed us to reimburse our volunteers costs.
The team!
Dunedin Community Transport Trust
I would like to pass on the gratitude of the Dunedin Community Transport Trust and our wonderful clients for the support you have given us with the recent grant we received.
The funds have enabled us, The Plus Bus, to continue running in Dunedin allowing our clients to do their own grocery shopping each week. Many of our clients are elderly and no longer driving. Because we collect each client from their home, offer support in the supermarket when needed and carrying the shopping into the house, our ladies and gents remain independent. The added bonus is the social interaction with people at a similar stage of life. The runs have become quite a social outing for some who would be otherwise isolated.
The Plus Bus is an affordable way for people to do something most take for granted.
The grant we received from Thankyou Charitable Trust was used towards operating costs and having this money helps more than words could say.
The funds have enabled us, The Plus Bus, to continue running in Dunedin allowing our clients to do their own grocery shopping each week. Many of our clients are elderly and no longer driving. Because we collect each client from their home, offer support in the supermarket when needed and carrying the shopping into the house, our ladies and gents remain independent. The added bonus is the social interaction with people at a similar stage of life. The runs have become quite a social outing for some who would be otherwise isolated.
The Plus Bus is an affordable way for people to do something most take for granted.
The grant we received from Thankyou Charitable Trust was used towards operating costs and having this money helps more than words could say.
Good Night Sleep Tight Charitable Trust
2020 has been a hard year for a lot of people, especially those in our community in need.
Good Night Sleep Tight Charitable Trust is delighted to have been a recipient of a generous Grant from Thank You Charitable Trust. The grant will mean that 15 plus children in our community (Addington postcode) will benefit from warm winter Bedding and Sleepwear. This will mean they will go to bed warmer and get a good nights sleep, ready to thrive at school the next day.
Good Night Sleep Tight Charitable Trust is delighted to have been a recipient of a generous Grant from Thank You Charitable Trust. The grant will mean that 15 plus children in our community (Addington postcode) will benefit from warm winter Bedding and Sleepwear. This will mean they will go to bed warmer and get a good nights sleep, ready to thrive at school the next day.
And it tasted good too. Well, maybe not!
1st Wainuiomata Parish Scout Group
Thank you very much for helping us to purchase new equipment for expressive, creative arts and hands-on activities!
We do a range of activities with a focus on expressive/creative art, with our time of heaviest craft gear use is in the winter months. We often also fall-back to our Craft Cupboard for inspiration when we have rained-out Sessions, or times of restriction when we must stay at the Den. We also have annual Lower Hutt Zone events that we prepare for which rely on a well-equipped Craft Cupboard.
We decorated our Den using new craft supplies, ready for our Halloween Disco 2020! It was fantastic having the staplers, tape dispensers, scissors, craft knives all ready and available for use! This let our Cubs stretch their creative skills which they would normally use in the run up to the annual Lower Hutt Zone winter Cub Concert and Cub Model Making Competition! Our Cubs made Hinaki to go eeling by cutting open old milk bottles, stapling cutting off the ends of socks, stapling the socks to the bottles and tying on a stringhold. Cubs also regularly convert a cart into a spaceship or similar for themed camps.
In the Winter Terms our Scouts typically have a cooking skills focus as we normally have the local Lower Hutt Zone Winter Camp (and cooking) Competition. As well as our staple indoor activities such as lashing and light woodwork, Scout activities also include such challenges as carving swans from apples.
Our craft cupboard supplies have gone a long way to making sure that we have good, reliable equipment for our indoor activities, whether decorating the den, making keychain holders, swans out of apples, or face-masks for hygiene.
We do a range of activities with a focus on expressive/creative art, with our time of heaviest craft gear use is in the winter months. We often also fall-back to our Craft Cupboard for inspiration when we have rained-out Sessions, or times of restriction when we must stay at the Den. We also have annual Lower Hutt Zone events that we prepare for which rely on a well-equipped Craft Cupboard.
We decorated our Den using new craft supplies, ready for our Halloween Disco 2020! It was fantastic having the staplers, tape dispensers, scissors, craft knives all ready and available for use! This let our Cubs stretch their creative skills which they would normally use in the run up to the annual Lower Hutt Zone winter Cub Concert and Cub Model Making Competition! Our Cubs made Hinaki to go eeling by cutting open old milk bottles, stapling cutting off the ends of socks, stapling the socks to the bottles and tying on a stringhold. Cubs also regularly convert a cart into a spaceship or similar for themed camps.
In the Winter Terms our Scouts typically have a cooking skills focus as we normally have the local Lower Hutt Zone Winter Camp (and cooking) Competition. As well as our staple indoor activities such as lashing and light woodwork, Scout activities also include such challenges as carving swans from apples.
Our craft cupboard supplies have gone a long way to making sure that we have good, reliable equipment for our indoor activities, whether decorating the den, making keychain holders, swans out of apples, or face-masks for hygiene.
Swans carved from apples!
SuperGrans Dunedin
SuperGrans is a group of volunteer mentors who are trained and supported to help younger people who may be struggling, for whatever reason, to obtain the basic life skills of cooking, budgeting, sewing, gardening and generally running a household. We specifically enjoy helping people to ‘Live well on less’ in ways that are economically and environmentally sustainable.
Funding received from ‘Thankyou Charitable Trust’ has helped us to run our regular programs such as our Crafty Pop in where we teach basic sewing knitting and crocheting. This has included teaching people how to make their own facemasks in recent times. It has also allowed us to coordinate some cooking for the community. We often receive produce from agencies such as Kiwi harvest and local food banks that can not be distributed. With the help from our Grans and students from the Dunedin Training Centre, this is made into jam, quiches, baking etc that can then be sent back to the foodbanks for distribution to those in need (along with recipes and SuperGrans information). This is a win/win as the students gain some skills, the mentors enjoy helping and people in need get some lovely home baking.
Funding received from ‘Thankyou Charitable Trust’ has helped us to run our regular programs such as our Crafty Pop in where we teach basic sewing knitting and crocheting. This has included teaching people how to make their own facemasks in recent times. It has also allowed us to coordinate some cooking for the community. We often receive produce from agencies such as Kiwi harvest and local food banks that can not be distributed. With the help from our Grans and students from the Dunedin Training Centre, this is made into jam, quiches, baking etc that can then be sent back to the foodbanks for distribution to those in need (along with recipes and SuperGrans information). This is a win/win as the students gain some skills, the mentors enjoy helping and people in need get some lovely home baking.
Dunedin Training Centre Students – Cooking for the Community
Saint Mary’s Anglican Church, Addington
Saint Mary’s Anglican Church, Church Square, Addington is active within the community and work with the community on many projects. On Solstice Sunday, June 21st which is the longest night of the year, we had a light show in Church Square using the Heritage trees, buildings and grounds as a backdrop. As the Covid restrictions were relaxed we also decided to have soups, buns, BBQ sausages at this event and these would be freely available.
We started the day about 2pm by hanging the lights amongst the trees, lych-gate, bell-tower and church building. Local people assisted us and we switched the lights on at about 5pm. Saint Mary’s, Manuka Cottage (especially Hayden who managed the BBQ),the Addington Neighbourhood Association provided a wide range of soups and rolls, BBQ sausages, salads. It was an extremely cold day and night but people really enjoyed the event and have requested that we do this again next year. The set up with the lights created a little bit of magic to lift all our spirits and was appreciated by all ages. A young couple (Saurabh and Kate) also announced their engagement at this event. We will also set-up the lights during Christmas and they will also be available for community groups to use on special occasions-so the generous funding gift of $800 for the lighting purchase can be used for a considerable period of time.
This has been a great project to be involved with and the level of community co-operation has been very special and stimulating-we also made new friends in our Addington community. From the feedback that we received people really enjoyed this occasion and we know that there will be volunteers to assist when we set up again on Community Carols night on Friday Dec 18th and at Solstice 2021.
We started the day about 2pm by hanging the lights amongst the trees, lych-gate, bell-tower and church building. Local people assisted us and we switched the lights on at about 5pm. Saint Mary’s, Manuka Cottage (especially Hayden who managed the BBQ),the Addington Neighbourhood Association provided a wide range of soups and rolls, BBQ sausages, salads. It was an extremely cold day and night but people really enjoyed the event and have requested that we do this again next year. The set up with the lights created a little bit of magic to lift all our spirits and was appreciated by all ages. A young couple (Saurabh and Kate) also announced their engagement at this event. We will also set-up the lights during Christmas and they will also be available for community groups to use on special occasions-so the generous funding gift of $800 for the lighting purchase can be used for a considerable period of time.
This has been a great project to be involved with and the level of community co-operation has been very special and stimulating-we also made new friends in our Addington community. From the feedback that we received people really enjoyed this occasion and we know that there will be volunteers to assist when we set up again on Community Carols night on Friday Dec 18th and at Solstice 2021.
The community enjoying the lights and some company
Christchurch Riding for the Disabled
Christchurch Riding for the Disabled provides therapeutic riding sessions for people with disabilities. We have up 25 riders a week attending our therapy sessions with ages ranging from 3 to 70 years. For the young of age with a physical disability this not only means physical therapy appropriate to their condition, but the opportunity to partake of an activity that crosses physical barriers and gives them a mobility more in keeping with able bodied children of their own age. Children with non physical disabilities such as diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder also benefit from the physical aspects of riding but for them the relationship with the horse comes to the fore. Our adult riders who may be recovering from a stroke, car accident or dealing with the day to day struggles of a debilitating disease encompass all of the above; and for all of our riders it can mean a massive boost in confidence and self-esteem.
Out and about in the park
St Kilda Kindergarten
We have been so lucky to have been supported through the funding this year from the Thank You Charitable trust who has made it possible for our children to be warm and dry while exploring at Kindergarten. The funding paid for 30 waterproof jackets, meaning that in rain hail and shine the outdoor environment can be explored by our children. These jackets are at Kindergarten so that there are no barriers to play outside, as we were finding that jackets were not always being brought to Kindy which restricted children's play options.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to remove barriers for learning for our children.
Thank you once again for the opportunity to remove barriers for learning for our children.
The new jackets in action!
Ōtepoti Collective Against Sexual Abuse (ŌCASA)
Based in Dunedin, we are the Ōtepoti Collective Against Sexual Abuse (ŌCASA), formerly known as Rape Crisis Dunedin. We're a non-profit community organisation and we support people of any gender who are survivors of sexual violence.
In addition, we provide sexual violence prevention in the community. While any person can be affected by sexual violence, our rangatahi (young people) are at the greatest risk. Those aged 16 – 24 years old are four times more likely to experience sexual violence than any other age group. While statistics vary, it is believed that one in three girls and one in seven boys may be sexually abused before the age of 16, with rates even higher for our rainbow and minority communities.
We believe, and research shows, that education of our rangatahi helps prevent sexual violence. This will reduce the impact on survivors and the community, and ease pressure on services such as counselling, police, legal system etc. However, our current education programme is out-of-date and in desperate need of redevelopment.
The funding from ThankYou Charitable Trust has been used to recruit our new programme developer, Kristen Haines. Kristen is currently in the research and development phase of this programme, which will be available to all schools and youth groups in South Dunedin at no cost in 2021.
In addition, we provide sexual violence prevention in the community. While any person can be affected by sexual violence, our rangatahi (young people) are at the greatest risk. Those aged 16 – 24 years old are four times more likely to experience sexual violence than any other age group. While statistics vary, it is believed that one in three girls and one in seven boys may be sexually abused before the age of 16, with rates even higher for our rainbow and minority communities.
We believe, and research shows, that education of our rangatahi helps prevent sexual violence. This will reduce the impact on survivors and the community, and ease pressure on services such as counselling, police, legal system etc. However, our current education programme is out-of-date and in desperate need of redevelopment.
The funding from ThankYou Charitable Trust has been used to recruit our new programme developer, Kristen Haines. Kristen is currently in the research and development phase of this programme, which will be available to all schools and youth groups in South Dunedin at no cost in 2021.
From left: Meghan Hellyer (Mates & Dates Coordinator), Calla Knudson-Hollebon (Mates & Dates facilitator), Tanya Findlater (Mates & Dates facilitator), Kristen Haines (Programme Developer), Hazel Potterton (Prevention Coordinator), Angelo Libeau (Mates & Dates facilitator).
4thekidz Charitable Trust
The Tedz Project, under the 4thekidz umbrella, has been operating in Dunedin for 5 years. The Tedz project supply comfort packs to children going through trauma. The trauma packs get given to children facing many different situations. Aside from New Zealand Police receiving the packs for children who have suffered some form of abuse, they also get given to children who have been through traumatic natural disasters, most recently the fires in Ohau. The packs are also given to children where family members have died in traumatic circumstances e.g. murders, suicides, fatal car accidents etc.
We are truly grateful and humbled by the support we have been given by Thankyou Charitable Trust! Thanks to the Thankyou Charitable Trust we will be able to purchase more storage containers for the area coordinator, wool/materials for some of the crafters to help them make blankets and toys to include in the packs. We will also be able to get more colouring books, torches etc needed for the packs to be completed.
We are truly grateful and humbled by the support we have been given by Thankyou Charitable Trust! Thanks to the Thankyou Charitable Trust we will be able to purchase more storage containers for the area coordinator, wool/materials for some of the crafters to help them make blankets and toys to include in the packs. We will also be able to get more colouring books, torches etc needed for the packs to be completed.
The different packs for the three different age groups
Graeme Dingle Foundation, Canterbury
The team at the Graeme Dingle Foundation Canterbury would like to thank the Thankyou Charitable Trust
for your support. Backing from Trusts such as yours allows us to continue achieving great outcomes for the young people of Christchurch! We are a grassroots community focused foundation that continues to
strive to meet the needs of our young people, through the delivery of positive child and youth development programmes. Your contribution towards Kiwi Can programme delivery was gratefully received and helped to make a difference to the lives of young people in the 8042 postcodes! During the Covid-19 lockdown Graeme Dingle Foundation Canterbury was deemed a Level 4 Essential Service. Our teams reached out to vulnerable families and students checking in on them on a regular basis.
We saw even greater need to provide an anchor to help our students allay anxiety and keep social connectedness in a safe way. Though we are now back in schools and while the memory of lockdown is starting to fade, the effects continue on. In the words of our programme delivery staff, “Going back to school was quite scary because it was quite different…we tried to make it as fun as possible. Their [the children] experiences at level 4 was for some of them not great, we got some disclosures, that is where I felt important because I don’t know if those kids would have opened up to a teacher about those things…some of them saw things they shouldn’t have seen,, a bit of violence…we have a different relationship with the kids than teachers or teacher aides, more of a friend, a role model.” We want every child to know that what they have inside them, is greater than any obstacle.
for your support. Backing from Trusts such as yours allows us to continue achieving great outcomes for the young people of Christchurch! We are a grassroots community focused foundation that continues to
strive to meet the needs of our young people, through the delivery of positive child and youth development programmes. Your contribution towards Kiwi Can programme delivery was gratefully received and helped to make a difference to the lives of young people in the 8042 postcodes! During the Covid-19 lockdown Graeme Dingle Foundation Canterbury was deemed a Level 4 Essential Service. Our teams reached out to vulnerable families and students checking in on them on a regular basis.
We saw even greater need to provide an anchor to help our students allay anxiety and keep social connectedness in a safe way. Though we are now back in schools and while the memory of lockdown is starting to fade, the effects continue on. In the words of our programme delivery staff, “Going back to school was quite scary because it was quite different…we tried to make it as fun as possible. Their [the children] experiences at level 4 was for some of them not great, we got some disclosures, that is where I felt important because I don’t know if those kids would have opened up to a teacher about those things…some of them saw things they shouldn’t have seen,, a bit of violence…we have a different relationship with the kids than teachers or teacher aides, more of a friend, a role model.” We want every child to know that what they have inside them, is greater than any obstacle.
A program in progress.
Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust
Life Matters Suicide Prevention Trust actively helps people in the community learn how to identify and intervene when someone is suicidal. Research indicates that 1 in 20 people in NZ have suicidal thoughts at any one time, highlighting the need to train people in the community to identify signs and connect those vulnerable to the help they need.
safeTALK is a suicide intervention workshop run by Life Matters that runs for 4 hours. 1 safeTALK workshop per month has been held over the past 12 months with between 10-30 people attending each one. These workshops have been predominantly held in Dunedin and are available to anyone 15 years or older wanting to gain valuable skills that can save a person’s life. Most people with thoughts of suicide don’t truly want to die but are struggling with the pain in their lives. Through their words and actions, they invite help to stay alive. safeTALK- trained helpers can recognise these invitations and take action by connecting them with life-saving resources.
We are extremely grateful for the funding we received from Thank You Charitable Trust to help us deliver these workshops in South Dunedin.
safeTALK is a suicide intervention workshop run by Life Matters that runs for 4 hours. 1 safeTALK workshop per month has been held over the past 12 months with between 10-30 people attending each one. These workshops have been predominantly held in Dunedin and are available to anyone 15 years or older wanting to gain valuable skills that can save a person’s life. Most people with thoughts of suicide don’t truly want to die but are struggling with the pain in their lives. Through their words and actions, they invite help to stay alive. safeTALK- trained helpers can recognise these invitations and take action by connecting them with life-saving resources.
We are extremely grateful for the funding we received from Thank You Charitable Trust to help us deliver these workshops in South Dunedin.
A safeTALK workshop in action.
The Avonhead Community Trust
We have used the money to purchase a laptop for use at our ‘Impact’ group. ‘Impact’ is a community group run on a Friday night in Avonhead and catering for Year 7 and 8 kids.
Since we have had the laptop, we have been able to log the kids in as they arrive, use it in our weekly meeting to view the run-sheet and other online documents and use it to discuss the run-sheet at our Friday night leaders’ meeting. It was useful for Zoom planning meetings during lockdown and for allowing the members to link with their leaders. Each of us has access to the planning from our homes. We can log into Aimy Plus on our laptop and approve kids’ weekly and term bookings.
For each meeting we use a run-sheet that is the timetable for the night, including who is allocated to which activities, where they are going to be run and a brief description of the activity and its rules.
At our planning meeting each week, we list equipment that we will need, the shopping that needs to be done, complete any RAMS forms (that are stored on the laptop) and note any details specific to the evening.
Each week our ‘Impact’ group is advertised on our local social media page. This is planned and prepared on the laptop, using special features to make the adverts informative, concise and welcoming.
We want to thank the Thankyou Charitable Trust for the generous donation, which has enabled us to run our group so much more efficiently. There will be many more uses for the laptop as we find new features, programmes and apps that suit our goals.
Since we have had the laptop, we have been able to log the kids in as they arrive, use it in our weekly meeting to view the run-sheet and other online documents and use it to discuss the run-sheet at our Friday night leaders’ meeting. It was useful for Zoom planning meetings during lockdown and for allowing the members to link with their leaders. Each of us has access to the planning from our homes. We can log into Aimy Plus on our laptop and approve kids’ weekly and term bookings.
For each meeting we use a run-sheet that is the timetable for the night, including who is allocated to which activities, where they are going to be run and a brief description of the activity and its rules.
At our planning meeting each week, we list equipment that we will need, the shopping that needs to be done, complete any RAMS forms (that are stored on the laptop) and note any details specific to the evening.
Each week our ‘Impact’ group is advertised on our local social media page. This is planned and prepared on the laptop, using special features to make the adverts informative, concise and welcoming.
We want to thank the Thankyou Charitable Trust for the generous donation, which has enabled us to run our group so much more efficiently. There will be many more uses for the laptop as we find new features, programmes and apps that suit our goals.
The computer is getting a lot of use!
Kaikorai Valley College
Kaikorai Valley College is a year 7 to 13 school in Dunedin. Basketball is a very popular sport in our school and we desperately needed some more uniforms to outfit all of our teams. Handball is becoming quite popular so it was a wonderful bonus for our handball team to get their own set of uniforms. The uniforms have been a long time arriving, but the students are thrilled with their new uniforms and they look great.
We very much appreciate your funding for our new sport's uniforms.
We very much appreciate your funding for our new sport's uniforms.
Friend-Link Dunedin
Friend-Link supports people with intellectual disability who are referred because they lack both social contact and interesting things to do. We have an office next door to Cargill Enterprises which over time has turned into a place where people congregate to chat. But many of the people who socialise here also want to be productive. None of the people who visit are able to work and one of our challenges is to keep morale and self esteem at levels where people feel good about themselves. Last year, one of them mentioned they enjoyed gardening and the idea of turning the stark undeveloped courtyard behind our office grew from that. A team of eleven or twelve took charge of planning and planting and it has been a source of great pride and delight ever since.
Thanks to the Thank you Charitable Trust, Cargill Enterprises were able to make us four raised garden beds for vegetables. Large pots were also bought in which to grow flowers, and a small existing garden bed was cultivated for herbs. Over the past months, when people call in, they head straight for the garden and see what needs harvesting or replanting. Vegetables are taken home for themselves or given to their friends with great pride. A whalatauki for the garden “He kai taku ringa” (there is food at the end of your hands) has become an empowering theme. It is confidence building to see the fruits of one’s own labour and we have seen the delight as people inspect the plots each day and see things they have made to grow.
Thanks to the Thank you Charitable Trust, Cargill Enterprises were able to make us four raised garden beds for vegetables. Large pots were also bought in which to grow flowers, and a small existing garden bed was cultivated for herbs. Over the past months, when people call in, they head straight for the garden and see what needs harvesting or replanting. Vegetables are taken home for themselves or given to their friends with great pride. A whalatauki for the garden “He kai taku ringa” (there is food at the end of your hands) has become an empowering theme. It is confidence building to see the fruits of one’s own labour and we have seen the delight as people inspect the plots each day and see things they have made to grow.
The official garden opening, held in Dec 2019 before the garden was quite finished.
Love Wainuiomata
Love Wainuiomata's mahi is all about finding ways to bring our community together in our town's heart, and the joy of play is a great contributor to this sense of wellbeing and connectedness. Your grant has allowed us to create a Play Kete that's being enjoyed by our Wainuiomata community.
The Play Kete is used regularly by children (of all ages) and whanau, from being part of an event to being shared as "pop-up activations" in our town's heart. Because this Play Kete is for our whole community to enjoy it can also be borrowed for free for use at any Wainuiomata community events. On Friday afternoons the Play Kete is helping our town's heart transform into a safe place for tamariki to explore, play and ride with the pop-up event we run with Healthy Families, that's called Wicked Wheels. There's bikes, trikes and scooters with ramps as well as lots of other fun play items like balls, chalk, bowls, croquet, balance steps, a sandpit, toy cars and more.
The Play Kete helps transform our town's heart into play places which encourage local families to linger and socialise. In addition to this fantastic Play Kete we've also created a range of other play opportunities over the years including swings in the trees, a Fairy Garden and basketball hoop.
With this community Play Kete we're welcoming our community to connect and feel at home, together, in our town centre. Thank you again Thank You Charitable Trust for making this possible.
The Play Kete is used regularly by children (of all ages) and whanau, from being part of an event to being shared as "pop-up activations" in our town's heart. Because this Play Kete is for our whole community to enjoy it can also be borrowed for free for use at any Wainuiomata community events. On Friday afternoons the Play Kete is helping our town's heart transform into a safe place for tamariki to explore, play and ride with the pop-up event we run with Healthy Families, that's called Wicked Wheels. There's bikes, trikes and scooters with ramps as well as lots of other fun play items like balls, chalk, bowls, croquet, balance steps, a sandpit, toy cars and more.
The Play Kete helps transform our town's heart into play places which encourage local families to linger and socialise. In addition to this fantastic Play Kete we've also created a range of other play opportunities over the years including swings in the trees, a Fairy Garden and basketball hoop.
With this community Play Kete we're welcoming our community to connect and feel at home, together, in our town centre. Thank you again Thank You Charitable Trust for making this possible.
A few of the activities that used the Play Kete
St Kilda Kindergarten
With our grant we were able to update our front area, with the construction of safety areas for children to have easy access to the bike ramp. We installed safety fencing areas, making sure that the paths for bikes would not mean children would be bowled over with bikes zooming past walking areas. We created garden spaces for tamariki to help to keep growing. A new garden arch was constructed and beautiful Jasmine flowers were planted to start growing over the arch.
Without the support of the Thank you Charitable Trust we would not have been able to complete this work. We are so grateful for the chance to have this work completed.
Without the support of the Thank you Charitable Trust we would not have been able to complete this work. We are so grateful for the chance to have this work completed.
Some new plants, some new landscaping and some happy St Kilda Kindergarten tamariki.
The Koha Shed, Wainuiomata
I would like to thank the Charitable Trust for the grant we received.
The grant made a huge difference to our local Koha Shed here in Wainuiomata, as we were able to secure the new space with paying the rent and power needed. We were also able to get new racks to hold the clothing (especially womans, as we get so much of that) and make the area look tidy and well presented with easy to see items. This makes the shopping experience much more pleasant 😁
Without your help, we never would have been able to achieve this as we rely solely on donations/koha from the shoppers themselves.
So once again, Thank you very much from The Koha Shed Wainuiomata.
The grant made a huge difference to our local Koha Shed here in Wainuiomata, as we were able to secure the new space with paying the rent and power needed. We were also able to get new racks to hold the clothing (especially womans, as we get so much of that) and make the area look tidy and well presented with easy to see items. This makes the shopping experience much more pleasant 😁
Without your help, we never would have been able to achieve this as we rely solely on donations/koha from the shoppers themselves.
So once again, Thank you very much from The Koha Shed Wainuiomata.
The new clothing racks at The Koha Shed in Wainuiomata
Wainuiomata Natural Heritage Trust
Thank you for your support of Wainuiomata Natural Heritage Trust project "Predator Free Wainuiomata".The 110 TRex rat traps that we brought will help protect the native taonga of Wainuiomata by covering some 110 hectares of reserve, private property and schools. The traps are very user friendly and take the yuk aspect from disposing of the dead rat and have had a great uptake throughout the community. Already, we're finding native species such as skinks and wētā in the areas in which we're trapping.
The traps are ready to deploy around Wainuiomata
Malcam Trust
With the funds from the Thankyou Charitable Trust, we partnered with volunteers from South Dunedin and reclaimed and repaired 150 children’s bikes, which were then donated to youth in the 9012 postcode. Children’s bikes are significantly less complex than adults’ bikes, so the volunteer group was able to fix them relatively quickly. Our South Dunedin helpers honed their repair skills during this process and were helped out by regulars from The Crooked Spoke DIY bicycle repair workshop.
All of the bikes were carefully safety-checked before being distributed into the community. Bikes went out to Carisbrook School, Corstorphine Community Hub. We have more bikes ready to deliver, Carisbrook School is requesting more, and St Clair Primary is requesting a delivery. These will be arranged after lockdown conditions have ceased.
All of the bikes were carefully safety-checked before being distributed into the community. Bikes went out to Carisbrook School, Corstorphine Community Hub. We have more bikes ready to deliver, Carisbrook School is requesting more, and St Clair Primary is requesting a delivery. These will be arranged after lockdown conditions have ceased.
Bicycle stockpile at the Green Island Landfill that were refurbished by the project
Addington Timebank
Addington Timebank serves much of South Christchurch. Timebanking is a way for people to give and get help. It is a bit like barter but you don’t have to find something with which to reciprocate directly when someone helps you out. For example, Bob can get help with learning to sew from Frank, and Frank gets a time credit for that from Bob. Frank needs help with painting his shed, but Bob is not keen on painting. Sarah loves painting and so Frank gives a time credit to Sarah when she helps him out with that.
The money from the Thankyou Charitable Trust helps to pay coordinators who work to connect people up, make sure that requests and offers are posted and publicised and who run events so that people in the timebank can get to know each other. Helping people connect is important because without recommendations it can be a bit scary to take up an offer of help from just anyone, particularly if that means bringing those people into your home. Coordinators also make sure that the software is working well and spend a lot of time encouraging people to participate and to record their hours.
The money from the Thankyou Charitable Trust helps to pay coordinators who work to connect people up, make sure that requests and offers are posted and publicised and who run events so that people in the timebank can get to know each other. Helping people connect is important because without recommendations it can be a bit scary to take up an offer of help from just anyone, particularly if that means bringing those people into your home. Coordinators also make sure that the software is working well and spend a lot of time encouraging people to participate and to record their hours.
A Saturday afternoon shopping bag sewing bee
Heart Kids - Wellington
12 babies a week are born in New Zealand with a congenital heart defect – that’s one in every 100 births. Heart Kids’ primary goal is to improve the lives of Kiwis living with childhood heart defects (CHD). Our mission is to provide lifelong support for these children, as well as their families and extended support networks.
The Heart Kids Wellington branch provides emotional and practical support to 516 families across the whole Wellington region. This can be as simple as a coffee and a chat with a Family Support Worker (FSW) at one of our regular ‘Murmurs’ support groups, a home or hospital visit, attendance at special family events, peer support for older children and teens who have been through often multiple heart surgeries, through to counselling or bereavement support in harder times.
We have used our grant from Thankyou Charitable Trust to support some of our special Heart families based in Wainuiomata. We have at least seven families based in the area and our Family Support Workers (FSWs) work hard to build a community, so that these families can support each other too. With our funding we have been able to hold two Murmurs events in local cafes – one in October and another in February. Murmurs is a wonderful opportunity for families to build networks with families on a similar journey.
We have also purchased petrol and grocery vouchers for Heart families in Wainuiomata who require additional support. Regular hospital visits and overnight stays can put financial strain on families who are already struggling with the emotional and practical difficulties of their child’s condition, and these vouchers go some way towards easing this burden.
The Heart Kids Wellington branch provides emotional and practical support to 516 families across the whole Wellington region. This can be as simple as a coffee and a chat with a Family Support Worker (FSW) at one of our regular ‘Murmurs’ support groups, a home or hospital visit, attendance at special family events, peer support for older children and teens who have been through often multiple heart surgeries, through to counselling or bereavement support in harder times.
We have used our grant from Thankyou Charitable Trust to support some of our special Heart families based in Wainuiomata. We have at least seven families based in the area and our Family Support Workers (FSWs) work hard to build a community, so that these families can support each other too. With our funding we have been able to hold two Murmurs events in local cafes – one in October and another in February. Murmurs is a wonderful opportunity for families to build networks with families on a similar journey.
We have also purchased petrol and grocery vouchers for Heart families in Wainuiomata who require additional support. Regular hospital visits and overnight stays can put financial strain on families who are already struggling with the emotional and practical difficulties of their child’s condition, and these vouchers go some way towards easing this burden.
Dunedin Parents Centre
On behalf of the Dunedin Parents Centre, I would like to thank you sincerely for your generosity that has enabled us to improve our systems and make life easier on our volunteers and the families we support!
Though your donation we have been able to purchase a new online booking system Bookwen, which we are still in the process of rolling out. This system will help us co-ordinate bookings more effectively and allow smoother access to our services for people booking early childhood education classes, booking the space for parties or events or booking into our hot topic parenting education classes ( such as the upcoming online First Aid for parents).
Though your donation we have been able to purchase a new online booking system Bookwen, which we are still in the process of rolling out. This system will help us co-ordinate bookings more effectively and allow smoother access to our services for people booking early childhood education classes, booking the space for parties or events or booking into our hot topic parenting education classes ( such as the upcoming online First Aid for parents).
Playing in the sandpit at the Dunedin Parents Centre
YOUth INSPIRE Road Ready Rangatahi
Rangatahi in Wainuiomata proved they are a smart bunch with 100% passing their Learner Driver Licence test! In December 2019, young people who lived in Wainuiomata attend our Learner Licence Programme they were students from Wainuiomata High School, Rongotai College, St Mary’s Girls College, and YOUth INSPIRE’s Licence to Work programme. The Rangatahi who displayed many great attributes such as, tuakana/teina (supporting one another), and manaakitanga (looking after one another) created a cheerful atmosphere within the programme and when asked, “what makes you motivated to attend this programme?”, the responses were, to get ID, to gain independence, and to learn how to drive.
The most impactful comment was:
“I want to set an example for all my mates. We normally hangout all the time and talk about one day getting out of here and doing big things. This will show them ‘we can’”.
The funding received from Thankyou Charitable Trust contributed to the success of the December 2019 Wainuomata YOUth INSPIRE Learner Driver Licence Programme. Kei te mihi ki te roopū o Thankyou Charitable Trust mo ngā awhi ki o tātou Rangatahi ki Wainuiomata. Mauri ora.
The most impactful comment was:
“I want to set an example for all my mates. We normally hangout all the time and talk about one day getting out of here and doing big things. This will show them ‘we can’”.
The funding received from Thankyou Charitable Trust contributed to the success of the December 2019 Wainuomata YOUth INSPIRE Learner Driver Licence Programme. Kei te mihi ki te roopū o Thankyou Charitable Trust mo ngā awhi ki o tātou Rangatahi ki Wainuiomata. Mauri ora.
Wainuiomata Rangatahi, ready to take control on the roads
Mornington Playcentre Wooden Toy Set
Mornington Playcentre used their grant to buy a large set of channels and towers. The treated wood is suitable for indoor and outdoor use and we can run water, balls, toy cars and dry sand down it. Playcentres often run on the smell of an oily rag, and while we never skimp on the paint, playdough or gloop it was a rare treat to add a large permanent resource to our collection.
Toddlers and pre-schoolers are fascinated by cause and effect and it has been fun to set the resource up in different shapes. This lets children watch the effect of gravity and adjust the channel placements to catch falling water and turn rolling objects onto different paths. One of the dads who stays on session is a builder and has delighted children with particularly elaborate setups involving ball jumps, sudden drops into pipes added into the set and having the balls run into nets, goals or pens. The older children experiment with construction, angles and water flow and a 4 year-old was able to explain that he was tipping extra water in because there was a leaf stuck in a channel and more water would move it. A lot of science learning going on!
The channels are also a fun way to deliver water into the sandpit for the creation of mud to use with our mud kitchen. Thank you Thankyou Charitable trust!
Toddlers and pre-schoolers are fascinated by cause and effect and it has been fun to set the resource up in different shapes. This lets children watch the effect of gravity and adjust the channel placements to catch falling water and turn rolling objects onto different paths. One of the dads who stays on session is a builder and has delighted children with particularly elaborate setups involving ball jumps, sudden drops into pipes added into the set and having the balls run into nets, goals or pens. The older children experiment with construction, angles and water flow and a 4 year-old was able to explain that he was tipping extra water in because there was a leaf stuck in a channel and more water would move it. A lot of science learning going on!
The channels are also a fun way to deliver water into the sandpit for the creation of mud to use with our mud kitchen. Thank you Thankyou Charitable trust!
Wakari/Brockville Arabic Community Development
The Middle Eastern Integration team is overseeing several activities that support the integration of new residents from refugee background in Brockville and Wakari as well as other neighbourhoods in Dunedin. Two main projects have been supported by the generous funding from Thankyou Charitable Trust which are: Men’s Integration Project and Women’s Cultural Integration Project. Run by Dr Mustafa Derbashi, Men’sIntegration Project is a weekly meeting where the participants can get together in an informal environment to talk and discuss their shared problems, future, and what they are trying to achieve for themselves, families, and entire Dunedin community. Run by Dr Mai Tamimi, Women’s Cultural Integration Project is a weekly meeting with women from refugee background. The project has been following the Women’s Wellbeing Framework for women of all cultures to fully realize their potential in New Zealand. The framework was introduced by the Ministry for Women in collaboration with the Women’s Council of the New Zealnd Federation of Multicultural Councils (NZFMC).
St Kilda Kindergarten Garden Extension
Thank you very much for the grant that we received last year. The money that we were allocated allowed us to establish an amazing set of gardens for our tamariki to cherish. Once the gardens were constructed the children were actively involved in helping teachers to decide upon the seeds and seedlings that we were wanting to plant and then the whole process of planting these out. Daily watering and caring for our gardens was a pivotal part of the group plan and the children were super involved and excited about watching the growth happen. Without the grant money we would never had the funds to be able to have this connection with the land for our children. We were able to then harvest what we grew and bake and cook with the produce. Thank you so much for this grant, we are so appreciative and continue to cherish the learning that has come from this.
Cavy Baptist Group
This year over Easter 24 young people from Caversham Baptist Church attended Dunedin Easter Camp. This was held at the Taieri A and P show grounds where a tent village was set up. It was a time for growing the relationships within the Cavy community and connecting with other church youth groups. The highlights for our young people were the games and activities, the worship that was presented, the prayer times and the time spent with each other and the leaders that attended.This has enhanced youth development in forming positive relationships. Camps are always a great time and provide lasting memories and this one certainly did that. Thank you for your contribution towards supporting young people to attend a camp like this as it helped to reduce the cost for young people to attend.
Riselaw Road Playcentre
Riselaw Road Playcentre is a parent cooperative providing Early Childhood Education for children ages 0-6 years, 915am-1215pm Tuesday and Friday mornings during the school term. We offer a well-resourced, welcoming environment for families in the community to come together. It is a unique form of Early Childhood Education, in that the parents attend with their children and take on an active role within the centre. This allows us to offer both high quality education for our children, high adult-child ratios, as well as provide opportunities for parents to learn and grow alongside their children. We offer a free adult education program, which is highly rated by the NZQA, with the opportunity to gain a Level 4 Certificate in Early Childhood Education. Fees are kept low to keep the Playcentre available to everyone in the community. We are a valuable Early Childhood Education Centre, benefiting both the parents and the children whom attend.
The money provided by Thank You Charitable Trust was spent on purchasing wet weather gear for our tamariki. This gives the tamariki the opportunity to get outside no matter what the weather is doing. Since purchasing the gear it has been used for a couple of trips to the forest and numerous spontaneous walks around the community. We have also noticed the tamariki looking outside, noticing the weather isn’t the best and then going to get a jacket and pants from where we have hung them so they can go play outside, riding the bikes and work in the garden
The money provided by Thank You Charitable Trust was spent on purchasing wet weather gear for our tamariki. This gives the tamariki the opportunity to get outside no matter what the weather is doing. Since purchasing the gear it has been used for a couple of trips to the forest and numerous spontaneous walks around the community. We have also noticed the tamariki looking outside, noticing the weather isn’t the best and then going to get a jacket and pants from where we have hung them so they can go play outside, riding the bikes and work in the garden
Supergrans Charitable Trust - Dunedin
A huge thank you to Thankyou Charitable Trust for your support. It will help us to continue to offer life skills mentoring to our community. Not only does this mean that important life skills are passed on, it also provides an opportunity for social connections between generations which is beneficial to all. We hold regular craft and cooking sessions as well as offering a one-on-one home-base support to help families and individuals develop capabilities to manage their household.
Skills include:
• Cooking
• Economical shopping
• Meal planning and food preparation
• Basic sewing/mending
• Gardening to supplement the food table
• Household management and hygiene
• Children’s routines
Our service empowers families to be self-reliant and confident to make healthy life-style choices that will support individuals and families to reach their potential and participate within the family and community environment. Our volunteers benefit enormously from sharing their experiences with people who are keen to learn. It is very satisfying for them and often provides a purpose in life that they didn’t have before.
Skills include:
• Cooking
• Economical shopping
• Meal planning and food preparation
• Basic sewing/mending
• Gardening to supplement the food table
• Household management and hygiene
• Children’s routines
Our service empowers families to be self-reliant and confident to make healthy life-style choices that will support individuals and families to reach their potential and participate within the family and community environment. Our volunteers benefit enormously from sharing their experiences with people who are keen to learn. It is very satisfying for them and often provides a purpose in life that they didn’t have before.
Creating Christmas crafts
Brockville Kindergarten & Kohanga Reo o Whakaari Garden bed project
A big arohanui to Thank You Charitable Trust.
Your support and generous grant have made it possible for Brockville Kindergarten and Kohanga Reo o Whakaari to add to the Rosina Wiparata Memorial Community Gardens five new garden beds that the tamariki from both educational services can use as well as our community. A whānau working bee including friends from the community filled the gardens with topsoil and our tamariki have started planting for the spring. Cabbages, broccoli, kale and lettuces are growing at a great rate and it won’t be long before they will be ready to harvest.
The cost of the construction of the gardens and the topsoil was less than expected so there have been enough funds left over to purchase some companion planting plants, an apple tree and a whiteboard. Kohanga Reo o Wharaaki is in the process of decorating the board and when this is finished we are hoping that anyone who uses the gardens will be write up information about the gardens, what they have planted, what is ready to harvest and recipes. Tamariki, kaiako and whanau continue to enjoy their time at the gardens and the opportunities and experience are invaluable as we continue our journey of being Kaitiaki of Brockville.
Your support and generous grant have made it possible for Brockville Kindergarten and Kohanga Reo o Whakaari to add to the Rosina Wiparata Memorial Community Gardens five new garden beds that the tamariki from both educational services can use as well as our community. A whānau working bee including friends from the community filled the gardens with topsoil and our tamariki have started planting for the spring. Cabbages, broccoli, kale and lettuces are growing at a great rate and it won’t be long before they will be ready to harvest.
The cost of the construction of the gardens and the topsoil was less than expected so there have been enough funds left over to purchase some companion planting plants, an apple tree and a whiteboard. Kohanga Reo o Wharaaki is in the process of decorating the board and when this is finished we are hoping that anyone who uses the gardens will be write up information about the gardens, what they have planted, what is ready to harvest and recipes. Tamariki, kaiako and whanau continue to enjoy their time at the gardens and the opportunities and experience are invaluable as we continue our journey of being Kaitiaki of Brockville.
100 Trees Project - Caversham Food Resilience
The project is to plant 100 fruit, nut and small berry shrubs in the Caversham area. The concept is to build food resilience in the area so that over time the members of the community can harvest the fruit and nuts to supplement their household budgets and help them survive. At the same time as sharing these communal sources of food, the idea is to build a sense of community and neighbourliness. In addition it is expected that community members will share their fruit processing skills, maybe through the local school and churches, to further improve the self reliance of households. This skill sharing has already happened in the community in the last three years at harvest time.
We have made a big step forward.....planted trees!!
Attached are pictures of seven new fruit trees in Kew Reserve. There are 6 heritage apple that have different fruiting times and one pear. Going forward there is another area in Kew Reserve the DCC say would be available.
And we have planted three apple trees at the Corstorphine Hub. Mitchell's Tavern have offered space in their carpark for 2 or 3 trees. Plus we can now pursue Land Transport corridor who have said yes and maybe a small area of the rail corridor with kiwirail.
We have made a big step forward.....planted trees!!
Attached are pictures of seven new fruit trees in Kew Reserve. There are 6 heritage apple that have different fruiting times and one pear. Going forward there is another area in Kew Reserve the DCC say would be available.
And we have planted three apple trees at the Corstorphine Hub. Mitchell's Tavern have offered space in their carpark for 2 or 3 trees. Plus we can now pursue Land Transport corridor who have said yes and maybe a small area of the rail corridor with kiwirail.
Gilberthorpe School
We are a decile 2 school, we are experiencing significant roll growth, we have moved from 85 students to 168 students currently on the roll in a matter of years. This is steadily increasing as I speak. We have a very supportive community who genuinely want what is best for their children. At the end of the day we are all in this for the same reason, and that is to provide the best education and tools for every child to succeed the best they possibly can while at Gilberthorpe School.This year, we have made Health and Well being our major school focus. This is due to a significant increase in the needs of our community. This application has played a vital role in supporting children, whanau and staff with their well being.
Whanau Events - This year we have had a huge whanau evening, where we hired a bouncy castle, a candy floss machine, had face painting and games for families to play. They brought along their own dinner and by all accounts had a fantastic night . We had probably 80% of all families attend, which is brilliant.
Whanau Support - We have had several families requiring support this year , we also had two very sad deaths within our school community, a student and a parent. This funding enabled us to also act swiftly to help them in a time of crisis. We had said that we would establish a sharing shed but we responded to immediate need and will consider this for the future, although 126 on the corner is now supporting this within our community.
Boot Camp/Boxing- This year we have been looking at different ways to engage students, while also increasing physical activity and self discipline. We were able to purchase a significant amount of equipment so that the students have what they need. We have purchased gloves, head gear, pads etc.
Whanau Events - This year we have had a huge whanau evening, where we hired a bouncy castle, a candy floss machine, had face painting and games for families to play. They brought along their own dinner and by all accounts had a fantastic night . We had probably 80% of all families attend, which is brilliant.
Whanau Support - We have had several families requiring support this year , we also had two very sad deaths within our school community, a student and a parent. This funding enabled us to also act swiftly to help them in a time of crisis. We had said that we would establish a sharing shed but we responded to immediate need and will consider this for the future, although 126 on the corner is now supporting this within our community.
Boot Camp/Boxing- This year we have been looking at different ways to engage students, while also increasing physical activity and self discipline. We were able to purchase a significant amount of equipment so that the students have what they need. We have purchased gloves, head gear, pads etc.
Dunedin Deaf Center - Overheads
On behalf of Otago Deaf Society, I would like to say THANK YOU to the Thankyou Charitable Trust for supporting our Deaf Community, many of whom live in 9012 South Dunedin area. You’ve supported us by providing funds, which haven’t been touched yet but the plan is for them to cover our half of ongoing Otago Deaf Centre hall expenses. Hall expenses include power, water, rates, insurance and maintenance. We share ownership of the hall with Otago Association for Deaf Children.
This hall is important for us because it’s a place for Deaf/hard of hearing people to gather. It is a home for Deaf culture and NZ Sign Language (NZSL). NZSL, like Te Reo Māori, is an official language in NZ. The hall acts as a second home to many Deaf, a place where we can be ourselves, with no communication barriers. At least half of our members live in the 9012 area, therefore the hall plays an important part in supporting South Dunedin Deaf people.
Ngā mihi nui,
Jasmin Taylor
Otago Deaf Society President
This hall is important for us because it’s a place for Deaf/hard of hearing people to gather. It is a home for Deaf culture and NZ Sign Language (NZSL). NZSL, like Te Reo Māori, is an official language in NZ. The hall acts as a second home to many Deaf, a place where we can be ourselves, with no communication barriers. At least half of our members live in the 9012 area, therefore the hall plays an important part in supporting South Dunedin Deaf people.
Ngā mihi nui,
Jasmin Taylor
Otago Deaf Society President
Otago Deaf Society members at the hall
Plus Bus - Dunedin Community Transport Trust
We here at PlusBus provide an incredible opportunity for the Dunedin elderly population and transport disadvantaged clients to remain independent. Each week our shopping van, with driver and volunteer shopping
escort in tow, currently takes five runs to the supermarket collecting a maximum of nine passengers per run. Our shopping escort will assist them in the aisles where required and then the van will return them home and they are assisted with carrying their bags so they can remain independent, living in their own homes and maintain
their wellbeing. Through the kindness of Thankyou Charitable Trust our service has been able to organize and commence a run for clients in the Mosgiel area. This includes surrounding areas, i.e. Green Island, Abbotsford, East Taieri and Outram. Currently this area service will travel to Mosgiel New World on Friday mornings. Our current clients appreciate and look forward to our service on their chosen days and we have had positive support from the community in relation to expanding our serviced area.
escort in tow, currently takes five runs to the supermarket collecting a maximum of nine passengers per run. Our shopping escort will assist them in the aisles where required and then the van will return them home and they are assisted with carrying their bags so they can remain independent, living in their own homes and maintain
their wellbeing. Through the kindness of Thankyou Charitable Trust our service has been able to organize and commence a run for clients in the Mosgiel area. This includes surrounding areas, i.e. Green Island, Abbotsford, East Taieri and Outram. Currently this area service will travel to Mosgiel New World on Friday mornings. Our current clients appreciate and look forward to our service on their chosen days and we have had positive support from the community in relation to expanding our serviced area.
Haeata School Bread Making
At Haeata we firmly believe that wellbeing / hauora is as important as school work and learning. We strive to develop varied, authentic contexts for learning that is meaningful and everyday. Cooking, gardening, and healthy eating are such an important part of this package. Through these kaupapa our ākonga (students) learn math, english, science, technology, te reo and tikanga Māori - just to name a few curriculum areas that are covered in these areas of learning. Our school is in a low decile area of eastern Christchurch. We know that sugary drinks, and low nutrition and high calorie foods are disproportionately affecting ours and similar neighborhoods across the country. Our cooking, gardening and food programmes, which are delivered across the school (Y1-13) expose ākonga to foods and healthy lifestyle choices that they might not otherwise have access to. Like all schools we are trying to do so much, and there is only so much money to go around. The grant we got from Thankyou Trust has enabled us to buy a huge stock of whole wheat flour and yeast, which we are going to use to teach our ākonga to make bread. The great thing about bread is that it is used in many different cultures, and has so many varieties! We have passionate teachers and inventive ākonga who love the manaakitanga that they can provide, with access to these resources. Thank you so much!
New Brighton Community Gardens
Thank you to Thankyou Trust for their generous grant. Without your help and support, we could not continue to run our beautiful community gardens here in New Brighton. Today the gardens are a hub of activities where volunteers contribute their time in the garden in exchange for good fresh organic vegetables and good company. People of all ages and abilities volunteer and visit, including families, people with disabilities, local schools, and people feeling isolated in our community. As well as inspiring and educating people about growing their own healthy food, we support our volunteers through life’s stresses and give them opportunities to make new social networks.
Various school and preschool groups participate in the activities here at the gardens. In June we run a 10-week education program for schools in the East Side which involves educating the children on gardening, art and also cooking with food from our gardens. The children love this program with many trying new vegetables for the first time. We aim to provide an environment that is beneficial to many of the local community by providing social contact while being involved in a useful and well meaning activity. To help promote physical activity and to promote food growing. Our attitudes and activities are very focused on reducing barriers so that participants can be more involved in a community activity. Our Motto is "Together we can grow".
Various school and preschool groups participate in the activities here at the gardens. In June we run a 10-week education program for schools in the East Side which involves educating the children on gardening, art and also cooking with food from our gardens. The children love this program with many trying new vegetables for the first time. We aim to provide an environment that is beneficial to many of the local community by providing social contact while being involved in a useful and well meaning activity. To help promote physical activity and to promote food growing. Our attitudes and activities are very focused on reducing barriers so that participants can be more involved in a community activity. Our Motto is "Together we can grow".
New Brighton Preschool - Sustainability Practise
At New Brighton Community Preschool and Nursery we are committed to serving our seaside community by providing quality education and care for tamariki and their whānau. Our centre has a strong history within our community and is guided by core values which underpin our actions we take and decisions we make. These are; Whakawhanautanga, Manaakitanga, Ako and Kaitikitanga. We applied to the Thankyou Charitable Trust for support to strengthen and grow our Kaitiakitanga practices. To us Kaitiakitanga is when we are committed and purposefully look after our people, resources and places, growing the desire to care for these in the future. Kaiako support tamariki to engage respectfully with, and to have aroha for, Papatūānuku. We encourage an understanding of kaitiakitanga and the responsibilities of being a kaitiaki by caring for our centre and local community. We appreciate what it is to be a part of this community, with our beautiful beach and natural environment, as part of the greater Christchurch. We were wanting to build our practices around ways we can rethink, reduce, recycle and reuse in order to build children who will be our future cares of our land and resources.
We know that our community has many people who have strong environmental ideas so invited whānau to come together for a hui to share possibilities. At this meeting we were able to tap into SOOO much knowledge and created a beginning list of ideas and also willing people drive these investigations. People were pretty passionate about this and even with our small wee group, we had lots of useful contacts to engage with. We wanted to make the most of this grant and spread the funding as far as we possibly can so decided to use as much of our own manpower as possible to create these environmentally friendly resources. We have been very fortunate to have Chch Women’s Prison come on board, making our wet bags which will mean that the centre will not use plastic bags anymore. This is a win-win situation for both groups as this supports the women in their rehabilitation goals around giving back to the community and it certainly supports us to be able to lower the cost of providing these bags for our tamariki. Initially when I looked into these they cost around $11 per bag, but we have managed to buy the resources for under $2.00 per bag which has meant we also undertake some of our other ideas with this funding. We have organised a couple of evenings at Stitch-o-mat where we will sew sandwich/snack bags for children to use for lunches. The use of gladwrap and single use plastic in lunch boxes is quite high so offering whānau an alternative option can support our ‘growing the desire to care for the future’. We have invited our whānau to come be the sewers on those evenings as it’s a great way for people to establish relationships outside of the centre.
The children are currently using paper towels to dry hands and wet wipes to wash faces. This practice started after the February earthquakes where we had no water to wash with and somehow has continued from then. We have now purchased flannels which will replace these single use resources which end up in landfill. While looking at our food waste we realised that a lot of the waste we create is not able to go in our worm farm and since the council will not give us a green bin we needed to find an alternative way of dealing with this. We have invested in a couple of Bokashi bins which means we can compost dairy, protein and citrus. Using the microorganisms speeds up the compost timeframe, as well as stopping the odour, creating us great compost for our gardens and to share with our whānau community. We have purchased resource books written by Kiwi’s who practice sustainability to refer to and also be part of our whānau library to share with all. These books will be used as a guide for further projects such as cleaning products and waste free cooking.
We aim to continue to grow our knowledge and practices, celebrating this effort with a launch party where we will give each child attending an Enviro pack containing the resources we have created (wet bag, sandwich/snack bag, beeswax wrap and a resource with lots of ideas and useful websites to use). We would really like to express our gratitude to the Thank You Foundation for their support and believing in our project. I hope I was able to share just how far your support and funding has enabled us to go.
We know that our community has many people who have strong environmental ideas so invited whānau to come together for a hui to share possibilities. At this meeting we were able to tap into SOOO much knowledge and created a beginning list of ideas and also willing people drive these investigations. People were pretty passionate about this and even with our small wee group, we had lots of useful contacts to engage with. We wanted to make the most of this grant and spread the funding as far as we possibly can so decided to use as much of our own manpower as possible to create these environmentally friendly resources. We have been very fortunate to have Chch Women’s Prison come on board, making our wet bags which will mean that the centre will not use plastic bags anymore. This is a win-win situation for both groups as this supports the women in their rehabilitation goals around giving back to the community and it certainly supports us to be able to lower the cost of providing these bags for our tamariki. Initially when I looked into these they cost around $11 per bag, but we have managed to buy the resources for under $2.00 per bag which has meant we also undertake some of our other ideas with this funding. We have organised a couple of evenings at Stitch-o-mat where we will sew sandwich/snack bags for children to use for lunches. The use of gladwrap and single use plastic in lunch boxes is quite high so offering whānau an alternative option can support our ‘growing the desire to care for the future’. We have invited our whānau to come be the sewers on those evenings as it’s a great way for people to establish relationships outside of the centre.
The children are currently using paper towels to dry hands and wet wipes to wash faces. This practice started after the February earthquakes where we had no water to wash with and somehow has continued from then. We have now purchased flannels which will replace these single use resources which end up in landfill. While looking at our food waste we realised that a lot of the waste we create is not able to go in our worm farm and since the council will not give us a green bin we needed to find an alternative way of dealing with this. We have invested in a couple of Bokashi bins which means we can compost dairy, protein and citrus. Using the microorganisms speeds up the compost timeframe, as well as stopping the odour, creating us great compost for our gardens and to share with our whānau community. We have purchased resource books written by Kiwi’s who practice sustainability to refer to and also be part of our whānau library to share with all. These books will be used as a guide for further projects such as cleaning products and waste free cooking.
We aim to continue to grow our knowledge and practices, celebrating this effort with a launch party where we will give each child attending an Enviro pack containing the resources we have created (wet bag, sandwich/snack bag, beeswax wrap and a resource with lots of ideas and useful websites to use). We would really like to express our gratitude to the Thank You Foundation for their support and believing in our project. I hope I was able to share just how far your support and funding has enabled us to go.
Sewing sandwich/snack bags for children to use for lunches
Good Night Sleep Tight Trust - Winter Bedding
The funds were used to provide winter bedding packs to 10 families in the New Brighton area. A pack includes new pyjamas, dressing gown, slippers, sheet set, comforter, winter blanket, singlet and knitted hat. Without you help we could not have helped over 400 families that were referred to us this year. Families are blown away by the quality of the goods and the fact that everything is brand new. One comment was that "it was like sleeping on a cloud". GNST believe that a good nights sleep helps children start the day off on a positive note for their sometime challenging days.
Abbeyfield Dunedin Residents BBQ
Thank you so much for your $500 grant which created the impetus for our Community Barbecue on the 17th March this year. The funding made all the difference to enable this to happen. The event extended our networks in our neighbourhood. The pot-luck and ongoing connections with your Trust add further relationships with groups in our area who now know what we do and why. So much of our sustainability is all about relationship building.
Abbeyfield was full of lively conversation on the day of the community barbeque as we celebrated Neighbours Day a few days early. Neighbours, residents’ family and friends, local Wakari businesss and Church members joined residents and volunteer committee members over a shared meal for about 25 people.
Community connected-ness has always been at the core of Abbeyfield values. On a weekend when our country was grieving the tragic loss of life in Christchurch, our need for inclusive, caring community relationships was never more clear. We want every day of the year to be one of neighbourhood connections for our Abbeyfield
residents and as an organisation. An example of our barbeque success was a very nearby neighbor coming who had never been in the door, despite living nearby ever since our house was built. Other organizational connections were strengthened – e.g. with a local chemist and a minister of a local Church, who knew about our work but had never visited. We made personal contact with many others invited who couldn’t attend and shared our updated promotional fliers, funded through this grant. Residents grew in confidence about opening their home to ‘strangers’ they didn’t know and enjoyed themselves.
Abbeyfield was full of lively conversation on the day of the community barbeque as we celebrated Neighbours Day a few days early. Neighbours, residents’ family and friends, local Wakari businesss and Church members joined residents and volunteer committee members over a shared meal for about 25 people.
Community connected-ness has always been at the core of Abbeyfield values. On a weekend when our country was grieving the tragic loss of life in Christchurch, our need for inclusive, caring community relationships was never more clear. We want every day of the year to be one of neighbourhood connections for our Abbeyfield
residents and as an organisation. An example of our barbeque success was a very nearby neighbor coming who had never been in the door, despite living nearby ever since our house was built. Other organizational connections were strengthened – e.g. with a local chemist and a minister of a local Church, who knew about our work but had never visited. We made personal contact with many others invited who couldn’t attend and shared our updated promotional fliers, funded through this grant. Residents grew in confidence about opening their home to ‘strangers’ they didn’t know and enjoyed themselves.
New Brighton Seaside Market - Spring Gala
The first New Brighton Seaside Spring Gala was held on September 1st, 2018. The idea behind this event was to welcome spring to our seaside village with a fun celebration. Winter can be a tough time for many people in our community and we saw this day as an opportunity to leave those winter blues behind us and welcome in a fresh new season!
Activities on the day started with a march through the market and performance from the Caledonian Pipe band. During the day we had two lively and interactive shows from local children’s entertainers Itty Bitty Beats, a showcase of talent from the Christchurch Circus School and dancing with The Christchurch Faeries. We also had Bouncy castles, free face painting, The Fun Team’s Petting Zoo and gave away 300 bubble wands donated by the Good home Ferrymead. The day was a huge success with fantastic feedback from everyone who attended and participated. We are so grateful to Thank you Charitable Trust’s contribution to this day.
Activities on the day started with a march through the market and performance from the Caledonian Pipe band. During the day we had two lively and interactive shows from local children’s entertainers Itty Bitty Beats, a showcase of talent from the Christchurch Circus School and dancing with The Christchurch Faeries. We also had Bouncy castles, free face painting, The Fun Team’s Petting Zoo and gave away 300 bubble wands donated by the Good home Ferrymead. The day was a huge success with fantastic feedback from everyone who attended and participated. We are so grateful to Thank you Charitable Trust’s contribution to this day.
Parkinson's Community Educator Wainuiomata
Thank you for your grant. Your financial support allowed our Parkinson’s Community Educator to maintain our year round, vital range of free services.Parkinson’s NZ supports a number of clients in Wainuiomata, a suburb of the Hutt Valley. Over the last five years, we have had an obvious increase in the number of clients in this area.
Our Community Educator Andrea Savage, works with our clients in their homes, providing individualised advice through a personal assessment, providing support to an agreed plan and promoting best health and lifestyle. Home visits are an essential part of the service we provide as people with Parkinson’s can struggle with mobility. Access to services can be especially challenging in more isolated communities such as Wainuiomata.
Andrea’s regular contact with clients means that people with Parkinson’s in Wainuiomata are more likely to:
• stay in their own home and paid employment for longer
• avoid emergency care, or spend less time in hospital; and
• have better physical and mental health.
Thank you for your support. Your funding has made a real difference to people living with Parkinson’s, their carers and whānau.
Our Community Educator Andrea Savage, works with our clients in their homes, providing individualised advice through a personal assessment, providing support to an agreed plan and promoting best health and lifestyle. Home visits are an essential part of the service we provide as people with Parkinson’s can struggle with mobility. Access to services can be especially challenging in more isolated communities such as Wainuiomata.
Andrea’s regular contact with clients means that people with Parkinson’s in Wainuiomata are more likely to:
• stay in their own home and paid employment for longer
• avoid emergency care, or spend less time in hospital; and
• have better physical and mental health.
Thank you for your support. Your funding has made a real difference to people living with Parkinson’s, their carers and whānau.
Wainuiomata Twilight
This project is about positively engaging with youth in Wainuiomata. On Friday evenings from 9.30pm to midnight we provide a safe and supportive space at the Wainuiomata High School Gymnasium. Young people are able to come and play sports (primarily basketball), connect with other young people and enjoy some food. There is a lack of evening activities for young people in our community on a Friday evening. Travel is also a significant barrier for young people within in our community and with activities taking place in Lower Hutt and Wellington which results in most of the local young people missing out. Having the project take place at the local High School will increase the access for our community’s youth.We know that through positive youth development the youth that take part will also carry those positive impacts into their social groups and have a positive benefit within their families. The wider community will also benefit from this project because of the enhanced social resilience and regular connection.
I am emailing to say a huge thank you for the funding you gave us and for the opportunity to positively share and hear from others who received funding at the dinner a couple of months ago. Our first term of Twilight in Wainuiomata went brilliantly, we have been regularly seeing 80 – 100 youth each week come and engage with the safe space we are working hard to create and maintain. Your funding has helped us to provide kai for the young people that attend and helped us to purchase basketballs at the start of the year. We have carefully budgeted the money you gave us and it will also be funding the kai for this coming term and much of term 3 too.
Thank you again for helping us to do provide so much for the young people here in Wainuiomata.
I am emailing to say a huge thank you for the funding you gave us and for the opportunity to positively share and hear from others who received funding at the dinner a couple of months ago. Our first term of Twilight in Wainuiomata went brilliantly, we have been regularly seeing 80 – 100 youth each week come and engage with the safe space we are working hard to create and maintain. Your funding has helped us to provide kai for the young people that attend and helped us to purchase basketballs at the start of the year. We have carefully budgeted the money you gave us and it will also be funding the kai for this coming term and much of term 3 too.
Thank you again for helping us to do provide so much for the young people here in Wainuiomata.
Eastern Rising Radio Show
Eastern Rising comprises a small, loose collective of four volunteers – Tanya Didham, Mark Gibson, Michelle Whitaker and David Hill - dedicated to sharing the good stories and quirky flavour of Christchurch's eastern suburbs. We do this by creating monthly radio shows, and utilising the resources and airwaves of community access broadcaster Plains FM. Over the last year we have visited New Brighton's creative collective at Te Kura Tawhito - The Old School; we sat down with Captain Long John Knickers for the story of the Natural Magic Pirates; we went down memory lane with the lovely volunteers at New Brighton's museum and we talked to Sumner Bays Union Trust. We went along to the huge community event for Matariki 2018, hosted by Richmond Community Garden and Avebury House - in fact we went to several fabulous festivals during that time including Rockabilly; Aranui's Affirm; and Meet in the Middle at Kerrs Reach, celebrating the river corridor and the amazing hui space provided by the red zone.
We also like to help raise awareness of issues that particularly affect the east. Three obvious examples, that we are all passionate about and have done several shows on, are the future of the river red zone, the importance of our waterways, and climate change. And indeed how they all intertwine. We are excited that the river red zone, including our Ōtākaro-Avon Awa, may have some attention and resources lavished on it soon. We, and I would dare to say most in the east, view that space as taonga; a precious gift, but one that came out of terrible loss. To us, all our waterways are taonga and to bring attention to both their beauty and their plights, we have circumambulated the estuary, Ihutai; and most recently, recorded a 2-day bike ride round both Lakes Forsyth-Wairewa and Te Waihora-Ellesmere. For these shows we have interviewed grassroots community leaders, scientists, tangata whenua, organisations such as Regenerate Christchurch and DCL, local politicians, as well as people in the street. Each show is like a little time capsule, recording our local history and the people making it.
We are most grateful to Thankyou Charitable Trust for sponsoring our efforts, 100% of the grant money
goes on the small fee Plains FM charge per show.
We also like to help raise awareness of issues that particularly affect the east. Three obvious examples, that we are all passionate about and have done several shows on, are the future of the river red zone, the importance of our waterways, and climate change. And indeed how they all intertwine. We are excited that the river red zone, including our Ōtākaro-Avon Awa, may have some attention and resources lavished on it soon. We, and I would dare to say most in the east, view that space as taonga; a precious gift, but one that came out of terrible loss. To us, all our waterways are taonga and to bring attention to both their beauty and their plights, we have circumambulated the estuary, Ihutai; and most recently, recorded a 2-day bike ride round both Lakes Forsyth-Wairewa and Te Waihora-Ellesmere. For these shows we have interviewed grassroots community leaders, scientists, tangata whenua, organisations such as Regenerate Christchurch and DCL, local politicians, as well as people in the street. Each show is like a little time capsule, recording our local history and the people making it.
We are most grateful to Thankyou Charitable Trust for sponsoring our efforts, 100% of the grant money
goes on the small fee Plains FM charge per show.
Compassion Trust
Compassion Trust offers a free financial mentoring and budgeting service in the east of Christchurch. Our financial mentors are trained staff and volunteers who help to assist with advice and advocacy, financial planning, debt management, money courses and community care programmes for approximately 350 clients per year.
We wish to thank you for your support towards our budgeting service in providing funding for a new printer for our service. We offer a free confidential, non-judgement service with a passion to meet local community needs, and work towards clients becoming debt free. We are very reliant on volunteers and appreciate their time given to support those in our area.
We wish to thank you for your support towards our budgeting service in providing funding for a new printer for our service. We offer a free confidential, non-judgement service with a passion to meet local community needs, and work towards clients becoming debt free. We are very reliant on volunteers and appreciate their time given to support those in our area.
Birthright Canterbury Social Worker Visits
The focus of Birthright's services is the children and young persons of one-parent families. We work with the whole family to facilitate the growth of confidence, develop skills, achieve financial and personal independence and be a contributing member of the community. Today we are the only organisation in Canterbury who deliver home visit support to one parent families. Working with the family for three years ensures wrap around support is available when they need it.
Your donation has enabled our Social worker to make 70 client contacts providing various needed Social Service to our one parent families. What we have noticed over the past year, we are seeing clients with really complex and multi needs. Our Social workers spend more time in each client to work along side with their needs. Many of the families are faced with social isolation, financial stress and need for parenting support and skills.
Your donation has enabled our Social worker to make 70 client contacts providing various needed Social Service to our one parent families. What we have noticed over the past year, we are seeing clients with really complex and multi needs. Our Social workers spend more time in each client to work along side with their needs. Many of the families are faced with social isolation, financial stress and need for parenting support and skills.
Pregnancy Help Dunedin
Pregnancy Help Dunedin very much appreciated the funding received from the Thankyou Charitable Trust in August of this year. It helped us to provide our services from our drop-in centre in South Dunedin, and via social media (Facebook) to 258 clients. Family/ whānau were supported to be secure and to thrive by providing 4 pēpi-pods, 16 bassinets, 269 reusable nappies, 435 items of baby bedding, 536 woollen singlets, 3312 disposable nappies, and 6308 items of baby and children's clothing. Thank you so very much for being a part of a very caring community which supports us to do this.
Wainuiomata Volunteer Fire Brigade
The Wainuiomata Volunteer Fire Brigade (WVFB) is a brigade comprising three appliances, 447, 441 and 4426. Appliances are manned by volunteers who are on call 24 hours per day/seven days per week all year round – although all members have primary other employment or other personal commitments. Wainuiomata has approximately 45 volunteers and the number of calls can vary year on year from around 300 through to 400 plus dependent on weather and medical events for example. Calls range from structure fires (buildings – houses to factories and schools); power lines down, road closures, motor vehicle accidents, flooding, medical calls – including cardiac arrests, difficulty in breathing (all fire fighters are qualified FENZ/St John Medical Co-responders and support Wellington Free Ambulance as needed); setting up helicopter landing sites through to other major incidents. Wainuiomata 4426 also provides scene safety, lighting, traffic control, salvage through to general welfare support for crews and other emergency responders as needed. The unit supports urban fire, rural fire and other emergency services and there are occasions when the vehicle and crews go to back to back events on the same day. The Brigade also actively participates in the community, for example, the fire wise programme in schools.
The WVBF topped up the trust grant to purchase and replace two very old appliances which were beyond repair, indeed, the fridge/freezer was broken. The both items will be used on a weekly basis by the brigade however, key is the ability for the brigade to support families and the community in times of emergency when we may need to house and feed a reasonable number of people after a natural disaster for example or when members of the brigade are working through an extended period on incidents and jobs where we are not able to return home for any length of time and require feeding whilst on station which has happened during ‘weather bombs’ or such events where the team can turn out to several jobs inside a 24 hour period.
The WVBF topped up the trust grant to purchase and replace two very old appliances which were beyond repair, indeed, the fridge/freezer was broken. The both items will be used on a weekly basis by the brigade however, key is the ability for the brigade to support families and the community in times of emergency when we may need to house and feed a reasonable number of people after a natural disaster for example or when members of the brigade are working through an extended period on incidents and jobs where we are not able to return home for any length of time and require feeding whilst on station which has happened during ‘weather bombs’ or such events where the team can turn out to several jobs inside a 24 hour period.
Pūrākaunui School Chromebooks
Thank you very much for the money you gave to Pūrākaunui School to help us buy some new chrome books. The chromebooks are very helpful when we are doing some of our classwork. We often use google docs and each student has their own school google account and school email address. Thechrome books have helped us to learn how to use these cool new systems. We like the chrome books because they are very quick and easy to use and are much better than the unreliable old computers we were using. We use them for writing and publishing and other things like research. We have also created slideshows with them and presented these at our school assemblies. We have also found many great things on the internet to help our learning. We have created a technology hub in the senior class where we often use the chrome books. It is a really cool space. The photos we will put with this letter show this new classroom area.
Thanks again for your generosity, we really appreciate it.
Pūrākaunui School
Thanks again for your generosity, we really appreciate it.
Pūrākaunui School
Pūrākaunui School technology hub!
Shakti Christchurch
Through culturally competence prevention and intervention services, Shakti Christchurch supports women and girls who have gone through horrific culturally sanctioned forms of violence, this includes forced and underage marriage, dowry abuse, FGM and honour based violence. Our Christchurch based drop in centre and refuge ensures the immediate safety needs of vulnerable migrant and refugee women and children from Asian, African and Middle-Eastern backgrounds. Funding received from Thankyou Charitable Trust contributed towards our operational costs and the purchase of a computer to assist with our casework.
At one of Shakti's support group Yoga classes
Nisa - Ethical underwear Wellington
Nisa is an underwear label that aims to help refugee women from the bottom up. Our underwear is lovingly sewn by women from a refugee background in a sunny studio in Wellington, New Zealand. In terms of what we used the Thankyou funding for; we used it to cover some of the set up costs of our workshop. We got a cutting table made, and got a new industrial sewing machine, amongst other things.
Special Olympics Wellington
We held extra practices for our team of eight Ten Pin bowlers in preparation for the Special Olympics New Zealand National Summer Games held in November 2017. It cost $360 to hire the lanes for a few extra weeks. The Team’s medal tally was 2 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze medals.
Ear wax build up contributes to poor hearing. A specialist ear nurse from Triton Ltd screened athletes for ear wax build up prior to National Summer Games 2017. We used the grant to subsidise ear wax removal costs and so far we have paid out $110 for the services. We will subsidise four more athletes to have ear wax removed which will use up the balance of the grant.
Ear wax build up contributes to poor hearing. A specialist ear nurse from Triton Ltd screened athletes for ear wax build up prior to National Summer Games 2017. We used the grant to subsidise ear wax removal costs and so far we have paid out $110 for the services. We will subsidise four more athletes to have ear wax removed which will use up the balance of the grant.
The Ten Pin Team at the National Summer Games 2017
Back row L to R : Matthew, Rikki, Matt, Ella, Mark, Ina
Front row L to R: Tess, Ed, Brigid (Coach) Sean (Head Coach)
Beneficiary Advice Services (BAS) Christchurch
Thank you very much for your support of BAS with $1300 towards our overhead costs. This help has enabled us to continue providing a high-quality advocacy service in Christchurch. We have been helping clients by phone, in person and, increasingly, by email & facebook contact. We are able to continue this work with your help as our office provides interview rooms, telephone and internet.
In many cases, we are able to look into issues for clients and let them know what is going on in their file at Work and Income. This may be writing off a debt, granting a benefit or extra assistance/ grants or helping people find emergency housing. Many clients phone or call in to see us asking about their entitlements from Work and Income and we are often able to give them information about supplementary assistance they are eligible for or negotiate advance repayments.
Every year, hundreds of beneficiaries contact us for advice and go away satisfied with our service. People suffering from poverty often find us to see how we can help alleviate the situation with advice and support. Helping the most disadvantaged and least resourced members in our society has a flow on effect as the cost to society is greater when people are living in poverty (including medical costs of preventable diseases in children and adults from lack of funds to prevent this and sub-standard housing). Therefore, whilst we only directly help hundreds of people per year, the flow on effect affects all of society! The people who will feel the most benefit will, of course, be our clients themselves. We are able to directly help people, generally financially, to make life that bit easier.
In many cases, we are able to look into issues for clients and let them know what is going on in their file at Work and Income. This may be writing off a debt, granting a benefit or extra assistance/ grants or helping people find emergency housing. Many clients phone or call in to see us asking about their entitlements from Work and Income and we are often able to give them information about supplementary assistance they are eligible for or negotiate advance repayments.
Every year, hundreds of beneficiaries contact us for advice and go away satisfied with our service. People suffering from poverty often find us to see how we can help alleviate the situation with advice and support. Helping the most disadvantaged and least resourced members in our society has a flow on effect as the cost to society is greater when people are living in poverty (including medical costs of preventable diseases in children and adults from lack of funds to prevent this and sub-standard housing). Therefore, whilst we only directly help hundreds of people per year, the flow on effect affects all of society! The people who will feel the most benefit will, of course, be our clients themselves. We are able to directly help people, generally financially, to make life that bit easier.
Pioneer Hall Paint Job
The Pioneer Opportunities and Resources Trust (PORT) was established when the DCC wanted to demolish the Hall. The goal is to make it a community hub for a wide ranging variety of activities, and with the assistance of many groups and individuals we are achieving this. The Thankyou Charitable Trust is one of the groups who have been most helpful to our development. Like any old building there is an ongoing need for maintenance to both preserve and improve the building and make it welcoming for the people using it.The grant that we received allowed us to paint the hall and make it look cared for and attractive, made it look like a place you would want to be in. Painting the Hall made a world of difference.
Studio 2 and Connections Trust - Murals
A white wall is a call for local street artists/ taggers in any city. It is no different in Corstorphine Dunedin. So when Studio2 artists Dale Scoles and William Luskie were offered the chance to put some colour in their communities and stem the tide of tagging they leapt at the opportunity. William and Dale are both outsider artists who live in the South Dunedin area and are active in their communities. Their awesome abstracts were the perfect fit for a couple of frequently tagged walls up near the Middleton Road Shopping Centre. With help from people from Connections, Studio2 and Friend-link, they painted the walls over a few sunny days in September. And to this day the walls haven’t seen hide nor hair of tagging. So thank you, Thankyou Trust. Your $500 for the paint for this project has made a lot of people very happy. We even have a little left over to paint another wall in need of some love and attention.
Dunedin Curtain Bank - 9012 Referrals
The awesomely sustainable Dunedin Curtain Bank has been using the grant it received from the Trust to target referrals in the 9012 South Dunedin postcode. They support clients to install the clients and often help them connect with other integrated services available in Dunedin
We have spread the word around our referral agencies and other community contacts to promote our free service, and the fact we've received this funding which supports us to provide curtains in the 9012 area. We are especially grateful to the Caversham 9012 group who have been sending people to us and advertising on their Facebook page. We're also very grateful to our existing clients who are fantastic at word of mouth referrals. It is not uncommon for one person in a street or block of flats to come and see us, and bring us a neighbor, family member or friend to access the service too - we really enjoy this connection, and we believe it helps people feel comfortable coming to us when someone with first hand experience recommends us. Another neat outcome for us has been having a client who bought in her own curtains to be lined - this is a great outcome as she is really happy with her existing curtains, and we were able to line them for her to help warmth - a great collaboration, and also I think a neat demonstration of our willingness to be flexible in our service in ways that will be suit the needs of our clients and achieve our aims of warming up homes.
We have spread the word around our referral agencies and other community contacts to promote our free service, and the fact we've received this funding which supports us to provide curtains in the 9012 area. We are especially grateful to the Caversham 9012 group who have been sending people to us and advertising on their Facebook page. We're also very grateful to our existing clients who are fantastic at word of mouth referrals. It is not uncommon for one person in a street or block of flats to come and see us, and bring us a neighbor, family member or friend to access the service too - we really enjoy this connection, and we believe it helps people feel comfortable coming to us when someone with first hand experience recommends us. Another neat outcome for us has been having a client who bought in her own curtains to be lined - this is a great outcome as she is really happy with her existing curtains, and we were able to line them for her to help warmth - a great collaboration, and also I think a neat demonstration of our willingness to be flexible in our service in ways that will be suit the needs of our clients and achieve our aims of warming up homes.
Pictured is DCB legend, Steve, manning our stall at the South Dunedin Street Festival. We headed along armed with plenty of curtain requests forms and information
Youth Alive Trust Community Noticeboards
Youth Alive Trust has been supporting young people and families in the New Brighton community since 1989. We are based at Grace Vineyard Beach Campus, 111 Seaview Road, New Brighton - which is an old converted supermarket, converted into a purpose build community hub, renovated over the past 2 years with earthquake funding. We love networking and collaborating with other local groups, and sharing information that our community may want to know.
"Check out these two new Community Noticeboards at the old entrance to Grace Vineyard Beach Campus thanks to a funding grant from the amazing Thankyou Charitable Trust!! We're just starting to gather more info to put into them, so drop hard copies of your community event poster, sports club flyer or fundraising notice into reception anytime".
"Check out these two new Community Noticeboards at the old entrance to Grace Vineyard Beach Campus thanks to a funding grant from the amazing Thankyou Charitable Trust!! We're just starting to gather more info to put into them, so drop hard copies of your community event poster, sports club flyer or fundraising notice into reception anytime".
New Brighton Community Gardens - Propagating Youth Gardeners Scheme
We run a 10 week programme for schools “Propagating Young Gardners”. The children eagerly came every Friday afternoon looking forward to what they were doing today!! We divided the children into 3 groups and rotated them every three weeks. We had a cooking group, gardening group, and a garden art group. From the garden to plate the children made Silver Beet Quiche, Pumpkin Pancakes and Potato Puffs. The children had their own garden plot and learnt about soil maintenance, how to sow from seed using different methods, planted from cuttings and planted potatoes in sacks. For garden art they made mosaic tiles, bird feeders, and moss balls with a succulent planted in them. Everyone had a great learning experience. Thank you for your very welcome donation it helped us our a lot.
Aranui Dropin Cafe
We used the grant to purchase of equipment to enhance the experience of people who come to the drop-in (free) cafe based in the Aranui community. We try to create an experience as close as possible to what would be experienced by people at a cafe in the city if they could afford such. The cafe is open twice a week and around 15- 18 people drop in each time; they share stories with one another and help one another to form a sense of community. We provide games and music for them as well as food parcels if required. Our community worker mingles with the guests to assist with any practical matters that have arisen in their lives.
Toasted sandwich made in the new grill purchased using the TYCT grant
YWCA Christchurch - Seatbelts and screens
YWCA Christchurch provides a warm safe emergency and transitional accommodation for vulnerable women, with and without children. Our residents general stay for up to 3 months and in that time our Site Manager works with a number of agencies to assist the resident with support services they may need working towards them transitioning to their own place to live.The YWCA meets the need for anyone needing emergency assistance and we often take in women who cannot be placed with the other housing providers.
"Thank you so much for your funding. We really appreciate it and it allowed us to put seatbelts in our van and get 2 computer screens for our administration lady so that she could work on documents easily".
"Thank you so much for your funding. We really appreciate it and it allowed us to put seatbelts in our van and get 2 computer screens for our administration lady so that she could work on documents easily".
Nigerian Board Game - Gap Filler Trust
Our grant was used to support a further phase of our Diverscity Series. We worked with the Nigerian Community to deliver a giant Mancala Game. Diverscity is a series of several community-led projects which aim to showcase the cultural diversity of Christchurch. Korean, Chinese and Nigerian communities have now been involved to realise collaborative projects which showcase aspects of their culture for the wider public.
For Gap Filler, this project is about celebrating our city’s diversity and bringing greater visibility to cultural communities. Members of the communities involved say that the opportunity to work with Gap Filler on a project has given them the chance to be seen in the city beyond their own cultural festival and contribute to how Christchurch is perceived.
Working with the Nigerian Community to realise Mancala has been very rewarding. We’ve established new relationships and produced a really high-quality project for the city. We installed the Mancala log on a site we currently occupy by the Bridge of Remembrance at the start of October – to coincide with the National Day of Nigeria (1 st Oct.). We’re really excited to see how the public responds.
For Gap Filler, this project is about celebrating our city’s diversity and bringing greater visibility to cultural communities. Members of the communities involved say that the opportunity to work with Gap Filler on a project has given them the chance to be seen in the city beyond their own cultural festival and contribute to how Christchurch is perceived.
Working with the Nigerian Community to realise Mancala has been very rewarding. We’ve established new relationships and produced a really high-quality project for the city. We installed the Mancala log on a site we currently occupy by the Bridge of Remembrance at the start of October – to coincide with the National Day of Nigeria (1 st Oct.). We’re really excited to see how the public responds.
Predator Free Dunedin
Orokonui Ecosanctuary is a member of Predator Free Dunedin, a new partnership of 20 organisations and agencies who have agreed to collaborate on predator management work. Coordination of effort will enable greater efficiencies, better outcomes and increase educational and research opportunities and ultimately achieve greater economic, conservation and social gains for Dunedin.
As a member organisation we are organising promotional materials for Predator Free Dunedin. A poster and rack card/pamphlet were produced for Predator Free Dunedin with the kind support of the Thankyou Charitable Trust. These promotional materials are much valued in the establishment of this new organisation.
As a member organisation we are organising promotional materials for Predator Free Dunedin. A poster and rack card/pamphlet were produced for Predator Free Dunedin with the kind support of the Thankyou Charitable Trust. These promotional materials are much valued in the establishment of this new organisation.
West Harbour Artist in Residence Parade
Every year the West Harbour Arts Charitable Trust hosts an artist in residence who works with local school children to create art projects that will be presented in the annual art parade, held in December of each year. This project reaches around 250 children, and their families and the wider community on the day of the parade and in the festival held afterwards.
This year we have employed Donna Demente as our Artist in Residence. She will be working with the students to create a masquerade parade down the main street. The parade this year will happen on the 3rd December. Thank you to the Trust for providing funding towards our material costs!
This year we have employed Donna Demente as our Artist in Residence. She will be working with the students to create a masquerade parade down the main street. The parade this year will happen on the 3rd December. Thank you to the Trust for providing funding towards our material costs!
Port Chalmers Outdoor Education - Boating Programme
The Boating/Water Safety Programme has continued to provide tuition for school children from the West Harbour area in particular, but also from further afield, and a team of volunteers continues to Administer and Maintain the boats and equipment and to provide supervision and rescue crews. The maintenance and replacement of equipment is an on-going financial burden to the Committee as being a volunteer group we are reliant upon donations and grants to allow us to continue providing such an important programme to our local children in particular.
This year another dinghy suitable for use as a Rescue/Supervision craft has been donated by one of the Committee members. For larger groups it had become necessary to provide more than one craft, and it was obvious that a second craft needed to have a motor to ensure quick and efficient access to areas of need. Earlier in the year an application was made to the Thankyou Charitable Trust for assistance in acquiring a suitable motor, and at least two staff life vests. We were fortunate in having a grant made by the trust and are very grateful for this support, without which the necessary equipment would not have been readily obtainable.
This year another dinghy suitable for use as a Rescue/Supervision craft has been donated by one of the Committee members. For larger groups it had become necessary to provide more than one craft, and it was obvious that a second craft needed to have a motor to ensure quick and efficient access to areas of need. Earlier in the year an application was made to the Thankyou Charitable Trust for assistance in acquiring a suitable motor, and at least two staff life vests. We were fortunate in having a grant made by the trust and are very grateful for this support, without which the necessary equipment would not have been readily obtainable.
Port Chalmers Kindy - Eco Warriors programme
The Orokonui Ecosanctuary is a national treasure, in close proximity to Port Chalmers, and we think it is an ideal environment for our tamariki to experience and learn about native flora and fauna, community involvement and sustainability. We hope, with our Eco Warriors programme, to build on our already established links with the Ecosanctuary, and support our next generation with their commitment to conservation. This year we got funding to cover the cost of the Ecosanctuary educator for one year, our membership fees,and also a bus trip for our entire kindy to travel up to Orokonui Ecosanctuary to see what our Eco Warriors have been doing, and enable them to share their work with all of us.
With the help of Thankyou Charitable Trust, the kids of Port Chalmers Kindergarten are able to participate in meaningful interactions with nature, whatever the weather, and share this knowledge and enthusiasm with the wider community.
With the help of Thankyou Charitable Trust, the kids of Port Chalmers Kindergarten are able to participate in meaningful interactions with nature, whatever the weather, and share this knowledge and enthusiasm with the wider community.
Harbourside Masters Football Club
For this first time since the 1980’s the West Harbour region has formed a Masters Football team and they turned out to be a formidable outfit. The team comprised of men aged over 35 from the Port Chalmers region finished 3rd in their league having at one stage led the competition. As this was a new team, Coach Chris Button needed to secure funding to buy necessary equipment (i.e., footballs and goal nets). Thankyou Charitable Trust obliged with a grant of approximately $500 which was put to good use.
At the season’s conclusion over 60 masters footballers played at a friendly competition at Watson Park, Port Chalmers. At the event Chris Button commented that “A marvelous first season for us was only possible because of the kind support of the Thankyou Charitable Trust who have brought some old(ish) guys out of retirement and back onto the pitch. Thanks for helping to bring us together and form strong friendships and hopefully allow the Harbourside Football Club to flourish for many years to come.”
At the season’s conclusion over 60 masters footballers played at a friendly competition at Watson Park, Port Chalmers. At the event Chris Button commented that “A marvelous first season for us was only possible because of the kind support of the Thankyou Charitable Trust who have brought some old(ish) guys out of retirement and back onto the pitch. Thanks for helping to bring us together and form strong friendships and hopefully allow the Harbourside Football Club to flourish for many years to come.”
TS Nimrod Uniforms
TS Nimrod is the Port Chalmers unit of the Sea Cadet Corps, which is a branch of the New Zealand Cadet Forces. We have been a presence in West Harbour since 1949, when the unit became a separate branch of Otago Sea Cadets. Since then, we have had a strong link with the community, with a surprisingly large number of local people having been sea cadets at one stage of their lives. All of them will tell you how they benefited from their time at the unit, no matter how long or short that was or what kind of person they are.
We have a focus on teaching young people life skills like leadership, respect, self-discipline and self-confidence through fun, adventurous and challenging activities. This includes learning to sail, camping, tramping, orienteering and nautical navigation, plenty of teamwork and helping the community. The cadet unit is constantly recruiting new young people from the community to take on adventure, challenge and to learn about leadership. Our most recent recruits are physically smaller than any previous intakes (yes, all four of them—perhaps Port Chalmers has a shrinking population?) and therefore require smaller uniforms and life jackets than we have in the stores.We used the Thankyou Trust Grant to purchase four Hutchwilco Mariner Classic style life jackets and three sets of General Working Dress uniforms.
We have a focus on teaching young people life skills like leadership, respect, self-discipline and self-confidence through fun, adventurous and challenging activities. This includes learning to sail, camping, tramping, orienteering and nautical navigation, plenty of teamwork and helping the community. The cadet unit is constantly recruiting new young people from the community to take on adventure, challenge and to learn about leadership. Our most recent recruits are physically smaller than any previous intakes (yes, all four of them—perhaps Port Chalmers has a shrinking population?) and therefore require smaller uniforms and life jackets than we have in the stores.We used the Thankyou Trust Grant to purchase four Hutchwilco Mariner Classic style life jackets and three sets of General Working Dress uniforms.
The TS Nimrod Cadets modelling their uniforms!
Beyond Orokanui Project - Halo Project Tools
The Beyond Orokonui project seeks to integrate multiple community objectives including the enhancement of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and community wellbeing. The highest priority project to arise from the Beyond Orokonui project is the "Halo Project". The spill over effect of threatened bird species (eg. south island robin, kaka) from the fenced Orokonui Ecosanctuary into the wider landscape is occurring. Extending the Halo will provide greater safe habitat for threatened bird species beyond the Orokonui fence, allowing these threatened bird species to inhabit areas where communities are living, contributing to an ecologically-rich living-landscape.
A comprehensive Pest Management Plan has recently been developed, providing the strategic basis for the implementation of coordinated pest control into the future. By connecting communities through collaboration and shared targets, the Halo Project will foster a targeted network of volunteer teams initially across 3,900 hectares of land, installing and monitoring traps and bait stations in resident’s homes, streets and farms. Priority pest species are mustelids, possums, and at high value biodiversity sites – rats. The TYP Charitable Trust has provided the Halo Project with the tools that volunteers need to do the job. Spanners and cleaning tools don’t sound glamorous, but these are the core tools that we need to get the job done
A comprehensive Pest Management Plan has recently been developed, providing the strategic basis for the implementation of coordinated pest control into the future. By connecting communities through collaboration and shared targets, the Halo Project will foster a targeted network of volunteer teams initially across 3,900 hectares of land, installing and monitoring traps and bait stations in resident’s homes, streets and farms. Priority pest species are mustelids, possums, and at high value biodiversity sites – rats. The TYP Charitable Trust has provided the Halo Project with the tools that volunteers need to do the job. Spanners and cleaning tools don’t sound glamorous, but these are the core tools that we need to get the job done
Some of the volunteers on the Halo Project with the DOC traps used to catch vermin
Renew Brighton - Te Kura Tawhito Working Bee
In the last couple of months we have been busy moving and settling in those who now occupy the spaces at the Old School, Te Kura Tawhito in New Brighton. We have Pregnancy Help, Toi te Karoro, The New Internationalist Magazine, Otautahi Creative Spaces, ManUp, Rongoā (Māori traditional healing), Stitch-o-mat, plus many amazing artists, and a gardener, Gordon Proctor tends the veggie patch. The plan was to get everyone in and settled, tidy the place up with a massive working bee, and then follow up with the opening. So, thanks to your funding, we were able to have an amazing clean up. It was a beautiful day, and around 30 people joined in. Rubbish was cleared from the site and carted off to the dump, windows and buildings were washed and cleaned, windowsills were scrapped and painted, gardens were trimmed and tamed. This was followed by a lovely gathering in the staffroom with kai. The result was a sparkling tidy school, ready for the blessing and opening the following weekend.
Tidying up the Old School gardens at the working bee
Port Chalmers School Line Markings
The Port Chalmers School recently created new playground markings in our school playground and updated the the markings on our netball and basketball courts using the grant from the Trust. This is for the children who attend Port Chalmers School. However the school has a bigger catchment than this. The Koputai Kids Afterschool Programme (this includes the school holiday programme) uses our school facilities on a daily bases and has students from several schools in the West Harbour area. The school courts are used by our school netball and basketball teams and others in our community who want to have a full court, with markings to practice on. The school is a focal point for the community and having lots of playground and court markings encourages active participation in games across all ages, including whanau who use our school out of hours. We want to encourage pro-social skills within our community (how to play games together) and active participation for all the community through games that are marked out on the playground.
Mt Victoria Trapping Group Victory over Vermin
Our group of volunteers was established in November 2015 and set our first traps in October 2016. The funding we received from the Thankyou Charitable Trust was used to purchase rat tunnels. These contain a simple rat trap inside. The box protects birds, dogs and cats from being snapped, and ensures the pest is lined up correctly for a humane kill. In the 10 months that we have been trapping we’ve managed to catch over 644 pests. This is made up of 380 mice, 203 rats, 54 hedgehogs and 7 weasels. Our group has been recently named as a finalist in the 2017 Wellington Regional Community Awards. It’s not pleasant killing pests but it’s the single most important thing that we can do to repair the damage to our ecosystem.
It’s becoming increasingly common to see tui, fantails and kaka in Mount Victoria, as well as visiting falcon, kereru and kakariki, so we’re really excited to see the difference our efforts are making up there.The donation that we’ve received from your organisation has made this work possible, and we’re very grateful to you for this.
It’s becoming increasingly common to see tui, fantails and kaka in Mount Victoria, as well as visiting falcon, kereru and kakariki, so we’re really excited to see the difference our efforts are making up there.The donation that we’ve received from your organisation has made this work possible, and we’re very grateful to you for this.
InsideOUT
InsideOUT is a national youth-led charitable organisation which works to create safer schools and communities for young people of minority sexualities, genders, and sex characteristics. We have a number of projects and campaigns we run, however a key focus of our organisation is to work with high schools to start and strengthen rainbow diversity groups, also called queer-straight alliances. This work is usually done through digital mentoring and resourcing, however the Thankyou Charitable Trust grant enabled us to work more closely with student leaders in the Wellington region to provide regular meet-ups, peer-support networks, trainings, and other relevant tools.
Moriah Kindergarten Sandpit
We are a small inner city kindergarten with limited outdoor play space, in our courtyard. In poor weather there is no outdoor space that the children can play in. Our kindergarten covers a diverse range of children from across Wellington's multicultural community.The donation from the Trust helped us finish building our covered sandpit. This was a great outcome as we had planned this for a long time. The kids love playing in the sandpit. It has been a very popular addition to the kindergarten.
Wellington Rape Crisis Art Therapy Group
With funding received from the Thankyou Charitable Trust, Wellington Rape Crisis was able to run an art therapy class for some of our clients. The class was a chance for people who are often isolated to get together and socialise whilst creating positive and meaningful art in a therapeutic environment.
Some projects included: tiny bottles with inspirational messages inside, masks, keepsake boxes, star weaving as part of the 1 Million Stars to End Domestic Violence project and some positive message banners to put up inside our office space. We still have many supplies left over from this grant and ultimately hope to run another class later in the year. We really appreciate Thankyou Charitable Trust for funding out of the ordinary projects like this that would otherwise not be possible -Thank you, Thankyou Charitable Trust!
Some projects included: tiny bottles with inspirational messages inside, masks, keepsake boxes, star weaving as part of the 1 Million Stars to End Domestic Violence project and some positive message banners to put up inside our office space. We still have many supplies left over from this grant and ultimately hope to run another class later in the year. We really appreciate Thankyou Charitable Trust for funding out of the ordinary projects like this that would otherwise not be possible -Thank you, Thankyou Charitable Trust!
Brooklyn Toy Library
The Brooklyn Toy Library was incredibly grateful to receive a grant of $300 from Thankyou Charitable Trust to purchase two new water toys for the library. These toys replace two old water sinks that were leaking and under borrowed. We managed to get these toys into circulation prior to Wellington’s ‘summer’ and they haven’t spent more than ten minutes back at the library since! Thankyou Thankyou Charitable Trust for helping us provide these toys to our little borrowers and for helping us maintain a library that’s well stocked with high quality toys thus maintaining its appeal within our local community.
Philippine Culture and Sports Trust
The funding received from the Thankyou Charitable Trust went a long way in making the migrants, mostly the Filipino workers, feel at home and welcomed in the city of Christchurch through the Philippine Culture and Sports office on the individual and community level.
On the individual level using the one-on-one approach, the information on support and assistance offered by the government and non-government agencies have made them confident that despite their temporary immigration status in the city, they are assured that they are being looked after as our volunteers give them the information they need in terms of accommodation, health and safety, legal services, hospital policies, police procedure, insurance, and other transnational needs such as food, items, places of worship, cultural and sports activities they have been used to do at home.
On the community level, the office served as the meeting point for the planning of seminars, welcomes, conferences in a larger scale. The office is responsible of the establishment of the Advisor's group composed of the managers and directors of the different agencies that serve the migrant people including the employers that employ the migrant workers and employees that work for them. These have been a series of well-attended assemblies that have caught the attention of the government from immigration, health, law and order, accommodation, education and other essential settlement and integration needs. The important benefit was the direct contact with the participants during the discussing, getting a first-hand information straight from the authorities.
WE are so thankful that the citizens of Christchurch are open to improving the way of living of migrants, making them think and feel they are at home. Thankyou to this scheme that makes small groups shine and gather voices to the advantage of the community.
On the individual level using the one-on-one approach, the information on support and assistance offered by the government and non-government agencies have made them confident that despite their temporary immigration status in the city, they are assured that they are being looked after as our volunteers give them the information they need in terms of accommodation, health and safety, legal services, hospital policies, police procedure, insurance, and other transnational needs such as food, items, places of worship, cultural and sports activities they have been used to do at home.
On the community level, the office served as the meeting point for the planning of seminars, welcomes, conferences in a larger scale. The office is responsible of the establishment of the Advisor's group composed of the managers and directors of the different agencies that serve the migrant people including the employers that employ the migrant workers and employees that work for them. These have been a series of well-attended assemblies that have caught the attention of the government from immigration, health, law and order, accommodation, education and other essential settlement and integration needs. The important benefit was the direct contact with the participants during the discussing, getting a first-hand information straight from the authorities.
WE are so thankful that the citizens of Christchurch are open to improving the way of living of migrants, making them think and feel they are at home. Thankyou to this scheme that makes small groups shine and gather voices to the advantage of the community.
Wellington Womens Boarding House
WWBH provides accommodation and support to homeless women in Wellington. We exist not only to end homelessness for women but also to ensure that they are in homes that are safe and healthy, and that women are doing more than just surviving; they are achieving their dreams and realising their potential. During their stay at the House, we work to connect our women with important social services in the Wellington community to enable them to get back on their feet and find permanent accommodation.
We will be using the TCT grant to expand on our current work to achieve our vision of eliminating women’s homelessness by increasing our advocacy role for women’s homelessness in Wellington, and our outreach with both women who are residents in our house and within the wider Wellington community.
We will be using the TCT grant to expand on our current work to achieve our vision of eliminating women’s homelessness by increasing our advocacy role for women’s homelessness in Wellington, and our outreach with both women who are residents in our house and within the wider Wellington community.
Wellington Timebank
We appreciate your continued support of Wellington Timebank. Our membership continues to increase (we have over 800 members sign up since we began), and the tasks and projects we are involved in also grows. There is an increasing number of community organisations who are part of Timebank. Timebank members are available to volunteer to support projects organised in the community. Recent examples of this have been the zero waste volunteers at Newtown Festival and the Repair Cafe at Newtown Community Centre. A number of community centres are members and utilise Timebankers in many ways, eg. delivery of newsletters by IDEA services clients.
Timebankers also initiate events, often around interest groups, eg. crafts or food. We continue to envisage new ways of connecting people together and giving them the opportunity to learn new skills or knowledge.The Timebank is a proven asset in time of emergency, providing networking and resilience. We are working closely with WREMO and WCC to develop our capacity to do this well using all the resources and skills offered in the Timebank. Your funding has meant that we can support more coordinator hours to ensure these important projects are not forgotten.
Timebankers also initiate events, often around interest groups, eg. crafts or food. We continue to envisage new ways of connecting people together and giving them the opportunity to learn new skills or knowledge.The Timebank is a proven asset in time of emergency, providing networking and resilience. We are working closely with WREMO and WCC to develop our capacity to do this well using all the resources and skills offered in the Timebank. Your funding has meant that we can support more coordinator hours to ensure these important projects are not forgotten.
One of our timebanker's
Peggy, helping at a Timebank event
Children of Promise - Ethical Fashion Label
Children of Promise (COP) is a Wellington-based womenswear label with a social conscience that is dedicated to doing good through fashion. All garments from COP are ethically-crafted in New Zealand using beautiful, high-quality, natural fabrics. A portion of the profit made from each garment is donated to charities in our community that support the mental health of New Zealand youth. COP invites you to help shift consumer culture and build a more promising future for youth through the power of fashion. We used the TCT grant to help fund our current and up and coming capsule collection.
One of the beautiful garments in the COP collection
Space NZ Trust
The Space NZ Trust supports a universal approach to post-natal support as this serves all new parents regardless of background & culture while our unique dual curriculum provides for the parent, the baby & the community. We work collaboratively with a diverse range of national & local organisations who deliver Space for you and your baby to their communities. We believe in parenting today for tomorrow through creating lasting generational change. At Space for you and your baby, parents and babies connect with other new parents & their babies as they explore parenting & children's development in a safe, facilitated environment. Music & movement, rhymes, books & a variety of play experiences are explored, opportunities to discover ways to support & extend baby's learning & development, including ideas & opportunities for play experiences at home.
1 in 4 women experience post-natal depression. We want to offer space in a format that is more accessible for these mothers. We have been offering Post-natal adjustment Space in partnership with local churches. These groups are smaller in size and duration and have the opportunity for a personal one on one home visit. We look forward to being able to offer this initiative to our partners nationwide. We really appreciate the opportunity to offer the postnatal adjustment Space in the 6021 postcode due to the grant from the Thankyou Charitable Trust.
1 in 4 women experience post-natal depression. We want to offer space in a format that is more accessible for these mothers. We have been offering Post-natal adjustment Space in partnership with local churches. These groups are smaller in size and duration and have the opportunity for a personal one on one home visit. We look forward to being able to offer this initiative to our partners nationwide. We really appreciate the opportunity to offer the postnatal adjustment Space in the 6021 postcode due to the grant from the Thankyou Charitable Trust.
Newtown Playcentre
Newtown Playcentre is a parent-led early childhood education centre situated on Harper St in central Newtown. We are a diverse group of parents, who share in common that we are all raising preschool aged children. We work together to learn, nurture, grow and love each other's children. Newtown playcentre is a group of around 20 families, and our centre is entirely run by volunteers. With the money from the Thankyou Charitable Trust we were able to purchase two great new purpose made sandpit covers, to protect our sandpit from the Wellington weather and animals using it as a litter tray. Our sandpit is a key part of our centre, facilitating play and learning, real-life mathematical challenges, mixing, tipping and digging. The sandpit covers make a real difference to our sandpit and the well-being of our children using the sandpit. We feel excited and grateful for this financial contribution, was well as sandpit covers, the gift of this money is also a symbol of encouragement to our families through the knowledge that the voluntary contribution that we give to our local community is supported and endorsed by others.
Enjoying messy play in the sandpit!
Fill Their Lunchbox
Their dream is to fuel disadvantaged children to provide them with an equal opportunity to learn, to be successful and to break the poverty cycle. They hope to achieve this by donating healthy, balanced and nutritious lunches to disadvantaged children in Christchurch's low decile schools.
Fill Their Lunchbox is currently operates out of Odyssey House, a charitable trust that operates as a drug and alcohol rehab centre for residents recently out of prison. These men assist in providing the lunches to partner schools whilst gaining cooking skills, with the goal of increasing their chance of employment once they complete the program.
Fill Their Lunchbox works as a buy one, gift one model and relies heavily on public involvement. Please show your interest here www.facebook.com/filltheirlunchbox and buy your lunches here.
Fill Their Lunchbox is currently operates out of Odyssey House, a charitable trust that operates as a drug and alcohol rehab centre for residents recently out of prison. These men assist in providing the lunches to partner schools whilst gaining cooking skills, with the goal of increasing their chance of employment once they complete the program.
Fill Their Lunchbox works as a buy one, gift one model and relies heavily on public involvement. Please show your interest here www.facebook.com/filltheirlunchbox and buy your lunches here.
Superhero's and Darth Vader delivering the lunches to celebrate the 1000th lunch made!
Cultivate Christchurch
Cultivate Waste, a branch of Cultivate Christchurch were one of our 2016 Grant recipients. Cultivate's team consists of young people, members of the community and skilled employees to grow together and produce quality food that they supply to restaurants as well as feed the people involved. Their aim is to help alleviate some of the problem with the lack of organic bin collection in the centre city. Using an electric bike and a trailer they collect organic bins and bring them back to the Cultivate site. There the waste is processed and eventually turned into compost which is used to help grow their wonderful fresh produce.
Unfortunately their e-bike was stolen last year but we help fund them to buy a new one!
Unfortunately their e-bike was stolen last year but we help fund them to buy a new one!
Rhea with our shiny new E-Bike!!
SURF - Brighton Bike Share
Thanks to the funds provided by Thank You Charitable Trust, we commissioned 3 bikes (two choppers and one mini pedicab) from Pedal Mania. These bikes have been built using recycled parts from other bikes.
These bikes will be available to hire free of charge from central New Brighton. They will be located at a local shop and hired out from there. They will have helmets and bike locks. To hire, people will need to leave a form of ID. We will also create a map of the area with suggested cycle routes so they can explore the local area. The bikes are safe and suitable for all. Seat heights can be adjusted and the pedicab can seat small children - or even an adult! These bikes are fun and more than just a little quirky - just like New Brighton!
These bikes will be available to hire free of charge from central New Brighton. They will be located at a local shop and hired out from there. They will have helmets and bike locks. To hire, people will need to leave a form of ID. We will also create a map of the area with suggested cycle routes so they can explore the local area. The bikes are safe and suitable for all. Seat heights can be adjusted and the pedicab can seat small children - or even an adult! These bikes are fun and more than just a little quirky - just like New Brighton!
One of the two chopper bikes built by Pedal Mania for the Brighton Bike Share project
Tunnel House Supper Club
The Tunnel House Supper Club was part of our first Christchurch grant round. The event was part of FESTA, The Festival of Transitional Architecture. It was a collaborative project between architects and chefs. They aimed to produce a pop-up restaurant that demonstrated holistic sustainability - local food, foraged food, recycled materials.
Port Chalmers Golf Club
"The Port Chalmers Golf Club has been using the SNAG (Starting New At Golf) system for a couple of years now as a way of getting young people new to the game involved at an early age. As the clubs have large heads, are light and involve hitting a tennis ball, kids don’t have to endure the frustrations usually associated with taking up golf.
Unfortunately when we purchased the original set we forget to order any left handed clubs. Therefore we are extremely grateful to the Thankyou Charitable Trust for their very kind donation which now allows kids who are left handed right handed or ambidextrous to get involved with our free juniors programme at the Port Chalmers Golf Club."
Steve Walker, Club Captain
Unfortunately when we purchased the original set we forget to order any left handed clubs. Therefore we are extremely grateful to the Thankyou Charitable Trust for their very kind donation which now allows kids who are left handed right handed or ambidextrous to get involved with our free juniors programme at the Port Chalmers Golf Club."
Steve Walker, Club Captain
Kaibosh Food Rescue
Kaibosh is a Wellington based food rescue organisation that diverts an incredible amount of food away from waste streams and into peoples bellies. We provided them with funding to purchase wet weather gear for their volunteers - and they're now a client of Thankyou Payroll.
"Working seven days a week, Kaibosh rescues 12,500kg of quality surplus food each month, redistributing it to community groups that support people in need. By bringing together 33 community groups, 28 regular food donors and over 85 dedicated volunteers, Kaibosh connects this food with those who need it most, tangibly benefiting both our community and our environment.
Kaibosh offers a solution to one of the greatest difficulties facing the marginalised in our community - food security. Many in our community rely on drop-in centres, food banks and a range of other services to meet their most basic daily food requirements. Without Kaibosh’s assistance, these services would have to spend considerable amounts of money and time sourcing and purchasing food for their clients, even though thousands of kilograms of quality surplus food are thrown away every day.
The Thankyou Charitable Trust has come to the help of Kaibosh by providing new wet-weather gear for our hard working volunteers and a new set of food rescue crates for us to collect market produce in. This means our team will be able to rescue and redistribute even more quality, nutritious food while keeping the rain off their backs!
A big thank you from Kaibosh to the Thankyou Charitable Trust!"
Matt Dagger, General Manager
"Working seven days a week, Kaibosh rescues 12,500kg of quality surplus food each month, redistributing it to community groups that support people in need. By bringing together 33 community groups, 28 regular food donors and over 85 dedicated volunteers, Kaibosh connects this food with those who need it most, tangibly benefiting both our community and our environment.
Kaibosh offers a solution to one of the greatest difficulties facing the marginalised in our community - food security. Many in our community rely on drop-in centres, food banks and a range of other services to meet their most basic daily food requirements. Without Kaibosh’s assistance, these services would have to spend considerable amounts of money and time sourcing and purchasing food for their clients, even though thousands of kilograms of quality surplus food are thrown away every day.
The Thankyou Charitable Trust has come to the help of Kaibosh by providing new wet-weather gear for our hard working volunteers and a new set of food rescue crates for us to collect market produce in. This means our team will be able to rescue and redistribute even more quality, nutritious food while keeping the rain off their backs!
A big thank you from Kaibosh to the Thankyou Charitable Trust!"
Matt Dagger, General Manager
