News archive — Autumn 2008

Our new fitness centre up and ‘running’

After ten months of door knocking, media interviews, shaking buckets, monster garage sales, school mufti days, cabaret nights and a corporate boxing event, the gym fundraising headed up by the wonderful Dayle and Delyse Brooks of Wanganui, far exceeded its target, raising over $26,000! With the extra funds raised we relocated the gym to a larger space within the House, allowing for a bigger and better equipped Fitness Centre.

Our Fitness Centre opened just before Christmas, and has been receiving a ‘work out’ ever since. The Centre is in memory of Dayle and Delyse’s little boy Izaya who sadly passed away in December 2006 due to a congenital heart condition. Iazya was just 13 weeks old.

A highlight of the fundraising was a corporate boxing event held in downtown Auckland on 2nd August which brought in close to $9,000 of our total target. The ‘Crown for Downtown at Britomart’ boxing event was the result of two friends, Burton Worth and Luke Shore (pictured right), who challenged each other to a friendly boxing match. Word spread and before long the stakes were raised and the friendly ‘spar’ turned into a professional boxing match consisting of nine bouts and finishing up with a charity auction. The event was a complete sell out with over half the proceeds from the evening coming to our new Fitness Centre.

Thanks to everyone throughout NZ who responded to the need for this wonderful new facility, which is now helping our Mums and Dads to de-stress and stay fit themselves in the ‘fight’ for their child’s returned good health.

Also a BIG congratulations to Dayle and Delyse who had a beautiful, healthy baby girl, Hine-Ngakau Elizabeth Brooks, on 14 December 2007.

Fijian dance group captivate the house

The Shobna Chanel Dance Group was formed in 1987 in Suva Fiji. Mrs Shobna Chanel who is also the choreographer, heads the group. They were in NZ to perform at Pasifika and were kindly brought in by Stephen Gillingham of House of Travel, Whangarei who was their host in Auckland.

The group is made up of school children aged 9-18 years. Having pioneered Indian-Fijian cultural dance fusion, involving Hindi dance movement to Fijian music and vice-versa, they travel widely performing and promoting Fiji tourism.

The Agent family Caroline (Mum), Roydon (Dad) and Hannah, staying in the House are friends of the groups’ host. Thank you for making this a great night for us all.

School’s in for 2008!

Mark Thorburn from the Ministry of Education’s Policy Division visited our on-site school with Northern Hospital Schools Headmaster Jim Craig during the last term of 2007 and the end of our year-long pilot programme. Both have agreed to make the school a permanent asset of the House from 2008!

Head Teacher Marion Nevin has been pivotal to its first year’s success, along with her aide Jocelyn Eaddy, both back onboard for 2008.

A big thank you to Todd Foundation and CEO Kate Frykberg, for their unwavering faith in our idea, their early support allowed us to pursue a sustainable school outcome. “Its surprising how the kids of the House have embraced our school,” says Scott Macfarlane, Chair of our Trust, “It is so normalizing in what can be a very unsettling experience, and it also allows Mums and Dads to focus their attention for a few hours each day on their sick child in hospital without having to worry about their well siblings needs.”

Bequest society — March luncheon update

Well known news and current affairs presenter Mark Sainsbury was guest speaker at our first Bequest Society Luncheon for 2008. Mark is the presenter of TV One’s Close Up. With a news career spanning over 25 years, Mark started out as a reporter with TVNZ in 1981. He was TVNZ’s European correspondent for three years and political editor between 1999 and 2005. A good turn out of House supporters, trustees, staff and families found his chat entertaining and informative. Mark kindly drew attention to the fantastic opportunity the Bequest Society offers lifetime supporters to stay close the heart of the House.

Diary this date: Our next luncheon is Thursday July 3rd. If you live locally or are going to be in Auckland on that date, please make a note to join New Zealand Gardener ’s Editor Lynda Hallinan, along with Bequest Society members, families and friends at our July event. This is a chance to meet the families you support and see if the Bequest Society is something of interest to you. You are welcome to bring a friend or family member with you, a hot lunch will be served. Lynda Hallinan has always loved gardens and she has turned her hobby into her ‘living’ dream job, a self confessed plant geek she will share her love of ‘green and growing’ NZ with us all.

If you would like to attend a luncheon or would like to know more about our Bequest Society, please contact Rebecca Shadwell on +64 9 303 1365 ext 876 or email .

Kristin school cooks up a storm

A group of Year 9 and 10 students from Kristin School on Auckland’s North Shore recently took on the mammoth task of cooking dinner for 130 family members at the House as part of their voluntary work in the community. Lewis Fry, one of the students who organised the project said, “We decided to do something that at first seems quite a small part of everyday life, when in fact it is something quite big for a family who has had a stressful and emotional day. We felt privileged to cook their dinner and help them out.”

“Our students can really inspire us at times. We make a point to teach them how to give back to the community and hope that they are influenced by it. When we left Ronald McDonald House Auckland after dinner there were many tears. They know they made a difference and it's heart-warming,” says Ted Berry, Principal of Kristin Middle School.

Great new year’s gift

Niels Jaegersborg of the Rotary Club of Downtown Auckland presented our CEO with the House’s best New year’s present ever at their first meeting of 2008 in January. $90,000 was their donation from the annual telephone appeal they commission with Southern Stars Charitable Trust on behalf of the House and disadvantaged Auckland children.

Southern Stars, their partner in the venture, hold an annual show for children who don’t often get the chance to access live theatre or cultural events, approaching businesses and individuals to pay for the seats, with a percentage of their donation coming to Ronald McDonald House Auckland. This is now an annual event in the House fundraising calendar.

Three dazzling performances of ‘Santa’s Christmas Adventure’ took place prior to Christmas much to the delight of the hoards of children watching. Thank you to Keith, Wayne and the team at Southern Stars and to Neils, Sheila and all the members of Downtown Rotary for another successful annual fundraiser.

Shell gets behind our collection boxes

A number of Shell service stations across the country have shown their support for our families by placing Ronald McDonald House Auckland collection boxes on their shop counters. This has been driven by the wonderful Doug and Rua Walters, Shell site owners themselves, who featured in our last newsletter, they stayed with us in 2007 before losing their granddaughter Lily in June to a terminal illness. If you happen to notice one of our collection boxes next time you stop to fill up, be sure to let them know you’re a friend of ours!

Ymca raises the spirits of our brothers and sisters

School holidays got a whole lot more exciting for children staying at the House thanks to the kind people of YMCA Ellerslie in Auckland. The YMCA staff approached us about providing the brothers and sisters of seriously ill children access to their school holiday programme, at no cost to the House or indeed the families.

“Sometimes parents are so involved with their sick child that their siblings sometimes need some time just for them,” says Tassia Machiavelli from YMCA Ellerslie. “It has been amazing to be able to provide this opportunity and to see the fun the children have while here at the YMCA. It is so rewarding knowing that we are making a difference in these kids’ lives.”

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