News archive — Winter 2008

Couple go to great heights to fundraise

It’s been described as an event only the very fit or insane would even consider running. However in March of this year two House supporters (who certainly appear to have their heads in check!) attempted the Tararua Challenge — a 35.5km mountain run through the heart of the Tararua Ranges. Shaun Williams and Elyse Laface completed this challenge and managed to raise over $2,000 for the House along the way.

Having signed up for the race three months prior and about to kick start their intensive training schedule, the couple received news that a close friend’s 4 month old nephew Bronson was receiving treatment in Starship for a heart condition and his family, from Horowhenua, were staying at the House.

“After hearing about the amazing care Bronson’s family were getting at Ronald McDonald House it was decided we should move the focus on the race to try to raise funds for Bronson as well,” said Shaun. “We were constantly amazed by the generosity of people and it also helped me and Elyse stay on the training track for the race.” Shaun and Elyse crossed the finish line in 7 hours 50 minutes which was good enough for 2nd place in the open mixed category. A great effort!

“This has been a truly life-changing event for both Elyse and I and is something that I will never forget,” says Shaun. “The event was true to its billing as the hardest mountain event in NZ. Both the event and the fundraising have left a mark on both of us. Again I say thank you to everyone who supported us and [the House] and to our sponsors, Chesters Plumbing.”

Shaun and Elyse set up a free Fundraise Online website to help with their fundraising. You can still visit their website (and donate!) at www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/TararuaChallenge/.

A big thanks to those who have set up Fundraise Online websites since our last newsletter. You can visit these fundraising websites at:
www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/Stjohnyouthwhitiangadonatenow/
www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/digimagic/
www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/LMullins/

To find out how you can set up your own free fundraising website please visit www.fundraiseonline.co.nz or email .

Men in black make a winning visit!

The day before beating the pants off the Poms in the first AB test of the year, a party of All Blacks visited us after their training session along with their media manager, Scott Compton. Mils predicted a win by 10 points — as it turned out he was being very modest. A big thank you to Scott and the ABs — Adam, John, Kevin, Rodney, Rudi, Anthony and Mils for taking the time out to make our families’ day (and weekend!).

The 500 Club — a team effort

In late 2007, Kevin Allen from Tasman Insurance Consultants (one of our Business Club members) came up with an idea that lowered the ‘financial bar’ for individuals and businesses to help the House meet its financial goals.

Thinking he knew many people that could be supporters, he suggested a ‘500 Club’ would enable individuals or organisations to help us make a real difference to New Zealand families just like theirs, when their children are seriously ill.

The annual membership of the 500 Club is set at a modest $240, which covers a two-night stay at the House for one of our families from outside Auckland.

If each year we fully subscribe our 500 members, that’s a huge $120,000 of much needed funding which will help us meet a large percentage of our current year’s operational shortfall. Once our House 500 Club is established we intend to launch a second 500 Club for our Family Room in 2009.

With six months of this year already behind us, our 500 Club Ambassador Lisa Kagho will be working hard to fill our 500 memberships for 2008! So if you would like the satisfaction of knowing that for a modest sum you are supporting a very worthwhile cause, dedicated to providing shelter and support to New Zealand families when they need it most, then please call Lisa on +64 9 303 1365 or email .

’Twas the eve before mid winter Christmas…

…and all through the House not a child was stirring, not even a toy mouse. Families were tucked up in bed warm and tight, dreaming of the fun to be had the following night.

For the eleventh year running, Tony and Angela Rowland, McDonald’s franchisees in Tokoroa and Te Awamutu, along with extended whanau — Patsy, Callum, Lynn, Helen, Jan, Louise, Christine and Brenda — helped create another magical mid winter Christmas on the 23rd of June. With Ron and Sue Saunders kindly donating the mouth watering ham, pork & lamb from their Huntly farm, no one left the kitchen hungry!

Spiderman, tigers, butterflies … oh my! Carmel McCormick whipped up works of face art on the children while clowns Rai and Bow provided an entertaining show. The National Youth Theatre Company sung their hearts out as everyone boogied the night away to tunes from High School Musical.

From the North Pole, jolly Santa (played by Greg Copper of Con Artists) flew in on his sleigh, accompanied by enchanting elf Lori Dunngey. Presents were handed out to all the well behaved children, and the CEO (who may or may not have been well behaved) was presented with a camellia and a generous cheque to assist in replanting our gardens. House supporter Tony Woolford did a fantastic job as our dashing barman, ensuring everyone was ‘merry’. Carols played all night thanks to Alan Reeves from the DeeJay company. A fantastically memorable mid-winter House event had by all!

Northland families band together

Last October the Whangaroa Service Club held a community auction and raised over $8,000 to support Northland families staying at Ronald McDonald House Auckland. Alf Hikuwai and his family, from Kaeo, spent two weeks in the House last April while their son Lance once again had open heart surgery. Impressed with the caring homely atmosphere and previously unaware how many families from the far north had been cared for at the House (over 1,000 family members came from Northland in 2007), Alf and fellow Club member Doug Robinson headed up a fundraiser to help more Northland families like Alf’s who find themselves needing a place to stay so they can be close to their sick child in Starship.

Members of the Whangaroa community were called upon for items to auction. The auction had already been given the Clubs support before the July ’07 floods hit that rocked the small town. Some Club members already had their fair share of hardship to deal with (landslides threatening their homes and the like), but they pushed on with the auction as planned, picking up and storing all sorts of donated goods. The support of the Whangaroa community was overwhelming with community members in Mangonui and Kerikeri also helping out with items to auction.

Club members and their wives paid the House a special visit in May where they handed over a cheque and got to see first hand where their money was going. The Club also made a commitment to help out again whenever they could. “It’s about making people aware of all that [the House] offers families during stressful times and that it doesn’t matter where you are on the socio-economic scale. It is not just an Auckland facility that only Aucklanders should look after,” says Alf.

Bequest Society — July luncheon update

Inspiring kiwis…

July 3rd was our second Bequest Society luncheon for ’08 to an ever ‘growing’ audience

Our ravishing guest speaker was Lynda Hallinan (pictured right), editor of NZ Gardener magazine. Having survived, indeed relished, a year of self-sufficiency, living off fruit and vegetables grown in her own back yard and spending just another $10 per week on food along with bartering and ‘scrounging’, Lynda shared some of her ‘peak’ experiences, elderberry champagne being one aspirational achievement! Every lucky attendee got their very own copy of NZ Gardener’s special collectors edition Homegrown, inspiring us all to eat more healthily, cheaply and exotically from our very own gardens.

Diary this date

Christmas ’08 luncheon — midday, Thursday December 4th. Our guest speaker is Carey Smith, CEO of Ray White. After 100 years in real estate, Carey will be discussing why Ray White has chosen to invest in a different kind of house … ours, also giving us all an insight into what the property market holds in 2009!

Please remember, we do encourage our benefactors to ‘look after’ their own family first and only then make a provision to support our families in their will.

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

‘Volly’ manager a reality thanks to NZ Lotteries Grant Board

For the past six months our lovely Jess has dedicated time each week to recruiting, training and supporting our enthusiastic team of volunteers — thanks to the generosity of the NZ Lotteries Grant Board who provided a salary subsidy. Part of her role as Front of House support has now been ably filled Monday through Friday with the help of our newly recruited volunteers — Liz (Mon), Jan (Tues), Brenda (Wed), Heather (Thurs) and Avis (Fri) — who Jess has primed into a valuable team of volunteer stars.

Jess, also a longtime volunteer with our friends Heart Children, is currently in the USA attending two kids ‘heart camps’ (she’s a ‘zipper kid’ herself!) as a volunteer ‘cabin counselor’. Jess left us on the 18th July and will return early September. Anne, our Operations Manager, will be looking after our volunteers in her absence. We look forward to learning a thing or two from Jess’s ‘volly’ experiences abroad when she returns.

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