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Support for flood victims
Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand with 1/6 million people. On Jan. 27, 2023, an estimated 9.8 inches (240 mm) of rain, equal to a summer’s worth of rain, fell on Auckland, making it the city’s wettest day on record. Additional rain fell on Jan. 31, which only added to the destruction of people's houses, cars and properties.
Given the intensity and the amount of previous rainfall, the ground was waterlogged, and rivers were full. This provided little capacity for the absorption of new rainfall. It also created risks for landslides and rivers overflowing. This led to the evacuation of hundreds of people.
As of midday 7 February:
- 276 homes or buildings have red placards/stickers (not habitable)
- 1590 homes or buildings have yellow placards/stickers
- 2511 homes or buildings have white placards/stickers
- 2232 flood impacted vehicles (many uninsured)
- 25 roads closed (including ones near schools)
- 600 tonnes of rubbish removed.
Families have been displaced and volunteers left exhausted. So, what can we do?
The Catalytic Foundation have surveyed frontline charities supporting flood victims and the following items are needed by families:
- Staff/Volunteers
- Food and food vouchers
- Clothing/Shoes
- Electronic devices (mobile phones and Chromebooks for school)
- Blankets
- Backpacks packed with resource items for school
"Floods impacted a number of already vulnerable families. Yes the families would appreciate support with educational resources, support with uniforms and school fees". Mangere based charity
We have concentrated our support efforts on charities with families directly impacted by the flooding. One of the worst affected suburbs in Auckland was Mangere, with almost all the 22 homes on a single street were flooded because of rising waters from a nearby creek. They had all been built within the last three years, but major infrastructure improvements were not made.
There are 3 simple ways you and your workplace can help families in need?
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To help support families in need with Educational supplies please click here
- To help with resources for families please donate here
- To donate items to help families please contact us on this link
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Teresa Moore published 1788 Christmas Boxes for Families in Auckland Region in Latest News 2022-12-21 10:41:13 +1300
1788 Christmas Boxes for Families in Auckland Region
Over the last few months, we have had hundreds of people across Aotearoa getting involved to create Christmas boxes for families in need.
As a result of the generous donations, and with help of all the volunteers, we have managed to give over 3,750 boxes nationwide – this is a massive achievement and one we could not have done alone…so THANK YOU!!!
A huge thank you to Argosy Properties for gifting us our office and volunteering space in Auckland. It was a very central HQ, and the volunteers loved it.
Collectively we organised over 1788 Christmas Boxes for families in the Auckland region.
Thank you to Spark who provided a courier service for the Catalytic Foundation to send parcels to families around Aotearoa, a huge help!
Thank you to the Businesses, Individuals and Families who also donated gifts and money to the campaign.
Thank you to the following Business donors:
AIA, Spark, Les Mills, Cooper and Co, Deloitte, Downer, Hays Recruitment, Grant Thornton, Soul Machines, Silver Fern Farms, NZ Olympic Committee, Xero, Mastercard, Blackmore Virtue & Owens, Carson Fox Legal, Pitney Bowes, Kohler, Rockwell Automation, Browns Bay Aria Retirement Home, Arvida Peninsula Club, Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate and the United States Consulate General.
Photo 1: Thank you to AIA for over 120 boxes of gifts for Auckland and Northland families
Photo 2: Delivering to Island Child Charitable Trust
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Teresa Moore published 239 Christmas Boxes for Wellington and Blenheim Families in Latest News 2022-12-21 10:20:39 +1300
239 Christmas Boxes for Wellington and Blenheim Families
Thank you to individuals and businesses (Spark, Deloitte, Valocity Global and Hays) who donated boxes and money to help the campaign in Wellington.
Thank you to the residents at Arvida Village at the Park in Wellington and Ashwood Park - Arvida Retirement Village in Blenheim for your wonderful contribution of gifts.
Thank you to Hays Recruitment (Madison and the team) were an amazing help with their volunteering time, organizing and wrapping wonderful Christmas boxes.
Thank you to the team of 30 volunteers from Deloitte, who wrapped boxes and donated to the Wellington campaign. �
Thank you to Wellington Helicopters who provided our volunteering venue.
In Wellington and Blenheim we provided 239 boxes for families in the region.
Photo: The Deloitte volunteering team at Wellington Helicopters, on Queens Wharf. Thank you to Ann-Elise Smithson for tidying up the Wellington Helicopters base for next year!
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Teresa Moore published 344 Christmas boxes go to Canterbury Families in Latest News 2022-12-21 10:06:11 +1300
344 Christmas boxes go to Canterbury Families
What a better way to finish the year but with the Christmas Shoebox Project!
Over the last few months, we have had hundreds of people across Aotearoa getting involved to create Christmas boxes for families in need.
As a result of the generous donations, and with help of all the volunteers, we have managed to give over 3,750 boxes – this is a massive achievement and one we could not have done alone…so THANK YOU!!!
Together we put together 344 Christmas Boxes together for families in Canterbury.
Thank you to all of our donors and volunteers in Christchurch.
Special mention to the Hays Recruitment volunteers who wrapped all of our Christmas Parcels.
Photo 1: Thank you to the team and clients from Pinnacle & Co for putting together over 50 boxes!
Photo 2: Socially Speaking delivering Christmas Presents to Christchurch Community House
Photo 3: Birthright Canterbury delivering Christmas boxes to families
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Teresa Moore published 581 Christmas boxes for Otago & Southland families in Latest News 2022-12-21 09:52:05 +1300
581 Christmas boxes for Otago and Southland families
What a better way to finish the year but with the Christmas Shoebox Project!
Over the last few months, we have had hundreds of people across Aotearoa getting involved to create Christmas boxes for families in need.
As a result of the generous donations, and with help of all the volunteers, we have managed to give over 3,750 boxes – this is a massive achievement and one we could not have done alone…so THANK YOU!!!
In Otago (including Oamaru) and Southland areas we provided 581 Christmas boxes for families in the region.
Thank you to Laura Ramsey and the Forsyth Barr Team for their wrapping of 300+ Christmas boxes.
Thank you to Sues Russell and Volunteer South for organizing many volunteers for Christmas wrapping and driving the boxes to Oamaru.Thank you to the William Sherriff Charitable Trust for your $3000 donation which helped towards achieving this goal.
Photo: Christmas at Corstorphine Community Hub with Santa, in South Dunedin
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It's not too late for Christmas
Special Christmas Boxes are now being distributed to our community charity partnerships, who have identified families/children in urgent need of support this Christmas. We are working to ensure that no child within our network misses out this Christmas, but we are 200 boxes short!
It's never too late to ensure a child gets a Christmas box of gifts, please click below to help a child in your region this Christmas
CLICK HERE TO DONATE
We are operating the Christmas Shoebox Project in Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Manawatu/Whanganui, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago and Southland.
Photos: Curtesy of Corstorphine Community Hub, in South Dunedin, which we donated over 120 Christmas boxes to for their 2022 Christmas Party
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24 days till Christmas
Christmas is in 24 days, but for some families this is not a celebration...
In our 2022 Needs Survey Community charities reported that families are:
- Sharing one toothbrush amongst the entire family
- Deciding whether to buy food or pay the power bill
- Stressed by their financial constraints
- Not looking forward to Christmas
The Christmas Shoebox Project provides a way for the community to show they care! A small donation ensures every child gets a box of presents and essentials and their families are supported by our accredited community partners.
We have bases throughout Aotearoa ready to receive gifts and donations for the Christmas Shoebox Project. Let's help every child in NZ celebrate this Christmas!
REGISTER HERE
to give gifts for a Christmas Box
Click here to
DONATE A CHRISTMAS BOXThank you for caring for families in your community and we wish you a very happy Christmas from the Catalytic Team
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25 days till Christmas Eve
Christmas is in 25 days, but for some families this is not a celebration...
Our community charities have reported back to us in our recent '2022 Needs Survey' that families are:
- Sharing one toothbrush amongst the entire family
- Deciding whether to buy food or pay the power bill
- Stressed by their financial constraints
- Not looking forward to Christmas
The Christmas Shoebox Project provides a way for the community to show they care! A small donation ensures every child gets a box of presents and essentials at Christmas and the family is supported with necessary services by our community partners.
Filling Christmas boxes can be fun!
We have 5 bases in Auckland, Whanganui, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin and support many regional communities with this campaignREGISTER HERE
for Christmas boxes
Click here to
DONATE A CHRISTMAS BOXThank you for caring for families in your community, we wish you a very happy Christmas from the Team at the Catalytic Foundation
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33 Days till Christmas
Christmas is in 33 days, but for some families this is not a celebration...
Our community charities have reported back to us in our recent '2022 Needs Survey' that families are:
- Sharing one toothbrush amongst the entire family
- Deciding whether to buy food or pay the power bill
- Stressed by their financial constraints
- Not looking forward to Christmas
The Christmas Shoebox Project provides a way for the community to show they care! A small donation ensures every child gets a box of presents and essentials at Christmas and the family is supported with necessary services by our community partners.
Filling Christmas boxes can be fun!
We have 5 bases in Auckland, Whanganui, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin and support many regional communities with this campaignREGISTER HERE
for Christmas boxes
Click here to
DONATE A CHRISTMAS BOXThank you for caring for families in your community, we wish you a very happy Christmas from the Team at the Catalytic Foundation
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Teresa Moore published Otago Polytechnic Charity House 2022 in Latest News 2022-11-21 10:44:47 +1300
Otago Polytechnic Charity House A Success for the Community
Otago Polytechnic Charity House Auction a success
Otago Polytechnic’s 16TH annual Charity House Auction, held on Saturday 19 November, raised $110,000 for a range of community groups,
Around 50 people attended the 15th Charity House auction at Otago Polytechnic’s Carpentry facility, at which a fully furnished four-bedroom home was sold for $405,000, eclipsing the previous record (set in 2021) of $365,000.
At the conclusion of the bidding process at Otago Polytechnic’s L Block, Dr Megan Gibbons, Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive, presented Catalytic Foundation Chair John Gallaher with a cheque for $110,000.
“We are proud to play a part in a project that provides benefits to many others,” Dr Megan Gibbons, Executive Director Otago Polytechnic, said.
“The Charity House project exemplifies the applied learning approach that Otago Polytechnic provides, highlighting the skills and work ethic of all the many learners involved, along with the passion and commitment of our teaching staff.”
Catalytic Foundation Chair John Gallaher said the organisation would distribute the proceeds from the sale of the Charity House to small to medium community-based charities.
“The Charity House project has demonstrated the power and impact of individuals and organisations joining together and using their particular skills to support those in need in their community.
“We would like to thank Otago Polytechnic staff and carpentry students as well as all the local businesses who contributed so generously to the fit-out of the houses. Strong and resilient communities are built from the support of those who ‘can’, helping those in need.”
Charity House sponsors: Active, Allison Carey Architectural Designer, Aotea Electric, Bayley’s Metro, Carpet Court, Design Windows, Dimond Roofing, Dulux, Foleys, Gib, HN Makeovers, Ideal, Kitchens For Less, Mammoth Insulation, McNeilly Heavy Haulage, Mediaworks, Oakleys, Otago Design, Philips, Placemakers, Schneider Electric, Serene Living, Spotless, Timeless, Viridian, Vision, Windsor Brass.
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Teresa Moore published Walk of Hope for Gumboot Day Nov 4th in Latest News 2022-11-02 17:05:53 +1300
Gumboot Day Walk of Hope, Friday Nov 4th
Register here
To join for the WALK OF HOPE
Meet at Regus:155 Fanshawe Street, Auckland CBD.
Don’t forget to wear your gumboots and bring your phone!
All participants receive: I AM HOPE hat, wristband and map.
2pm: Start your walk around Auckland's Viaduct.
*3500 steps for every person who attempted to take their life last year.
Follow the map provided and stop to take photos and do fun activities.
Upload your photos to social media, using the hashtags #gumbootupNZ #gumbootfriday #IAMHOPE
4pm: Meet at finish line for refreshments and a live broadcast with Mike King at O’Hagans, Auckland's Viaduct, from 4pm onwards.To sponsor the walk and donate to I AM HOPE please click the donate button
DONATE
This fundraising event is sponsored by Dell Technology and organised by the Catalytic Foundation to raise money for I AM HOPE mental health counsellors.
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2022 Community Needs Survey
The Catalytic Foundation are asking community organisations for 4 minutes of their time to complete this quick community survey. This is a check on community organisations well-being and resource requirements in 2022/23. The results will be collated by the Catalytic Foundation to help us advocate for organisations with donors wanting to help their communities.
All charities that participate in this survey will be in the draw to win a DELL laptop to help with IT needs.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank community organisations who participated in our three previous community needs surveys, we obtained very important feedback about the affect of the Covid-19 pandemic and rising costs on community organisations and their social services. This 4th survey will provide further insight into the challenges faced by our community in 2022 and over the coming year.
Click here to start the 4 minute community needs survey
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Youth Mental Health
#Youth2022 - Catalytic Youth Mental Health Campaign
Mental health services are in a poorer state than they were four years ago with clinicians struggling to care for the sickest patients, a top doctor says, raising serious doubts about pledges to dramatically improve the service in the face of increasing demand.
Through our accredited community organisations listed below, we have seen the direct ways young people with mental health concerns can be supported in a way which meets their immediate needs. These frontline community organisations are working to provide professional, direct help along with ongoing community support for young people.
Choose from one of the following charities and 100% of your donation will go to providing their vital mental health services to our young people:- Youthline - Nationwide call centre
- Youth In Transition - Wrap-around support in Rodney, Auckland
- AMPSS101 - Mental health and housing needs in Timaru
- Life Matters Suicide Prevention - Dunedin
CLICK HERE TO DONATE
"Donations received ensure we can continue to help our young people create a life worth living, and provide them with the ongoing wrap-around support they and their families need".
Tina Jones, Co-Founder and Director of Youth in Transition
Thank you to Urban Bounty who are donating $5 from every purchase over $50 from their online garden soul store in September. Customers just need to put YOUTH in the order notes to support.
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Pay Day Giving
Payday giving is a way you can help those in need in your community
Payday giving is a small but effective way to make a big change in the lives of those in your community who are finding life a little tougher right now. Our community funds support the following regions: Southland, Otago, South Canterbury, Canterbury, Wellington, Horowhenua, Manawatu, Whanganui, Auckland and Northland.
If you donate just $5 each week to Catalytic Foundation, in a year you will give us $260 to support local charities who are providing grass roots care in your community.
The best bit is that we supply a tax receipt so you can claim one-third of your donation back at the end of the financial year. So really, your $260 donation ends up costing you around $170. That's a win for everyone!
"As a payroll donator myself, it was great to see where the funds go.
The Palmerston North City Council was very happy to host the ‘regional event’
for the Catalytic Foundation" Mayor Grant SmithIf you would like to make that change today
please click here for more informationWe would love to share a coffee with you!
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Com2022 - Winter Warmer Campaign
Housing and financial needs were the two priorities that came through in this year's community charities survey and research. We've made them a focus for the next quarter and have identified two main ways you can help this winter to build Healthy Communities in Aotearoa.
1. Donating quality winter items
Many community charities that we support are working with people without housing, in transitional housing or financially can't afford to heat their house. Comfortable warm housing is very important to achieving healthy households as we move into winter time. Please consider donating quality resources such as:
- Blankets
- Curtains
- Hot water bottles
- Warm clothing
Donating these items can really make a difference to a family in hardship. The items listed above were specifically requested by community charities supporting those in need.
Click here to Donate
2. Volunteer your timeOur community environments also need a helping hand. Do you have a volunteering day available to help in local community gardens or cleaning up beaches and waterways? We have charities in locations around Aotearoa that would like to work with you to help the local community. Please contact us for a bespoke volunteering opportunity.
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EDU2022 Celebrating Diversity
April is Autism Awareness Month, so there is no better time to experience a different way of thinking and open our eyes to Autism!
As part of our Education and Diversity #EDU2022 Campaign, the Catalytic Foundation are supporting Xabilities to co-ordinate a special Art Exhibition, featuring the skills of many autistic artists.
One of the biggest “strains” of being neurodiverse is other people’s perceptions, says Tamara Grant who lives with autism. “You’re put into a category of ‘you look normal, so you should act normal’,” she said.
“[Autism] can be a gift because if everyone learnt to accept autism, everyone would learn to accept anyone who walked through the door, no matter what differences, because no two people with autism are the same.”
These quotes are from an article in STUFF, about Tamara Grant, a 22-year-old artist, public speaker and founder of Xabilities, a social enterprise with a focus on advocating for neurodiverse people.
During Autism Awareness Month, with help from Pub Charity, we are supporting Xabilities to co-ordinate a special Art Exhibition so people can experience a different and inspirational way of thinking.
This Autistic Expression Event opens on April 4th at 4pm will run for the month of April, at the Estuary Art Centre in Orewa, Auckland. The opening of the event and featured artists can also be seen online via Xabilities and social media pages.
“I want just autistic people to know that it’s OK, and that we can have a life of independence and joy,” Tamara said.
Click here
To support this Autistic Expression - Art Exhibition Event
Thank you Pub Charity for your support of this very special event.
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Rockwell Automation volunteers
The Catalytic Foundation would like to thank the team at Rockwell Automation for their donation and volunteering time putting together backpacks for our EDU2022 campaign, assisting children in need with resources to help with their education.
Each backpack contained necessary items for school including: Lunchboxes, drink bottles, pencil cases, pencils, rulers, glue sticks, erasers, and notebooks.
The backpacks were distributed to families in desperate need of these supplies via our schools and community charity network. These include:
- Glen Taylor Primary School
- Woven Earth - helping families affected by domestic violence
- Budgeting and Family Service - helping families in South Auckland (Tuakau, Otara and Manukau)
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO EDU2022
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Congratulations to Woven Earth
Congratulations to Kerryn Thrupp, CEO of Woven Earth for the necessary work you do in the Auckland community.
As an acknowledgment of the charity and the important work they do setting up homes for families who have been affected by domestic violence, we presented Kerryn with this Accreditation Certificate from the Catalytic Foundation.
Woven Earth has met every criteria in the Catalytic Foundation charity accreditation checklist and we are very happy to endorse them as a very worthy charity to donate to, give resources to and volunteer with.
"We furnish homes and in doing so we furnish lives. We help change the #thenwhat - one family at a time". Kerry Thrupp, CEO at Woven Earth
Photo: Kerryn Thrupp in the Woven Earth Warehouse with the Catalytic Foundation Accreditation Certificate and backpacks we donated for families.
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EDU2022 Education Campaign
Working together to get children back to school is so important. Too many of our tamariki and mokopuna are not yet at school as more often than not, their families cannot afford back to school costs.
Rising back to school costs are hurting our struggling and needy whānau. This is why this type of donation is so very much appreciated! Let us together help get our children back to school and give the education they both deserve and want!
The Catalytic Foundation started the EDU2022 campaign this year to help schools and families in desperate need of digital devices and school resources for their children to learn with.
"Families are struggling to put food on the table, let alone provide stationery. Glen Taylor School are helping with providing meals for children so they can learn while at school" Johanna Wrack, Vice Principal, Glen Taylor School
The following is a message we received from two boys whose family has been in transition due to domestic violence...
" Thank you so much we were struggling to get our school work completed on the school computer and have been held back without a devise. I just can't believe that we have one each and they are brand new. This is the best gift we have ever had. Things like this don't ever happen to us it's so incredible."
With the help of Rockwell Automation and generous individual donations, the Catalytic Foundation have distributed 80 backpacks filled with school items, including 25 stationery packs and 22 new Chromebooks for children to have at home and school. However, more Chromebooks are needed.
Thank you to our donors and businesses who have supported this campaign. If you can help please go to this link.
Donate to the EDU2022 campaign
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Working with Northland Charities to help whanau
Through the generous giving from our online and company donors we were able to drive through the Auckland Covid border at 5am on the 15th December, to deliver 296 Christmas boxes to two very hard-working family support charities in Kaitaia.
The first stop was at Whare Timatatanga Hou Ora (Kaitaia Womens Refuge), where we were greeted by the team, ready to receive the carefully wrapped parcels for their whanau in need. The team told us that many families leave their homes in a hurry during a domestic violence situations, so they were not only thankful for the lovely gifts for each member of the family, but also the essential personal items included in the boxes.
Our second stop was to deliver Christmas boxes to Te Rarawa social services in the centre of Kaitaia, and we received the following feedback:
Te Rarawa social services would like to take this opportunity to thank the Christmas Shoebox Appeal for the time and effort in gaining resources that our organisation could distribute to whanau in need during the Christmas period 2021. The gifts were welcomed by whanau and their children with excitement and helped relieve some of the financial stresses whanau faced during this time. Below, I have attached some feedback received from families and workers who had the pleasure of delivering these shoeboxes.
Many, many thanks to the shoe box appeal organizers who tirelessly continue to give. The cause has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. Again, many thanks for helping make a positive difference for our whanau in our Community.
"Whanau were very thankful and appreciative in receiving the shoe box gifts".
"Very thankful as they were unable to financially provide for the children last year due to COVID. The uncertainty of having enough provisions. When the gifts were given the faces on the children lit up. Many wanting to open them up and taking guess of what could be in them".
"My whanau were very grateful and appreciative receiving their shoe boxes, as some were in a really hard place going into the holidays".
"Receiving them gave a little bit of joy as seeing their babies open a present and the happiness it brought them started their holidays off on a good note".
"Spoke with caregiver today she was very appreciative of the boxes, she said it really helped for her moko to have presents"
"All the whanau were amazed with the boxes they were gifted and how the gifts they received in the boxes were so on point for their children".
"I had a 14 year old boy who was very humbled by the gifts he got. He never expected anything and was so overwhelmed".
"Young girls were so excited being able to explore what was inside their gift boxes".
The Catalytic Foundation would like to thank the charities involved who provide such important family services in the Far North, our donors, and our volunteers including: Luana Smith who helped drive the Ute with our CEO Teresa Moore to Kaitaia and George Makene for the use of your vehicle. Collectively we made a difference.Photos: Unloading at Te Rarawa Social Services