Recovery Newsletter May June 2013

May/June 2013 | Issue 8

NEWSLETTER WELCOME

ANGELA PYKE EDITOR

¡ Paige Galbraith-Hewett, 6, receives the congratulatory plaque from Sir John Hansen on behalf of Bamford Primary School.

RED CROSS REACHES 100,000 GRANT RECIPIENTS New Zealand Red Cross has distributed earthquake grants to 100,000 recipients – a quarter of the greater Christchurch population.

Bamford Primary School was the 100,000th recipient of a grant from the New Zealand Red Cross 2011 Earthquake Commission. The decile 2 school in Woolston received a Christchurch Schoolchildren’s Grant worth $35,148.

Commission Chair Sir John Hansen presented a congratulatory plaque to pupils at Bamford Primary on Monday 17 June.

Sir John says it is an incredible achievement.

“When the members of the Commission started out in 2011 we never thought

we would distribute grants to 100,000 recipients,” he says.

“It speaks volumes about the generosity of people in New Zealand and overseas who donated the money that has enabled us to help a quarter of the population of greater Christchurch. We will continue to support the people of Christchurch through the grants and programmes that are currently available and those being developed for the future.”

Bamford Primary principal Colin Hammond says the Red Cross grant is a blessing for Christchurch schoolchildren and their families, who put on a brave face despite being hit really hard by the quakes.

“A number of our pupils are still living in garages and broken homes and are still feeling shell-shocked.

Their families are under financial pressure and would struggle to pay for the activities that the grant will subsidise,” says Mr Hammond.

Bamford Primary has used some of the grant to help fund a recent Year 1-3 trip to Ferrymead Historic Park. Pupils told

Welcome to the May/June edition of the New Zealand Red Cross Recovery newsletter. This issue celebrates two exciting milestones – reaching 100,000 earthquake grant recipients and having 10,000 visits to youth website Address the Stress. It also features two grateful recipients of a Winter Warmer Pack, 7,500 of which will be given to people in need this winter. I recently had the privilege of helping staff and volunteers deliver some of the packs.

I was also fortunate to be with Sir John Hansen when he presented a congratulatory plaque to the 100,000th grant recipient, Bamford Primary School. On both occasions, the gratitude of the recipients reminded me of the difference Red Cross continues to make in the lives of Cantabrians.

angela.pyke@redcross.org.nz

IN THIS ISSUE Red Cross reaches 100,000 grant recipients Music video marks 10,000 visits to youth website Delivery of Winter Warmer Packs underway

continued page three

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NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS JANE EDGAR – RECOVERY PROGRAMME MANAGER

JANE EDGAR RECOVERY PROGRAMME MANAGER

A connection happens when a person aids another in achieving a goal. June 2013 is a proud month for the Red Cross recovery team. We have met two key milestones. We have reached 100,000 grant recipients and 10,000 young people through our youth recovery website www.addressthestress.org.nz It is not just the numbers that we are proud of, but more the connections

we have formed and the feedback from people saying, “It is so important just knowing someone cares”.

For the rest of New Zealand the earthquakes are but a distant event, but for a large number of Cantabrians those earthquakes still determine almost every aspect of daily life.

One of the most important things we can do as recovery leaders and as New Zealanders is to listen to the people of Canterbury. When a participant at a residential red zone community workshop told me, “the best thing Red Cross could do over the next few years is to look after people’s wellbeing”, I listened. We know the best way to empower the community is to involve them from the start and in decision making. We must connect, listen, and respond with action.

The Cantabrian voice will shape the next years of our recovery work. We will continue to look for opportunities to support existing capacity and boost community efforts. We will continue to work closely with partners such as the Canterbury District Health Board and the Mental Health Foundation to aid one another in supporting the community’s wellbeing goals. It is here that I borrow some wise words recently delivered by the Dalai Lama to his Christchurch audience.

“The community is ultimately the source of your wellbeing.”

Jane Edgar

GUEST COLUMN Development and New Zealand Red Cross.

SUE TURNER ALL RIGHT? CAMPAIGN MANAGER CANTERBURY DISTRICT HEALTH BOARD

In late February 2013 the All Right? wellbeing campaign was launched to help Cantabrians think about our mental health and wellbeing and ways we can improve these.

It is a Healthy Christchurch project which is being led by the Mental Health Foundation and the Canterbury District Health Board.

Along the way we’ve received support from many organisations including CERA, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social

We are delighted to have developed a close working relationship with Red Cross whose psychosocial strategy and way of working is closely aligned to that of the Campaign.

Red Cross is formally represented on the Campaign strategy group and we have plans to work together on youth wellbeing.

We’ve all been through a lot in Canterbury over the last two and a half years and there are lots of things about the recovery that cause frustration and stress. It’s important to be aware of the things that as individuals we have control of, and to find ways to build on these by thinking about what makes us feel well.

Our messages are not rocket science – improving your wellbeing can be as simple as a moment stargazing, a trip to the park with the kids, a coffee and catch-up with mates, and a little boogie around the kitchen.

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This is not to trivialise the real pain that many are experiencing – it is to remind people that we can, and already do, take care of ourselves and each other in very simple ways.

The question mark is a crucial part of the All Right? campaign. All Right? is not a statement because there are many aspects of our lives as Cantabrians that are definitely not all right at present – it’s not all right that people are still living in broken homes; it’s not all right that our roads are a maze of cones and potholes; it’s not all right that we have lost and suffered so much.

Instead, All Right? is about having a real conversation about how we’re doing here in Canterbury. It’s all right for people to be honest about how they are feeling and answer, ‘I’m really not all right at the moment’.

It’s definitely all right to ask for help and support, which are still available through the Canterbury Support Line and organisations like Red Cross.

RECOVERY NEWSLETTER MAY/JUNE 2013 continued from page one

Sir John about the trip when he visited the school and he shared stories about his grandparents.

The school will use the rest of the grant to subsidise a “Break from the Quake” camp in Wellington, a trip to Hanmer, and outings to Willowbank, Orana Park and the Antarctic Centre.

Also planned is a community hangi, a disco, and programmes to help some of the more anxious children.

Mr Hammond says the children, staff, board of trustees and community were involved in deciding what to ask for in the school’s grant application.

¡ Pupils at Ferrymead Historic Park learn about life before washing machines.

“Most of our fundraising streams have dried up so this grant is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

PROGRAMMES

MUSIC VIDEO MARKS 10,000 VISITS TO YOUTH WEBSITE A music video starring local celebrity Flat Man has been launched to celebrate 10,000 visits to youth website www.addressthestress.org.nz The website was created last year to help young Cantabrians deal with stress caused by the earthquakes.

However, many of the site’s visitors are in other parts of New Zealand or overseas.

In the music video Flat Man, known for his doorstep food drops to students in need, shares his tips for dealing with stress.

Flat Man says he feels honoured to work with Red Cross to help other young people in his home town.

“I hope the music video shows young people that they are never alone and

¡ A scene from the Flat Man music video for Address the Stress.

that there’s so much out there to help themselves and others.”

i-Phones. Two have been won and the third will be given away in July.

Address the Stress has enjoyed massive support from many high profile New Zealanders, including All Black Dan Carter, Olympic gold medallist Mahe Drysdale and actors from Shortland Street. All provided video messages on the site for free.

Recovery Programme Manager Jane Edgar says that reaching 10,000 visits is an exciting achievement for Red Cross.

Website visitors have submitted more than 800 tips on how to deal with tough times in order to enter competitions to win one of four

“For a website that was only launched in October last year, attracting this number of visitors is something we are very proud of,” she says.

“Most importantly, it reinforces the need for resources to help young people deal with difficult times”.

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NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS RECOVERY NEWSLETTER MAY/JUNE 2013 STAFF PROFILE

DIANNE MESSENGER Dianne is the Outreach Volunteer Coordinator.

¡ Red Cross volunteer Yanni Tromp talks through the Winter Warmer Pack contents with Jim and Margaret Hunter.

WINTER WARMER PACK RECEIVED IN TIME FOR WINTRY BLAST Jim and Margaret Hunter were amoung the first to receive a Winter Warmer Pack when deliveries started earlier this month – just before the snowy weather hit Canterbury.

help a lot of people through another cold winter.”

Margaret has since delivered 20 packs to members of the Amputee Society, of which she is vice president.

With Jim being an amputee the earthquakes made life challenging for the Hornby couple, both in their 70s. Jim had his right leg amputated following a car accident 30 years ago and has relied on crutches to move around. However, the quakes forced them to get a wheelchair.

“I was really scared of the earthquakes,” says Margaret. “I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to move Jim if we had another big one. We decided that he needed to be in a wheelchair so I could move him in a hurry if needed”.

“We are so grateful for our Winter Warmer Pack. I’m sure the packs will

When heavy snow was forecast in Canterbury extra Red Cross volunteers were brought in from as far as Timaru to speed up the delivery of the packs.

They were accompanied by a Red Cross Disaster Welfare Truck filled with packs to be given to those in the worst hit areas of Christchurch.

Last year 4,500 Winter Warmer Packs were delivered to members of the community in greatest need. This year Red Cross increased the number of packs to 7,500. The packs contain items to help keep people and houses warm, practical home heating and health advice, fun treats to improve wellbeing, and a DVD of Australian disaster psychologist Dr Rob Gordon offering tips for recovery.

KEY STATISTICS $

86

million distributed in grants

100,000 3,632 5,164 grants recipients

outreach visits

door knocks

6,221

winter warmer packs distributed

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Her role is to ensure that the recovery team delivers a quality outreach programme. In addition to coordinating the volunteer home visiting service, Dianne liaises with community groups to provide a Red Cross presence at community hubs and centres where people gather to socialise or seek information.

Dianne says one of the most rewarding aspects of her role is knowing that Red Cross volunteers can “take the time to listen and be the eyes and ears in regard to common concerns in the community.

This insight is very important when we are planning future programmes”, she says.

¡R ed Cross staff and volunteers reload the Disaster Welfare Truck with Winter Warmer Packs.

NATIONAL OFFICE PO Box 12140, Wellington 69 Molesworth Street, Thorndon, Wellington 6144 Phone 04 471 8250 Email national@redcross.org.nz Website www.redcross.org.nz