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Wednesday August 29, 2018
Cool stuff happening
Karori Brooklyn Trust milestones The Karori Brooklyn Community Charitable Trust (KBCCT) held its eleventh AGM last week with the news that the Trust, working through the Lion Foundation, has now made grants of $2.1m to community projects over those 11 years. Trust chair Andy Foster says: “In the year to June 2018 we’ve distributed $227,809, with major grants being to support strengthening and refurbishment of Makara’s St Matthias Church; replacing the Karori community bus, relevelling Karori Normal’s netball courts; buying all the traps for Predator Free Karori; supporting Wellington College’s new performing arts auditorium; a new heating system for Vogelmorn Community Hub; lighting for Karori Arts and Crafts Centre; plants for the Makaracarpas riparian planting; a youth worker salary at Karori Community Centre; and Karori Lions Centennial project and creating a plant laboratory at Otari-Wilton’s Bush. “Many other organisations received smaller grants.” Over 11 years, their grants have been
spread across 188 separate applications says Andy, with 7.2 percent going to pre-school projects, 11.7 percent to schools, 18.7percent to sport, 33.8percent to community projects, 3.8 percent to social services. 9.9 percent to environmental projects. 7.7 percent to eldercare, and 7.1 percent to heritage projects. The Trust reports to a ‘College of Electors’ of major community organisations says Andy. “And we are delighted that the College of Electors last week endorsed our recommendation of Sophie Jerram as a new trustee. “Trustees are all voluntary and we want people with close connection to their communities. Sophie is a long-term Brooklyn resident, and is heavily involved in arts, community, and sporting organisations.“ (KBCCT is a Charitable Trust established in 2006 out of the Terawhiti Licensing Trust (TLT) and decides on grants applications to the Lion Foundation within the communities of Karori, Brooklyn, Makara, Northland, Wilton, Kelburn and Aro Valley, using proceeds from the Pickle Jar in Karori. )
Call to give on Daffodil Day
Daffodil Day volunteer Helga Wientjes who will be out collecting this Friday. PHOTO: supplied
Victoria University student Zoe Flesher gets to work creating her bespoke Luna Blue brand earrings. PHOTO: Gerald Rillstone
Eight up and coming 19-26 year old designers are coming together to launch “Cool Sh*t Happens” an experimental pop-up shop running for 8 weeks in Wellington CBD. Signing the lease together has made the huge upfront cost possible for the emerging artists. They are running free workshops and heavily advocating to other young New Zealanders that they can make their dreams a reality right now, by working together. Zoe Flesher a 23-year-old Victoria University student has always had a passion for creativity. “In more recent years it has been an important way for me to cope with my ongoing struggles with depression, anxiety and insomnia,” Zoe says. “Being quite a shy person, I have always kept my creations to myself, however after some encouragement from friends and family I decided to start sharing my creative projects with others. I began playing around with polymer clay in February this year and
fell in love with the medium – I adore using texture and colour in my work so it seemed the perfect fit, and thus Lunar Blue Designs was born.” Zoe says running Lunar Blue Designs has made her step out of her comfort zone and opened up more doors than she could ever have imagined. “ I’ve met some amazing people along the way and am so excited to be a part of Cool Sh*t Happens. Making colourful earrings, silly pins, and haphazard wall hangings has now become my job and I couldn’t be happier. My hope now is that I can pass on a bit of that happiness through my work. Sometimes adding a little colour to an outfit can make your day just that little bit more bearable. Other times you just want to let the world know how you feel so you can slap a grumpy face pin on your shirt and call it a day,” She says. The pop- up store runs from the 18th of September until November 11th at 134 Vivian Street.
Friday August 31 will see over 12,000 volunteers will take to the streets around the country as part of New Zealand’s largest street appeal. Mike Kernaghan, CEO, Cancer Society of New Zealand says every dollar dropped into their collection buckets, donated online, or in any ANZ branch, will be spent on supporting New Zealanders with all types of cancer and helping prevent future cancers through vital research. “We have 12,000 amazing volunteers who, come rain or shine, are committed to helping the country unite against cancer. Many of them have their own personal story and wear their daffodil, not only as a symbol of hope, but to remember the loved ones they have lost to cancer,” Mike says. Now in its 28th year, Daffodil Day is the Cancer Society’s largest annual fundraising event “When someone hears that they, or a loved one, has cancer it is devastating. The impact of a diagnosis can be far-reaching. There are often so many unanswered questions and so much to consider that it can be overwhelming for everyone involved. “It might be how they will get to hospital, where they will stay during treatment, how they will feed their pet while away from home, or who they can talk to about their cancer.
“Thanks to the generosity of New Zealanders on Daffodil Day the Cancer Society can step up with practical and emotional support,” Mike says. The Cancer Society offers accommodation close to all major hospitals in New Zealand for patients and their carers if their treatment requires frequent hospital visits, but they do not live nearby. During 2017, the Society provided 49,000 bed nights and drove almost 4700 patients to and from their treatment, covering more than one million kilometres. The Cancer Society is committed to reducing the incidence of future cancers through its health promotion activities and is the largest charitable funder of cancer research in the country. “When you put your money in the bucket on Daffodil Day, you might not be a researcher or scientist, but you are actively taking part in ground-breaking cancer research and supporting a person with cancer. “Our donors can be very proud of the impact they are having in their own communities. Thanks to their support the Cancer Society is in your local area every day helping educate people through health promotion programmes such as SunSmart schools and providing cancer prevention initiatives,” Mike says.