This year’s Charitable Donation went to support The Cholmondeley Children’s Foundation.
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to your mission. Merry Christmas Wishes from Hamilton Hindin Greene.
Cholmondeley Children’s Centre provides free short-term planned or emergency respite care for children aged 5-12 in the Canterbury region and has been providing this service since 1925.
Children stay at the centre in times of family stress or crisis when it is considered in their best interests to spend some time away from home and family. Cholmondeley also offers community outreach support to children and their families through its Awhi Team, made up of Social Workers, Youth workers and Whanau Ora Navigators. The Awhi Team walks alongside families in their own homes to support them on their journeys through various issues.
In the 99 years Cholmondeley Children’s Centre has been in operation it has supported more than 33,000 children across the Canterbury community. The demand for its services has only increased, as the rising cost of living puts pressure on family already living with added difficulties.
Cholmondeley costs around $3,000,000 per year to run and just 20% percent of this funding is met by the Government, the remaining 80% is generated from trusts and grants, events, and donations.
The Centre is reliant on contributions from the business community and the public to keep the Centre running.
The Foundation, led by Kerry Dellaca, was set up in 2005 by a group of passionate and skilled volunteers, to develop an endowment fund, using the income on that fund to help the Centre decrease its reliance on annual fundraising to meet its operational costs. Currently as part of its contribution to the Centennial next year, the Foundation is promoting a “gift in wills” programme, encouraging donors to leave a gift for Cholmondeley in their will, or even making payments beforehand. The aim to increase the value of the fund, and therefore the income available to support the Centre.
When children stay at Cholmondeley, they receive 24/7 support made up of social interactions and learning, outdoor activities, sleep, hygiene and mealtimes. The staff who work with the children work from a trauma-informed model of care – as children may be coming to Cholmondeley at a time when they are at their most vulnerable. This model is centred on always listening to the voice of the child and validating their thoughts, needs and concerns.
Our respite service gives family time to breathe and make better decisions for their future. Children get new experiences, life skills, and education so that family and their children are set to thrive.
Contact www.cholmondeley.org.nz to find out more about the Centre or email foundation@cholmondeley.org.nz, or call Kerry Dellaca (021 888289) for enquiries regarding the Foundation.
