Volunteers are the heart of our Trust
Race4Life put together a team of 10 volunteers for the Targa South Island event. This super charged team followed the event from Monday 22nd October in Invercargill, to where the Rally finally finished, 6 days later at Steamer Wharf in Queenstown. The commitment to the cause was simply extraordinary.
Each morning the team rose early having been allocated certain tasks throughout the day. Distributing water and special treats to each of the drivers and their navigators was par with the course, along with some friendly banter. With large distances to be covered in this event, a crew of 4-5 would leave straight after the drivers, in order to get to the designated lunch spot in time to meet the drivers and their crews. Lunchtime was an opportunity to speak with the all concerned, distribute more treats and to sell tickets to any of the three raffles that were available. Meantime the rest of the team were setting up camp for the night organising meals and domestic bits and pieces.
On occasions during this event there was a need for extra marshals on the course, due to the fact that a few community volunteers had to pull out at the last moment. For health and safety reasons, without marshals the stages need to be closed. Race4Life put their hands up on two occasions to cover marshalling duties. On one of these occasions the volunteers concerned were fulfilling their marshalling responsibility from 10.30am, returning eventually to our accommodation at 9.30pm.
The team made the best of every situation, cheering on the drivers whenever the opportunity arose. From dressing up in ridiculous animal costumes, to giving out a most welcome beer at the finish line, this team of amazing people did us proud. Energy levels were surprisingly high amidst very little sleep. The enthusiasm for our wonderful cause and the strong need to thank all the teams for the support they showed Race4Life, was at the heart of it all.
During the course of the event we had many drivers share their stories with us. Their kindness and compassion for our cause was evident in the respect they showed whenever we had an opportunity to share our wish stories. And of course our overall fundraising total of $30,000, said it all.
To our simply fantastic volunteers we say a huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you, for giving of your time and energy for 7 days. In doing so you made it possible for the Trust to raise funds, and our profile, in the southern regions of our beautiful country!
A message from the General Manager
Race4Life Trust has taken off in all directions since we last spoke. It is truly wonderful to be witness to this growth, however at the same time to be perfectly honest , it is a bit scary. The natural growth and spreading of the word of the work of our Trust, along with our very timely partnership with the Ultimate Rally Group (URG), has resulted in a huge influx of wishes from throughout the country. This is simply fantastic and as a result we have made some changes.
We welcome on board Kristen Zaloumis, Rachel Robinson and Amy Whiting to join Teresa Conway, in our growing staff. Alex van Tuyl will step up to lead the Wish Team, while I take over the running of the Trust fulltime. At this stage of our development as a Trust, we need to look at all our systems we have in place, to make sure they are sustainable.
To top everything off we have been offered premises in Takapuna by Webster Law. The team will shift into the Westpac building on the corner of Horan and Lake Road in late November. The offices are ideal for our size. Being together gives the team an opportunity to nurture and grow our culture.
The next few months are very busy with a number of events and fundraisers. On the back of the Targa South Island event, a small team of Volunteers will follow the Silverfern Rally from November 23rd until December 1st. This is the final rally of the year! Phew!!
In mid January Race4Life is the chosen Charity for the Redwood Park 54 Hole Men’s Masters Tournament in Swanson. If anyone is keen to enter this tournament do let us know by calling Viv on 021 883 669. For detail see the advertisement in this Newsletter.
In February we will be bringing the Race4Life Track Day to the South Island. We have had incredible enthusiasm and support from the Invercargill community. Patients from Southland and Otago will be invited to this inaugural event. Race4Life will bring a team down to Teretonga for the occasion on the 26th February 2019. How exciting is that!
Race4Life Track Day at Hampton Downs has been scheduled for March 12th. It is apt that this should be our 12th year anniversary of this sensational day!
We have some fabulous stories celebrating our Volunteers this edition. We simply could not do the work we do without this incredible body of people. Fiona’s story, ALOHA, along with the superhuman Targa effort, are testament to this. Do enjoy the read.
As the Christmas season approaches Race4Life would like to thank each and every one of you for your contributions to our cause. It is truly beautiful work and our team feel so privileged to be witness to humanity at its best. We do wish you a very Happy Christmas, a good rest, and some precious time with your families over the festive season.
Viv
Rock Stars for the day
Early this year, Lance and Lara Campbell who own the Merchant Bar and Kitchen, heard wind of the Trust and its beautiful work and offered Race4Life the opportunity to be the chosen charity at their annual fundraising Long Lunch in July this year. The Campbells have been running these events annually for 3-4 years. With Ian Jones as their MC, they manage to raise $30,000 each year for local charities. On July 27th, 250 gathered at the Merchant Bar and Kitchen for this event.
This ticketed event included a degustation menu spread over 4 hours. The 5 courses were all expertly matched to a delicious beverage package, designed to accentuate the flavours in a way that you never knew food could taste like before. There were auction prizes featuring money-can’t-buy experiences, products and merchandise all in support of Race4Life.
One particular auction prize on the day included a much sought after day of luxury. The prize package for 4, generously donated by HeleTranz, Hick Bros, BM Electrical and The Merchant, comprised of:
- A helicopter ride to Hampton Downs for hot laps in a Porsche 997 GT3 and a Ferrari 458.
- A further helicopter ride to Great Barrier Island for an off Shore Power Boat experience (The Race4Life Power Boat runs in the NZ Off Shore Power Boat series and supports the work of the Trust whilst travelling through the country during the racing season.)
- A 5 star lunch on board two Maritimos, birthed at Great Barrier.
- A flight back to Auckland.
A huge welcome to our New Staff
Kristen Zaloumis
Hi everyone,
I’m super excited to be joining the Race4life team. This is a quick note to tell you a little bit about myself.
I have 3 gorgeous children (19,17 and 14), 3 grown up stepchildren, with 5 grandchildren, and a wonderful husband. I’m an avid fisherwoman and boatie, and love being out on the water any chance I can get.
I was diagnosed with Invasive Breast Cancer in February this year, and have spent the past 6 months going through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.
Now that I am through that I have an immense desire and passion to do meaningful and purposeful work, and being involved with Race4life is a dream come true. I look forward to helping Race4life grow, and giving lasting memories to those with life-limiting illnesses through the support, caring and generosity of others.
Amy Whiting
I’m a lover of all things creative with a special love for anything to do with textiles. I have trained in web design & spent most of my working life in around marketing or creative departments of businesses. I’m married to Jamie & mother to two girls aged 7 & 9 and in my down time I love to get out into nature and go fishing and sew.
Rachel Robinson
Hello everyone, my name is Rachel Robinson and I am joining the team as Wish Coordinator at Race4Life.
I am excited to become a part of a very special team of people dedicated to helping and empowering those with huge life challenges to gather cherished memories. I have 4 adult children, 18, 20, 24 and 26. During my children’s schooling years, my main focus was to be actively involved in coaching, managing sports teams. My volunteering history ranges from being a pit lane crew member, to a special needs swimming teacher.
I have competed in triathlons, half marathons and ocean swimming over the past 10 years and have a keen interest in gardening, photography and love of nature.
I am honoured to become a part of Race4Life Trust team. This is a very special opportunity to make a difference to people with palliative needs. It will be a great privilege to be in the position to help those living with life limiting illness fulfill their dreams.
Aloha
Thank You
Golf Tournament Fundraiser
Race 4 Life have been approached by a team from Redwood Park Golf Club to be their charitable partner for their “Redwood Masters” golf tournament. Below is all the relative information regarding this event, and options of possible support that could be offered.
Their priority at this stage is player uptake. Below includes the requirements for all players. If you could please share this with your network, hopefully this will drum up patronage amongst some of the keen golfers out there!
This time of the year is an extremely busy period for the team at R4L, so the team at Redwood Park have volunteered to co-ordinate for us for this event. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Adrian Moran directly on 021 228 5816 or Adrian.moran@humes.co.nz
Thank you in advance
Sophie Shares Nicks Special Wish
My husband Nick has Motor Neuron Disease. Nick and I had the good fortune to attend the Race4Life Track Day at Hampton Downs in March this year. We were quite unaware of the work of the Trust until we had a word with Alex, one of the Wish Coordinators for the Trust. Realising our eligibility and the chance to do something special with our two children, Amelia aged 11 and Andrew aged 7, we began to get a little excited. We had always thought a trip on the Trans 
Alpine Express would be amazing. Before we knew it, Alex had an amazing itinerary sorted and we were off.
Absolutely everything was organised. On the first morning we flew to Christchurch courtesy of Air New Zealand. The team at Air NZ, did a good job of getting Nick safely on and off the plane. We stayed at the Sudima Hotel near the airport and the staff at the hotel could not have been more accommodating, giving us two rooms side by side. The kids were so excited to get their own double bed each! The room we had was fully accessible and big enough to use the equipment required to move Nick safely. All this equipment was generously provided by More Mobility. Upon arrival at the hotel we had a very relaxed meal and an early night.
The following day we had a lovely complimentary breakfast at the hotel and then set out in a van with a hoist for Nick, provided by Freedom Mobility. We were headed for Orana Wildlife Park. We had a wonderful day at the park. Nick was especially taken with a Kea who had a bath just for us and the Gorillas in their magnificent new enclosure. The kids loved the encounters with all the animals, especially feeding the giraffes and watching the cheetahs and lions being fed.
In the evening we all had a delicious meal courtesy of Chateau in the Park, with a couple of old friends from Christchurch. The restaurant staff were very friendly and welcoming. It was an extra plus to sit in view of the lovely gardens surrounding the restaurant.
The International Antarctic Centre was the next destination on our exciting agenda. Kids and I had a thrilling ride in a Hagglund. Nick’s beautiful encounter, whilst in the Terrain vehicle especially provided for him, with a malamute and some huskies, will forever be edged in his mind. We all thoroughly enjoyed the experiences provided by the Antarctic Centre. We finished the day with a tasty take away meal, courtesy of Burger Fuel.
The next morning we were up early to catch the Trans Alpine Express to Greymouth. The staff on Kiwi Rail were very helpful and welcoming on the train. We were fortunate to be able to sit in the buffet car, so Nick had the freedom to move around and see all the gorgeous scenery in his chair. We did the return trip in the one day and managed a bit of everything; fog, rain, sunshine and even snow! It was spectacular coming through Arthur’s Pass watching the snow gently blanketing everything in white.
After our big adventure, the idea of a much quieter day was very appealing. A walk around the beautiful city of Christchurch did the trick. The day came to a delicious end, with a meal at Joe’s Garage.
What an amazing holiday! We were blown away by the generosity of all the sponsors who helped to make it possible. Alex and the Race4Life team did a fantastic job to make this time together, one that we will always cherish. We have some beautiful memories for our family, and for this, we are so very grateful. Thank you.
Donate To Our Cause:
MY DETAILS
First name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Surname: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Postcode: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Email: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Contact number: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Donations amounting $5 or more is tax deductible and a receipt will be made out to you.
Charity Reg #CC51952
No Comments