Help us continue our essential support in Christchurch
Friday 11 March, 3:30pm
Dear All,
As we make progress in supporting our affected members in Christchurch, our focus is extending to how we sustain this essential work over coming months, and how we can best involve our members, volunteers and supporters in our ongoing efforts.
Update on our response in Christchurch
Our team of staff on the ground in Christchurch have now visited all RNZFB members needing urgent attention, and have completed safety checks as well as providing essential services as required.
All Christchurch-based members who we haven’t been able to contact by phone have had their homes visited, and in most cases they have simply left the area.
Next week a smaller team will be in place in Christchurch, and will focus on continuing to provide counseling, as well as orientation and mobility services.
Going forward our helpline 0800 24 33 33 which has until now been answered 24/7, will remain operational only during normal working hours.
A request for your support
We are all very much aware of the significant impact the earthquake has had on those in Christchurch, in fact on every New Zealander including our staff, members, volunteers and supporters. It has been a time of great heartache for all of us.
As expected, this disaster is also having a wider flow-on effect.
The RNZFB, like many not-for-profits, has faced prolonged financial hardship, caused by the global financial crisis and the redirection of donation dollars incurred by last year’s earthquake. The most recent earthquake on 22 February has compounded this impact.
Our challenge to raise essential funds for our life-changing services has never been greater, yet our need is also greater.
We are currently channeling significant time, resource and funds to support our members in the Canterbury region, and we need to sustain this support to see them through the coming months.
Also, a number of our Christchurch members have now moved elsewhere in the country and we’ll be supporting them with orientation and mobility services in their new environments, along with any other needs they may have.
How you can help
I would very much appreciate if you could actively get behind the RNZFB’s planned fundraising activity.
The more funds we can raise over the coming weeks and months, the more ability we will have to deploy resources to our affected members in Canterbury, and to be in the position to support them and our other members around the country in the long term.
The ways in which you can do that are:
- The Great Guide Dog Online Auction: Bid on auction items or forward the link for this online auction to your friends and family, and ask them to send it to their contacts too. The auction now runs until 17 March online at www.sella.co.nz.
- Red Puppy Appeal: If you’re able to, please sign up as an area coordinator or volunteer for our street appeal, and ask everyone in your personal network to get involved too. Either register online at www.redpuppy.org.nz or call 0800 120 254.
Thank you for the great support many of you have already shown for the RNZFB and our Canterbury staff and members. If we can continue to stand together, I know we’ll be successful and will see the Foundation stand strong for another 120 years.
Yours faithfully,
Sandra Budd
