We can bring change to the world if we begin in our own backyard, if we begin with what we have. Just as harakeke woven together is stronger than any one single leaf, we are stronger when we join together. Our mahi unites us and creates opportunities for our community to flourish and thrive.
Our preschool music, Jump ‘n’ Jive, is for under 5’s and this program is fun! Full of songs, dance, and actions, Jump ‘n’ Jive provides a chance for kids to learn rhythm, balance, co-ordination, and basic social skills. Morning tea is provided for everyone. Parents and caregivers build connections as they share their experiences over cups of coffee. Our volunteers engage with the kids and encourage the adults. A vibrant program, Jump ‘n’ Jive grows community across ages and languages.
Breakfast Club runs 3 days a week, across 2 schools, with more than 100 kids joining us for breakfast each week. Our team serve breakfast for an hour before school; these kids are hungry for toast and hungry to be nurtured. They come for food, for friendships, and for a safe space to hang before school starts. With more and more families being impacted by the stress of food insecurity, it is encouraging to know a kind word can redirect someone’s day and a full belly will bring more focus in the classroom. Our kids are the future leaders of our community and deserve every chance at the best start.
Kellyann Thorstensen—Blenheim School
We are busy building a new program in response to the need we see in our community. Growing Through Grief will be a grief support group offered to members of the 50+ community who have recently been bereaved. We value each person and recognize that times of loss can be isolating, lonely, and difficult to navigate. This program looks to provide discussion topics to support healthy grief, an opportunity for comfort in community, and a safe place for the grieving to heal and re-establish themselves. Watch this space!
The start of the school year can be daunting if your household finances are limited. Uniforms, shoes, stationery, and backpacks are just the beginning of the shopping list. To relieve some of the financial burden, we run an annual stationery drive and raise funds to provide stationery for every student at Blenheim School and Mayfield School. These resilient, hardworking schools rate among the top three highest Equity Index (EQI) numbers in our region: the higher the number, the more barriers the students may face in their education journey. We aim to remove some of these barriers and address inequalities so that education can be accessible to all our tamariki regardless of circumstance.
We have a van available to community groups who need help getting from here to there. The van seats 11 passengers plus a driver. There are no rental fees for the van—you only need to pay for fuel. If you are a school, a charity, or a local group in need of transport, get in touch with us and we’ll see if we can get things moving.
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Tautoko Community Trust is a registered charity in New Zealand. Our NZ Companies Office number is 2552042 and our Charities Register number is CC47368.
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