Find Your Field of Dreams - August 2019 Newsletter

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Newsletter
August 2019

A huge thank you to the Auckland Council who have chosen the Foundation as a recipient of the Sport & Recreation Grant for our operational expenses in 2019/2020. Auckland Council’s continued support is so vital in allowing us to focus on running our fantastic programmes for the young people of Auckland.

Water Safety New Zealand Drowning Prevention Fund 2019-2020
This month we have received notification that we have been granted funding from Water Safety New Zealand’s 2019/2020 Drowning Prevention Fund for our Community Swim programme delivering Water Skills for Life. The review panel commented “FYFOD has an established track record of effective delivery and management of water safety initiatives. This project delivers to a high priority demographic area and provides a minimum of 8 lessons per student (as per the WSFL standard)”.

Swim For Gold Academy
A group of 30 swimmers from the Community Swim programme who belong to local swimming clubs were invited to undertake a week of intense swimming and land fitness activities at the Manurewa Pool and culminated with a day at the Vector Wero Whitewater Park rafting. Feedback from the swimmers and their parents was fantastic and the programme will run again in 2020. A big thanks to Katherine Sugarman our programme manager from Swimgym for putting this all together.

Al-Madinah Initiative

We previously mentioned the initiative being put in place to add a bit of light into the lives of students from Al-Madinah Muslim school, following the tragedy in Christchurch earlier this year.

We had an amazing response providing financial support, activities either partially/fully subsidised and sporting equipment donated. The first group of students visited Butterfly Creek early July, with other activities being held over the following months.

Al-Madinah Senior Management attended a small gathering at Vector Wero Whitewater Park to meet those who supported this initiative. (Pictured Rick Pickard - GM FYFOD & Asin Ali Principal - Al-Madinah)

It’s nearly that time of the year to vote with the special orange tokens in the Z Energy Good In The Hood month - September. We have been selected by Z Harris Road and Z Ti Rakau Drive, so please support us by voting with your orange token and you might also see us there during the campaign

Momentum Hub Academy
A new initiative was launched in Term 2 for a number of Secondary School students from Auckland South invited to attend fortnightly sessions at the Momentum Hub, Vector Wero Whitewater Park, centred around leadership.

These sessions are led by Simon Kent, with various guests who share their journeys with the students.

Lift For Gold
The ‘Lift For Gold’ programme continues to build momentum as students from Bairds Mainfreight (pictured above left) complete weekly sessions with Coach Stella Hampton, developing movement awareness whilst learning the Olympic lifts.

It was also exciting to see a number of new students participate in their first competition. Students from Avondale College, Coached by Claire Nahi weekly at the Trusts Arena performed exceptionally well at the competition held at Kolmar, Papatoetoe.

Big thank you to The Trust Community Foundation (TTCF) for funding this fantastic programme.

Auckland Rapids Festival

20th October 2019 sees a new event on the calendar – The Auckland Rapids Festival being held at the Vector Wero Whitewater Park in conjunction with the Great Auckland Duck Race. The day will be a fun filled family event and the Foundation is delighted to be involved hosting the Field of Dreams Swim the Lake Challenge. 30 children from our Community Swim – Swim for Gold programme will have the extremely rare opportunity to swim the length of the lake.

Make sure you come on down and check out the day! Details are on the website Auckland Rapids Festival

Secondary Schools Water Safety Initiative
Following the very successful pilot of the Secondary Schools Water Safety Initiative in Auckland South during 2018, we have once again partnered with Drowning Prevention Auckland to deliver the programme in Terms 3 and 4 in Auckland South & East. This programme provides a refresher session on water safety and gives students the opportunity to utilise Virtual Reality experiences. A big thanks to our funders, who allow us to deliver the programme.

Pukekohe Joggers & Walkers Club
Earlier this year we were contacted by the Pukekohe Joggers & Walkers Club who love what we are doing with our programmes. Unfortunately, the club had sold their beloved club house due to external factors and wanted to donate part of the proceeds to the Foundation to set up the Run, Jump & Throw for Gold programme in the Franklin/Pukekohe area. We are delighted to receive the funds, but also saddened by the circumstances. In Term 4 this year we will be launching Run, Jump & Throw for Gold in the Primary/Intermediate schools.

Programme video for Run, Jump & Throw for Gold

Sports Shoe Collection Drive

This August, a young athlete – Sophie Robb through her school St Cuthberts and the athletics club she runs for – Papakura Athletics & Harriers, are running a Sports Shoe Collection drive. Half of the shoes collected through Sophie’s school will be donated to FYFOD and the remainder to Presbyterian Support Services Northern. Sports shoes donated through her club will be donated to FYFOD. FYFOD will be distributing the shoes to the low decile schools involved in our programmes. This is a fantastic gesture from Sophie!

Golf Day - 13th March 2020
Plans are well underway for the 2020 Charity Golf Day on Friday 13^th March at the Whitford Golf Course. The day is once again sponsored by our wonderful friends at Honda New Zealand. It is always a fun day and a great way to support the Foundation, so mark it in your diary!

FYFOD has been chosen as the Charity Partner for the next 3 years for the Huntly Half Marathon. Sunday 24^th May 2020 will be the 40^th Anniversary for one of the largest Half Marathons in New Zealand and an event that Sir John has competed in and won in 1982 & 1983. To register Huntly Half Marathon 2020

Partnership - YMCA - Intermediate School Camps
Many Intermediate School aged young people from Auckland South are unable to attend the annual AIMS Games (which has over 11,500 competitors) held each year in Tauranga due to financial constraints.

FYFOD is partnering with YMCA to provide children from low decile Auckland South intermediate schools the opportunity to participate in sports camps which will be held at Camp Adair in Hunua, free of charge to the participants.

“We see this as a fantastic opportunity for the children in Auckland South and a great fit with our programmes. FYFOD is really looking forward to working beside YMCA on this initiative” - Rick Pickard GM FYFOD

Look out for some other Exciting Announcements to come in the next few weeks!

Our wonderful supporters – funders – business supporters
Akarana Community Trust, Aktive – Auckland Sport & Recreation, Asics, Athletics Auckland, Auckland Council, Auckland Council – Parks, Sport & Recreation, Base 2, Brittain Wynyard & Co, Castle Brown, College Sport, Counties Manukau Sport, Deloitte, Drowning Prevention Auckland, Fastway Couriers, Four Winds Foundation, Grassroots Trust, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, Helping Hand, Honda New Zealand, Howick Local Board, Hugo Charitable Trust, Huntly Half Marathon, Infinity Foundation Limited, Hutchwilco, Joyce Fisher Charitable Trust, Mangere/Otahuhu Local Board, Momentum Hub, North & South Trust, NZ Sports Frames, Otara/Papatoetoe Local Board, Papakura Local Board, Platform 29, Potter Masonic Trust, Pukekohe Joggers & Walkers Club, RSM New Zealand, Run NZ, Second Nature Charitable Trust, Southern Trust, Stride Events, Supreme Teams, Stevenson Village Trust, Swimgym, The Lion Foundation, The Trusts Charitable Foundation, Trillian Trust, Trophies Plus, Vector Wero Whitewater Park, Vodafone, WaterSafety NZ, William Buck New Zealand Ltd, Z Energy (Kennerley Group), 3Bit

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