We need your help!

01 October 2011

Gosh it has been almost a year since the last newsletter – and what a year! Being based in Christchurch, the Adoption Option Trust has had a very difficult time the past 12 months. We desperately need the help of people outside of Christchurch to step up and get involved. Please read to the end of this newsletter to see if you can help.

Before that I would like to celebrate what we have achieved since the last newsletter,

• The revised website was launched on Wednesday 27^th October 
• The new display stands and DVD were on show at the AGM on the 21^st November 2010.
• The two new leaflets, one for health professionals and one for pregnant women, were printed at the beginning of September 2011
• A talk to the National Council of Midwives in July 2011 was very well received with midwives keen to take our resources.
• A talk to the Christchurch Sexual Health Educators in September 2011 was also successful with a large number of leaflets and DVDs being taken away for use at Christchurch Women’s Hospital, the Sexual Health Clinic, and by other provides of sexual health education.
• A new Tindall Grant application was submitted in August 2011 and it resulted in a grant which will enable us to restock the DVDs and help maintain and develop the website.
• The website has had its ability to be detected by search engines enhanced thanks to work carried out by the team at Cabbage Tree Creative.
• We have developed a Volunteer Contract and Volunteer Pack and the first regional distribution by volunteers has been launched in Napier.
• Cindy Paul has been recruited to be our Volunteer Coordinator.

 

So what does the future hold for the Adoption Option Trust?

The Trust is in good shape in that all the resources are now up-to-date and there is a good stock of DVDs and leaflets. The major challenge is one of personnel. The Treasurer, Tracy Matehe, left for Australia following the February quake and all the other members of the Christchurch committee have been overloaded with trying to maintain the Trust as well as sort out their earthquake damaged properties.

 

Your help is needed urgently!

I, Sue Kingham, lost my home and have found it very difficult, as I have moved three times since February. I am now in a state of limbo, not knowing what will happen to our “white zone” property. It is a result of this stress, and the fact that my children need more support than pre earthquake, that I feel the need to pull back my involvement with the charity.

I would like to remain a Trustee but I hope someone else with more energy will step up and take on the role of Chair. I would like to suggest that interested parties contact me via kingham.sue@gmail.com by the end of October 2011. This will enable a decision to be made before the November AGM. If no one is interested in taking on this role the Board will have to decide what the future of the trust will be.

I would like to think that someone, perhaps in another part of New Zealand, will have a fresh vision for the Trust and will be able to take it on to the next level of development. The positions of Treasurer and Secretary are also available. We can send through the job descriptions with an estimate of time required for each role.

Archived articles »