Tuesday night’s Taupō Geyser Community Foundation’s Annual Awards featured several young and not so young Taupō locals being recognised for their contributions to community or being supported in their pursuit of future study.
This range was evident in the presentation of two inaugural awards, one to student Lydia Curtis, recipient of the first presentation from the Andrew and Sharon Welch Fund Award, and another to Outstanding Donor of the Year Peter Jarvis, who acknowledged he was a latter-day philanthropist due to the influence of his life partner Helene Phillips.
In telling a little of his life story however he said everyone needed a hand up at some stage in their lives.
“I've certainly had mine and I'm happy to help someone else receive one.”
He came from humble beginnings, losing his father when quite young, he said.
“I started with nothing and I don't care if I end up with nothing. I've had a great life, and I've suddenly come into a community where philanthropy is part of my life... I've learned the enjoyment that one can get from sharing success with others. I'm just one of the many public-minded donors who give money, who give help, give their time, and as far as the recipients are concerned you will generally not get to meet or know any of them... many donors remain very private people and that's to be applauded.”
In welcoming attendees to the function, foundation deputy chair Michelle Barnett noted that this year, the foundation had distributed approximately $250,000 back into the communities it operated in.
“Since Geyser was established, we have distributed more than $3.3 million into the Central Plateau,” Barnett said.
The foundation, a charitable trust formed in 2007, supports local causes through legacy and endowment funds which continue to grow year on year.
After receiving her award, the first made from the Andrew and Sharon Welch Fund, which supports individuals from Rotorua and Taupō in pursuing opportunities in drama, music and the visual arts, Curtis said she felt she had always been surrounded by the arts.
“My family, my teachers, and various other members of the community have heavily influenced my passion,” she said.
The money would pay the tuition fee for her attendance at the Girls Rock Aotearoa programme 'To The Front' in Palmerston North, she said.
The programme strives to empower female and queer youth and inspire them to find their confidence through music.
“I have participated in this program twice before in Hamilton and I am looking forward to taking part again in another town and meeting new people.”
Other awards included those from the Colin Cockburn Fund and the Colin and Jenny McDonald Fund, presented by Jenny McDonald. The former going to para-athlete Elliot Crimp from Rotorua and the latter to Mackenzie Loudon of Reporoa but currently studying music in Scotland.
In accepting the award on her behalf her mother Auriel said she felt proud Reporoa was represented at the awards and described her daughter as a cultural orphan as she was more of Scot in New Zealand, with her pursuit of Gaelic music, but was now finding herself not Scottish enough in Scotland where she was studying.
As one of The Tindall Foundation's local donation managers, the foundation also made presentations on Tuesday to:
· Awhina Society Trust
· Storytime Foundation
· Taupō Community Gardens
· Turangi Foodbank Inc
· Village Aunties
The final presentations were made from the Taupō Fund which was established to support charitable organisations and projects that benefit communities across the Taupō district, including Tūrangi and Mangakino.
Foundation general manager Rosie Riggir noted that the fund currently held $163,000 in local donations, including regular contributions from NZ Certified Builders Association Taupō.
“This is a strong beginning. It shows that our community believes in the power of collective giving and in creating a permanent source of support for Taupō.
“Now, we have the opportunity to build on that foundation. If everyone in this room introduced just one more person to the Taupō Fund, imagine how quickly it could grow—and how much more it could return to our community each year.
“Together, we can create a lasting legacy for Taupō: built by local people, protected for the future and invested back into our community year after year.”
Jesse Archer from Lake FM who presented the awards, congratulated this year's recipients, for their contribution to the community.
Awards were given to:
· Epilepsy New Zealand
· Horses R Us NZ Charitable Trust
· Mawake Te Kohanga Reo
· Taupō Multicultural Community Council
· 24/7 Youth Work
· Wairakei Community Group
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