Rotary Club of Invercargill North has warmly embraced the challenge set forth by Rotary International President Gordon R. McInally to focus on supporting wellbeing and mental health services in our local community this year.
So, we as a club have picked up on that challenge and have developed a fundraising project whereby the proceeds will go to three worthy causes whose emphasis is upon wellbeing support namely; No 10 Southland Youth One Stop Shop, Hospice Southland and Koha Kai.
The project entailed the construction and raffling of a Kids Playhouse, bringing along myriad benefits. This hands-on project allowed our club members to actively participate and see it through to completion. The building materials were supplied to inmates at the Invercargill Prison workshop, who diligently completed the shell of the playhouse. ITM generously supplied all materials at significantly discounted rates while Resene kindly donated all required paint, stain, wallpapers, etc.
The inception of this project came from an idea and a contact club members had with the staff at the Invercargill Prison. After a series of productive meetings with the prison staff, detailed plans were jointly developed based on a concept we had seen on the internet for Children’s Playhouses. Materials were acquired back in March post canvassing local suppliers, and construction commenced shortly thereafter.
The communication with the builders during the construction phase was constant and on every occasion, the inmates involved expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be part of such a positive project that benefits community providers.
As the project moved into the finishing and fit out phase, a lot of hands-on toil was undertaken by members, who were divided into two groups, the outsiders and the insiders. The journey of preparing and finishing the playhouse, both inside and out, was filled with fun and camaraderie, giving the playhouse a ‘wow’ factor.
The finished product stands as an outstanding piece of work (as attested by the photos over) that is bound to bring immense pleasure to some lucky family. Our aspiration is that Grandparents and Parents alike will be inspired to support our causes and purchase all of the available tickets when they see us around Invercargill. The charm of the playhouse is sure to captivate the kids, who will undoubtedly insist on having tickets bought for them!
The selling of raffle tickets will kick off at our project launch on Tuesday, 31 October at our ‘Halloween in the Park’ event at the Queens Park Stumpery. Ticket sales will continue at local venues throughout November and December, with the lucky winning ticket to be drawn pre-Christmas. In support of this project, Rotary District 9999 has generously provided a District Grant of $3000 towards a No 10 Youth Wellbeing programme.