6 minute read
Community Values – Local heroes
LOCAL HEROES
Farmlands staff around the country are celebrating their community heroes through a Christmas fundraising drive. Now Farmlands shareholders have their chance to chip in.
For Levin RDA President Stephen Oatley, the “best Christmas present ever” means the dream of a roof for the Ann Smith Arena and covered stalls for the disabled riding club’s horses could be one step closer. Like the rest of the registered charities nominated by Farmlands staff for our ‘Tag Your Charity’ Christmas fundraiser, Stephen and his team rely on grants and the generosity of local businesses, organisations and individuals to continue their work. In the case of Levin RDA, that means providing their riding therapy programme to children and adults who will benefit. The local community ensures the money is there to look after the charity’s horses and ponies. A fundraiser screening of ‘Dream Horse’ raised $1,200. It was very on-theme – the 2020 film tells the true story of racehorse Dream Alliance, bred by Welsh bartender Jan Vokes. With little money and no experience, Jan convinces her neighbours to chip in to cover the horse’s inevitable running costs. Sound familiar? Levin RDA’s horses and ponies get the best of care through generous community support for a horse sponsorship scheme, an old-school annual hay drive, fundraising events and an annual raffle. Through the ‘Tag Your Charity’ Christmas fundraiser, staff at each Farmlands store around the country have chosen a local charity for community support. The 82 charities on the list cover everything from volunteer fire brigades to men’s sheds to Surfing for Farmers.
| Levin RDA President Stephen Oatley helps muck out.
| Mental health advocate Mike King founded I Am Hope to fund counselling services for young people struggling with their mental health.
The idea is that customers get to choose where their donation goes – either to the local charity or to a national one. This year the national choice is I Am Hope's Gumboot Friday, which funds mental health counselling sessions for rural youth. To kick things off, Farmlands has donated $37,500 to the Gumboot Friday fund, enough to deliver 150 counselling sessions. Each Farmlands donation will go directly to funding counselling sessions for rural rangatahi (youth). Farmlands’ Partners Allflex/MSD Animal Health Intelligence, Summit Steel & Wire and Z Energy are supporting the campaign. Z Energy has pledged more than $32,000, split between each nominated local charity and I Am Hope. Summit Steel & Wire jumped at the opportunity to partner with Farmlands in raising funds for I Am Hope. “Mental health and awareness are paramount to our company’s success,” Summit Steel & Wire’s National Sales Manager, Stuart Tyler, says. For the team it was a chance to get creative. Summit Steel & Wire donated the ‘trees’ on which customers will place their ear tag, designing and making them in its Christchurch factory. “After a couple of long afternoons and prototypes, the profile was set and the finished product established,” Stuart says. “The Summit Star was the finishing touch – reach for the top of the tree or the summit!” Allflex ID Commercial Manager Steve Kelly says 2021 has been mentally and physically challenging for many farmers and their communities “so when we were asked to be a part of Farmlands’ charity initiative, saying yes was a no-brainer”. “Giving something back to farmers and their communities that support us seemed like the least we could do. Supporting rural communities and worthy causes is in our DNA,” he says. Z Energy’s Kevin Smith says the company has been supporting communities across New Zealand for more than 10 years. “We’re proud to partner with Farmlands on this Christmas fundraiser. We can’t wait to see the results and the difference this will make to more than 80 charities around the country,” Kevin says. For the team at Farmlands Hokitika, their choice of charity came down to community safety, which is why they chose Hokitika Land Search and Rescue. “Search and Rescue plays a big part in our urban and rural communities but also for visitors. They help with rescues in our hill country and waters, where everyone loves to get out and explore,” Hokitika Branch Manager Lisa Greene says. The nomination came as a pleasant surprise to Brendon Breeze and Ben Nilson of Hokitika LandSAR. It’s the kind of grassroots funding that plays a huge role at a local level, they say, enabling community groups such as theirs to “get stuff over the line”. Stuff like specialist life-saving equipment that would otherwise be out of reach. What’s on their wish list for the money raised? More safety equipment, this time a VHF repeater to speed their response time when they get called out. Back to the Ann Smith Arena. It takes its name from a founder member of Levin RDA, which was established in 1981. Ann was born in Invercargill in 1926 and passed away in Auckland in 2017. Over the years Ann became the face of Levin RDA, as chief instructor and champion of the group's riding therapy programmes. In 1990, Ann received the Queen's Service Award for services to Riding for the Disabled. In 2016 Levin RDA named its arena after Ann as part of its 35th anniversary.
The group’s shopping list for their usual fundraisers has feed, horse covers and stirrup leathers high on the list. Other items are educational games and resources for the riding therapy sessions, volunteer training, first aid courses and attending regional and national meetings. The fundraising campaign to put a roof on the arena is a big one, requiring lots of community support. Being chosen by Farmlands Levin for the ‘Tag Your Charity’ Christmas fundraiser will give the campaign a real boost, Stephen says. He acknowledged the more day-to-day support from Farmlands. “As a local business, Farmlands Levin is one of our main suppliers of horse feed and other products. Over the years we have enjoyed a supportive and positive association with the store – they are part of the Levin RDA family. “With COVID-19 disrupting our riding therapy programme, the donation is the best Christmas present ever for Levin RDA.” Farmlands Chief Executive Tanya Houghton has been inspired by the work being done by charities across New Zealand. “I Am Hope is doing incredible work – we know that funds donated are going directly to our rural kids. While purchasing products in-store, I encourage customers to give generously to either their local charity or I Am Hope – your donation will be gratefully received,” Tanya says. “Christmas is a tough time for a lot of people and it’s great to give back to those who are doing their best to help others.”
To find out more about the campaign and the charity your local store is supporting, pop in to your local Farmlands branch or check online www.farmlands.co.nz.
TAG YOUR CHARITY
Customers purchasing across the 82 Farmlands stores will have the opportunity to donate to either a local charity chosen by the store staff or to I Am Hope’s Gumboot Friday fund. In return, customers will be able to hang an Allflex/MSD Animal Health Intelligence ear tag on the Summit Steel & Wire designed Christmas tree in-store. I Am Hope's Gumboot Friday funds counselling sessions for rural youth. I Am Hope was founded by mental health advocate Mike King to fund counselling services for young people struggling with their mental health.
Lisa Greene, Hokitika Branch Manager
| Steve Thompson, Farmlands Senior Category Manager – Infrastructure, helps dress the Summit Steel & Wire Christmas tree at the Christchurch store.
