November 2024 Newsletter

You can read our November 2024 newsletter here 

Tēnā koutou katoa,

Greetings and welcome to our final newsletter of 2024! It’s been a huge year for our team, with major fundraising events like Relay For Life, Historical Homes Tour, our 60th Diamond Charity Ball, Daffodil Day, and Mowsworth Rampage.

From January to October this year, our Supportive Care team have welcomed 286 new clients/whānau and reconnected with 63 others, including those facing recurrence. 52% of clients were of working age, many of whom struggled with the financial impact of cancer. Of 189 support grants approved, 30% covered Income Loss, 39% Travel, and 19% Health/Treatment Costs. We funded 203 counselling sessions, 41% of which were for whānau, including children.

This year, our wellness workshops expanded to include topics like Nutrition, Self-Care, Coping with Fatigue, Sleep, Movement, Communication, and Navigating Change & Loss. We launched new support groups in Nelson – ‘Supporting the Supporters’ for families and MenzChat – as well as an evening ‘Survivors and Thrivers’ group and a weekly seated Tai Chi class in Motueka. Weekly yoga classes in Nelson and Motueka have now extended to Takaka, reaching even more of our community.

I’m incredibly proud of our small team of six. They’re passionate and dedicated to our mahi. We’re grateful for strong community support and guidance from our proactive Board.

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the heart of our organisation – our volunteers – who donate hundreds of hours per year, we could not do what we do without their support.

This newsletter offers a glimpse into the remarkable events and initiatives that only scratch the surface of our extensive efforts. For real-time updates and to stay connected, follow us on social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram) or visit our news page on the website.

Together, we can create a future where no one faces cancer alone.