Website: https://www.heartkids.org.nz/branches/taranaki/
Did you know that there are over 250 Heart Kids members in Taranaki?
Yes that is a true fact and did you also know that this Organisation is the only one in Aotearoa New Zealand dedicated to providing lifelong care and support for children, teens, adults and families impacted by childhood heart conditions? These vital services are provided at no cost to ensure that all those impacted will feel supported, informed, educated and connected. The practical and emotional support is vital in helping individuals and families cope with the day-to-day challenges of living with a childhood heart condition.
There are over 40 different types of childhood heart conditions. Nationwide each week 12 children are being diagnosed with a childhood heart condition and over 500 major heart surgeries are carried out on heart kids every year – that is almost 10 per week. Generally these will be for congenital heart disease and are the most common serious birth abnormality in Aotearoa New Zealand.
There are also Acquired Childhood Heart Disease, and this is an issue with a child’s heart that develops after birth. They can be caused by bacterial or viral infections or be the result of chronic diseases or medications that affect other parts of the body.
All these conditions are ones that Heart Kids offer support to and here in Taranaki we are very lucky to have the Wonderful Narelle who is the Family Support Taituarā. She is available to support families through their journey from diagnosis for life. Once a heart kid, always a heart kid. Heart families can be faced with separation, isolation, stress, financial hardship and loneliness during their journey, The future is uncertain, and these families need support, whether it is at home or visits to the local hospitals and / or Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital, all these unknown possibilities can be stressful and to know that they are not alone in their journey can be really helpful.
If the little one does require surgery, they receive a Maia Bear which they treasure, however, if they are not requiring surgery Volunteering New Plymouth now have knitters and crocheters who are producing tiny teddies to be gifted to these little ones, and are always grateful to all of these volunteer for the hours they put in to help a little one feel supported and cared about. We also have volunteers who are knitting beanies, booties, cardies and singlets. Volunteers are also required to support Narelle with events and fundraising.
If you would like to hear Narelle talk about the support, she and others around the country offer Heart Kids you can find the recorded session of Volly Voices on Spotify and Apple Podcast - to find these go the either Access Radio Taranaki website where these recordings can be found under Community or to Volunteering New Plymouth website and look under Volunteers and Volly Calls. Or
Who can you contact?
If you are curious to learn more about what is involved and / or how you can get involved then contact Wendy at (Monday to Thursday) at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, Ph/Text: 022 571 4228 or Email: admin@vnp.nz. to take the next step.
Website: https://wildfortaranaki.nz/
If you are curious to learn more about what is involved and or how you can get involved then contact Wendy (Monday to Thursday) at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, Ph/Text: 022 571 4228 or Email: admin@vnp.nz. to take the next step
Website: https://3stepsforlife.stjohn.org.nz/
Who can you contact?
If you are curious to learn more about the 3 Steps for Life programme and how you can join a session being offered near you, or how you could join St John and / or how you could become a trained trainer to deliver the programme then contact Wendy (Monday to Thursday) at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, Ph/Text: 022 571 4228 or Email: admin@vnp.nz.
Website: https://www.pasat.org.nz/
Who can you contact?
If you are curious to learn more about PASAT please contact Dianne Darbyshire 022 088 7503 or Email: taranaki@PASAT.org.nz or Wendy (Monday to Thursday) at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, Ph/Text: 022 571 4228 or Email: admin@vnp.nz.
Website: https://gbb.org.nz/baking-it-better/chapters/new-plymouth/
Who can you contact?
If you are curious to learn more about Good Bitches Baking and / or you are interested in becoming a volunteer with this great group, please contact Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, Email admin@vnp.nz or Ph/Text 022 571 4228 to take the next step.
Website: https://alzheimers.org.nz/taranaki/
September is World Alzheimers Month
Who can you contact?
If you are curious to learn more about Alzheimers Taranaki and / or you are interested in becoming a volunteer with this great group, please contact Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986; E: admin@vnp.nz or Ph/Text: 022 571 4228 to take the next step.
Website: https://www.starjam.org/
Who can you contact?
If you curious to learn more about STAR JAM and /or you are interested in becoming a volunteer with this great group, please contact Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986; E: admin@vnp.nz or Ph/Text: 022 571 4228 to take the next step.
Website: https://www.theheadoffice.org.nz/
Who can you contact?
If you curious to learn more about The Head Office and /or you are interested in becoming a volunteer with this great programme, please contact Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth on Ph: 06 758 8986; E: admin@vnp.nz or Ph / Text: 022 571 4228 to take the next step.
Website: https://www.stjohn.org.nz/what-we-do/community-programmes/caring-caller/
Who can you contact?
If you curious to learn more about any of the activities and / or you are interested in becoming a volunteer with Hato Hone St John please contact Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986; E: admin@vnp.nz or Ph / Text: 022 571 4228 to take the next step.
Website: https://thf.org.nz/ways-to-be-involved/hardship-to-hope-fund/
Who can you contact?
If you are curious to learn more about any of the activities and / or you are interested in helping in some way please contact Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, Email: admin@vnp.nz or Ph/Text 022 571 4228 to take the next step.
Website: http://www.wcnp.org.nz/
Who can you contact?
If you are curious to learn more about any of the activities and / or you are interested in becoming a volunteer with Women’s Centre New Plymouth please contact Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, E: admin@vnp.nz or Ph/Text 022 571 4228 to take the next step.
Wbsite: https://waitara.allheart.store/
Who can you contact?
If you are curious to learn more about any of the activities and / or you are interested in becoming a volunteer with St Vincent de Paul please contact Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, E: admin@vnp.nz or Ph / Text: 022 571 4228 to take the next step.
Awanui Angels
Volunteers for what, you ask??
We would like to give back to the community by helping keep Awanui Cemetery in tip-top condition. We are looking for some Angels who are interested in looking to help support the Council staff by doing some of the tasks that are not part of their everyday duties.
This project will be very different to the volunteer work done at Te Henui Cemetery as Awanui is a limited-lawn cemetery. We’d like volunteers for year-round weeding, trimming, deadheading, pruning, plant maintenance and if there is a group who would like to become involved, then perhaps mulching, planting & dividing, and transplanting plants.
We will have specific areas that we are working on only - currently the Angels meet once a month on a Wednesday (weather dependent) during Autumn / Winter and in Spring/ Summer twice a month also on a Wednesday. The number of hours per session are between 2 and 4 depending on the numbers and who is available. The current team are hoping to have a few younger people will join them as it can be a little hard on the backs if you are not young. Do you know anyone who would be keen to help on an occasional basis – not on a regular basis – that would be good too – and really helpful.
There will be site safety processes and an induction for each event. We are looking for all of you who are interested in being part of this project and particularly people with horticultural knowledge, it is not vital that you have this knowledge, however.
We have an awesome Project Lead for this project, and she would appreciate another person being with her to be available if she wants to go away from time to time.
This has been a project for almost one year now and the volunteers who are involved would love to have others join them to increase what they are able to achieve. Because this is relatively new, we will work with all those who offer their time and try and make it work for everyone and ensure that we are able to work with NPDC staff who enable this unique project to happen.
For all new volunteers we will have a first meeting onsite with Council staff to inspect the site and the areas we will be working on. No date is confirmed yet as that’s dependent on those of you who put your hand up and what day would best suit. It does need to be during the working week Monday – Friday, however.
Those who are interested in being part of this Awanui Angels Project: it is preferable that you bring your own hand tools – due to Health & Safety there will be no power tools or spraying allowed by volunteers.
If you are interested in looking into this further please give Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth a call on 06 758 8986 or Ph/Text 022 571 4228 or E: admin@vnp.nz so that she can help you get started.
KidSafe Taranaki Trust – Technicians
KidSafe Taranaki is a charitable trust formed in 1994 to reduce unintentional injuries to children/tamariki in Taranaki.
Trust membership currently includes Taranaki District Health Board, ACC, Plunket, Tui Ora, New Plymouth District Council and community volunteers.
KidSafe is also a partner in the New Plymouth injury Safe (NPiS) Trust which is responsible for New Plymouth District’s International Safe Community accreditation programme.
KidSafe uses local child injury data to plan and co-ordinate community projects on priority injury issues
GOAL: Reduce the incidence and severity of unintentional injuries to children/tamariki in Taranaki.
OBJECTIVES:
**To raise community awareness about the incidence, severity, causes, costs and preventative strategies associated with unintentional injuries
**To identify priority areas for the reduction of child unintentional injuries
** To undertake intervention activities to reduce the incidence and severity of unintentional injuries to children
**To liaise with and support other agencies/initiatives with similar objectives both locally and nationally
** To undertake the above objectives in a manner that is appropriate to the cultures in our community.
There are many activities that they facilitate within the Community they include continuing to support and facilitate Hapu Wananga falls prevention korero to whanau who are hapu (with child). Hapū wananga within Taranaki continues to be active and present actively engaging both North and South Taranaki whānau.
Currently we are working to support the recruitment of new technicians to relieve the amazing Gabrielle and her team of volunteers and add to the pool of people free to be able to attend the clinics that are held on a rotation of monthly in each centre. It would be fantastic if we were able to have volunteers who could be available in each of the five centres – so it would be a shift once a month.
So, are you interested in the safety of your children or grandchildren or perhaps your nieces of nephews and or interested in supporting this great and much needed service? Do you have a few hours a week or a month that you could spare to help ensure that children/tamariki who are near and dear to you and riding around in cars are protected?
KidSafe Taranaki provides an amazing service to our community by offering a safety check of children’s car seats. This is a FREE service - NO APPOINTMENTS NEEDED. They are in the following areas:
KidSafe car seat clinics held around the Mounga:
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1st Thursday of every month |
New Plymouth 9am – 12 pm Bell Block 1.30pm – 3.30pm
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2nd Thursday of every month |
Stratford 10am – 12 pm Hawera 1.30pm – 3.30pm
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3rd Thursday of every month |
Waitara 10am – 12pm
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So if these voluntary positions sound like something that you would like more information about and if you think you may like to check one or more of these opportunities out then please contact Wendy, Monday to Thursday, at Volunteering New Plymouth on 06 758 8986, M: 022 571 4228 or E: admin@vnp.nz to take that next step, and discuss with her your skills and the potential options, she is keen to hear from you.