$5000 and calls of support persuade TeenAdders not to close

Sandy Bowmar

An elderly donor who gave $5000 to an agency for teenagers with attention deficit disorder has persuaded the group's founders not to close.

Orewa-based TeenAdders, an incorporated society run by its 97 client families, decided this month to close after the Waitemata District Health Board turned down its last-ditch bid for funding.

But founder Sandy Bowmar said yesterday that the society's committee had changed its mind because it was "blown away" by messages of support after its plight was first reported in the Herald on May 11.

"It's not just families, it's agencies and specialists ringing and saying, 'What can we do, we'll put pen to paper'. So obviously people are valuing what we do," she said. "The other thing that has saved us has been some incredibly generous donations from the public.

"That has just been amazing. We had one donation of $5000 from an elderly lady who didn't want to be identified but supported what we did for these families. We didn't know her. She had read your article in the Herald and had been listening to talkback."

TeenAdders employs Mrs Bowmar fulltime and five family support workers part-time.

It has covered its costs of $100,000 a year until now with a $20,000 annual grant from Child, Youth and Family Services plus constant applications to SkyCity, the Lottery Grants Board and charities.

It asked the Waitemata District Health Board for mental health funding but was told on May 18 that its service did not fall within the board's funding priorities and that even if that changed, any funding for attention deficit disorder would have to be put out for competitive tender.

TeenAdders has now decided to go back to Health Minister Pete Hodgson, who had directed the agency to the health board.