To continue providing these vital services, the team must raise $1.1 million each year to cover their operating costs.
“We receive no direct government funding, so raising more than a million dollars each year is a big job. It’s constant and it’s time-consuming. This $42,000 means we can keep the lights on this year, and we can also deliver one of our programmes for a year, which is amazing.”
Jamie Allen and his wife Suzy co-founded Taranaki Retreat almost 10 years ago after facing their grief and trauma when their young daughter Carrie died of cancer in 2012.
Jamie left his job as the Dean of Taranaki Cathedral and the couple sold everything to start Taranaki Retreat. Together with the community they have grown the organisation from a simple spark of an idea to a vital service that has impacted the lives of thousands of people.
“There have been moments when we’ve asked if we can keep the lights on for another month. Sometimes the answer is possibly not, so the gift we’ve been given from Womad and New Zealand this month is huge,” Jamie says.
“Over the years the demand for community funding and grants has grown, and more and more organisations are applying for these little pockets of money. When we’re talking about something as critical as suicide prevention, it’s not just a nice to have and we would all do everything within our power to save a single life.
“So the money that has been raised from our Womad appeal, it’s come from the power of people, the power of community. A lot of this $42,000 was made up of people giving five bucks, sometimes even 50c. I don’t want anyone thinking there’s no point in me putting my five bucks in, because those five bucks are what keep us going, they are what help us get to that million-dollar target every year.”
Taranaki Retreat was invited to be the charity gate collector by long-standing Womad partner OMV. Every year OMV partners with a local charity to do something at the festival that raises money and increases awareness.
OMV New Zealand’s communications manager Tahlia Rangiwananga says asking Taranaki Retreat to be the gate collector was an opportunity to acknowledge the impactful work it does.
“Supporting a charity that is focused on fostering safe and healthy communities is important to us and we were delighted to witness the enthusiastic support and generosity from not just the Womad audience but the broader New Zealand public. Every donation, big or small, makes a huge difference and this financial boost will enable Taranaki Retreat to continue to keep the lights on and wrap their support around more whānau.”
Womad’s event director Suzanne Porter says part of the ethos of the award-winning music and dance festival is to extend the positive impact of the event into the wider community.
“It’s important to us that Womad not only enhances the lives of our festival goers but that it also shares its magnetic pull and abundant opportunities as widely as possible,” Suzanne says.
“We are delighted that our festival goers gave so generously to such an important community organisation. Helping Taranaki Retreat to keep the lights on for another year means so many people will be able to access support in their time of need, and the ripple effect from that is immeasurable.”
