Dio Fundraising Brings Tranquility Garden For Sick Children A Step Closer

Sick children and their families are now a big step closer to enjoying a tranquillity garden at Ronald McDonald House Auckland, thanks to the latest fundraising efforts of students at Diocesan School for Girls and Palmers GardenWorld Remuera.

A Family Fun Day held at Palmers in Remuera this month raised almost $6500 for the garden – the brainchild of four Year 11 Diocesan students whose idea earned them second place last year in a BP Community Enterprise Project competition last year.

Since then, the whole school has been helping to raise funds for the garden, which will give families and their children from all over New Zealand who are visiting or staying at Ronald McDonald House Auckland an outdoor area where they can spend quality time together outside the hospital.

Almost $23,000 has now been raised for the $40,000 garden project. Work will begin on transforming an area of land in front of the House in the grounds of Auckland Hospital when all of the money is raised – hopefully by this Spring.

About 50 Year 12 Dio students helped organise and were involved in the Family Fun Day on Sunday August 2 as part of the voluntary service they do at the Anglican, all-girls independent Auckland School.

“Hundreds of people turned up on Sunday to make the most of the blue skies and show their support for this great project,” says Rebecca Shadwell of Ronald McDonald House Auckland.

Fundraising activities included raffles, face painting, paint-and-plant-a-pot stalls, design a cup cake, a sausage sizzle and chocolate fishing games. Palmers GardenWorld Remuera, which has generously supported the garden project, also contributed a percentage of their day’s sales.

The centre’s in-house landscape designer, Dan Mackay, has created the plan for the tranquillity garden, based on the ideas of Dio students Zoe Dockery, Victoria Jones, Jessica Choie and Genevieve Fox, who first approached Ronald McDonald House with their garden idea.

Dan was on hand at the Family Fun Day to show people his plan which includes a koru-shaped walkway, seating areas, feature garden, a hedge with spy holes and stepping stones for younger children, a shaded area and native planting.

More fundraisers are planned, including cookbook sales and a barbeque on August 10 at the School, to help raise the remaining $17,000 for the garden.

To make a donation towards the tranquillity garden please visit Ronald McDonald House Auckland’s website www.rmhauckland.org.nz or call 09 303 1365.

ENDS

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