Media Release May 2011

THE PALMS CALLS FOR THE COMMUNITY TO NOMINATE DESERVING GROUPS TO RECEIVE FUNDING

It’s the people that make a great community. And one positive in the aftermath of Mother Nature’s unpredictable behaviour is the renewed sense of community spirit and ‘togetherness’ demonstrated by the people of Christchurch.

The February earthquake has left many community organisations such as charities and schools displaced or struggling to meet demands, and The Palms Shopping Centre would like to see contributing members of the local community rewarded for and aided in their recovery efforts.

To this end, The Palms has pledged to give away $100,000 to local community groups, providing practical financial assistance to organisations that have been affected by the earthquake. The public are invited to nominate their favourite charity, school or community group via The Palms website, www.thepalms.co.nz. Nominations open Monday 16 May at 10am and will close on Friday 27 May at 12 noon.

The Palms is focused on assisting the community in their time of need, centre manager Keryn Ward says. “The more work we do together, the greater our collective success will be. As our centre is also now on the path to reopening, this campaign presents an opportunity for us to work with other community groups as they get back their feet.

“We have been actively involved in the community while we have been closed, and the $100k Community Assistance Campaign is a way we can celebrate the local community by offering practical financial aid to deserving groups. We hope this will have a significant positive effect on many residents.”

Once nominations have been collected via The Palms website, centre management will select the top 20 community groups based on criteria set out in the campaign terms and conditions. Voting on the top 20 will open on Monday 30 May at 10am and close at 5pm on Wednesday 15 June.

It is intended that the winning charities will use the funding to help resume normal activity and boost the work they do in the community. The distribution will be in the form of five gifts of $10,000 and one major funding pool of $50,000.

The five recipients of $10,000 will be announced, one per day, over the five days from Monday 20 June. The organisation that received the most votes from the community, and thus receives $50,000, will be announced on The Palms Gala Day on 2 July. The Gala Day will be a landmark event for The Palms to celebrate the grand reopening of the first phase of the centre.

To nominate your favourite charity, school or community group and for full terms and conditions, visit www.thepalms.co.nz. Would-be recipients of the funding are also invited to nominate their own organisation and rally votes amongst their contacts and supporters.

ENDS

About The Palms
The Palms Shopping Centre in Shirley (four kilometres from the Christchurch CBD), is an asset in the AMP Capital Shopping Centre Fund (ASCF). The Fund has 11 properties under management with a total fund size of over A$2 billion.

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