28 August 2013
The ‘clothes swap for a cause’ phenomenon in Pukerua Bay
A quiet phenomenon has hit Pukerua Bay led by local double act Angela Bensemann and Jane Comben. Last year they joined
forces and set up WorksWonders – a venture designed to inspire women to achieve a better work/life balance and follow
their dreams.
An unexpected offshoot of this has been their ‘clothes swaps for a cause’ which have gathered momentum and are raising
money for worthwhile ventures, says Angela.
“There’s nothing women like more than shopping for free and supporting a good cause at the same time. We decided to
harness that and to raise money for great causes.”
WorksWonders next clothes swap is for MS Wellington on Saturday 21 September from 2pm-4.30pm at the Pukerua Bay School
Hall in Rawhiti Road.
“Like all our causes this one is close to our heart and we think we can make a difference by raising awareness about
multiple sclerosis as well as raising money for the local branch,” says Angela
Previous clothes swaps have benefited Kia Ora Children’s Learning Centre set up in Nairobi by Pukerua Bay woman Denise
Carnihan and the Ruby Red Trust raising money to help send Ruby Penney to America for treatment for her Lyme Disease.
Jane says WorksWonders was set up to empower women and part of that is showing how everyone can make a difference in the
community and in their own families.
“Often as women we lack the confidence to go after what we really want. We’re also juggling work and family and many
times forget to think about ourselves. We all know though that if the woman of the household falls over or isn’t happy
the whole family falls apart.”
We run goal setting and confidence building workshops - several of which we have done for Mums of kids with cancer
through the Child Cancer Foundation, says Jane.
We’ve also developed a whole lot of free resources on our websites to help individuals with everything from goal setting
to CV writing, to decluttering wardrobes, how to fundraise, what to wear to an interview etc. “All things that help with
attaining a better work/life balance,” she says.
Anyone wanting more information on the next clothes swap should visit the WorksWonders website www.workswonders.co.nz or
check out the Facebook event www.facebook.com/WorksWonders.
Ends