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Springboard’s annual fundraising dinner took place at Sheepworld in Dome Valley on November 9, and once again capped off the Fund a Brighter Future campaign, which overall raised $220,000.
As in previous years, the pledges at the dinner included dollar-for-dollar matched funding up to $100,000 from Springboard’s two biggest supporters, Kennards Hire and Northwood Developments Limited.
Springboard general manager Dan Gray says they want to honour the total.
“It was the community wrapping around our mahi and young people like a korowai (woven cloak worn by a Māori chief).
“The meaning of that is we can keep transitioning kids through into employment, we can keep mentoring kids,” he says.
Gray says the matched funding from their key stakeholders Kennards Hire and Northwood Developments Limited “was massive and we honour and respect that”.
“We’re thankful for their contribution because of what it does in our community.”
Gray says the dinner was a great night of fundraising and felt like a family coming together.
“This year a few of our supporters, who have been supporters for a long period of time, decided to pull a table together, advocating for what’s going on at Springboard, saying, ‘come to this thing we passionately believe in’.
“We also had people who were there for the very first time.”
Springboard founder Gary Diprose spoke at the dinner about the history as well as the future of the organisation.
However, the highlight of the evening for many was when the young Springboard speakers took the stage.
“We had two of our students share moving stories of their journey with Springboard and how Springboard had supported them in their life and where they’re at now,” Gray says.
“We’re a group of people that passionately believe in change, but they’re the ones that are brave and we’re just getting in behind them. They’re the authors of their futures.”
