Congratulations to our winners!
Santa was back for another year of sweet giveaways, for some super-deserving Kiwis. We requested far and wide for nominations, with a share of our $10,000 cash prize giveaway and gosh did we get a response - 9,936 fantastic entries in fact! There are some incredible people out there, doing outstanding things in the community, for charities, for their families, for their friends and some sadly experiencing struggle and hardship.
Up for grabs:
- 1st place - $5,000
- 2nd place - $2,000
- 3rd place - $1,000
- Plus $2,000 worth of spot prizes
Picking our top 3 winners was a tough job but in the end we found three very deserving and amazing people, who really deserved a share of the prize this Christmas.
Juliet from Tauranga is our deserving 1st place Santa’s Shout $5,000 winner, who is doing incredible things for incredible families. During the day Juliet is a childcare educarer, running an at-home childcare agency. After hours, and during most of her spare time, Juliet helps families in need through her independently-run Facebook page All Children Matter, by making up “ready-to-go” backpacks for little kiddies who simply don’t have the basic necessities that they need in life. The backpacks house bits and pieces of essentials, such as new clothes and toiletries, duvet covers, towels and homeware items, Christmas gifts, school supplies and nutritious food items and so much more. They are then provided to safe houses, such as the Women’s Refuge, and local and foster families. Since its inception in 2017, Juliet has produced and donated over 700 bags, within New Zealand and overseas. She does it all for the children, because if there is any way for her to help another human being, she will. When her childcare work is quiet, this means financial struggles can arise. Juliet also washes and dries all the donated clothing at her home, which means the power bill can get costly. From Gull, we hope that this prize will help to reduce some of those pressures for you Juliet and so many more packs will be able to be created for so many more children and families in 2020. You’ve been described as a beautiful humanitarian, with a big heart and loving spirit, so please also treat yourself this Christmas - you deserve it!
Shannon from Napier is our deserving 2nd place Santa’s Shout $2,000 winner. Shannon and her family have recently battled through a few personal setbacks, which meant Christmas wasn’t going to be an overly fun and festive time this year. A sufferer of non-curable Type 1 diabetes, Shannon recently spent a lengthy period of time in hospital, which meant time away from her supportive husband and two beautiful daughters, eight and twelve years old. In hospital her weight dropped 12kgs and solid foods were impossible to stomach. On top of the health issues, Shannon’s husband had to leave his job to take care of his family full time and getting back into the workplace is proving tough. Overall, things have been hectic and horrible. The family do have wonderful support from their family and friends, who have been assisting with food parcels and donations, and in 2020 Shannon will receive funding for a pump to control her diabetes, making her health and life in general that much more pleasant. We hope with the extra cash that the family, which Shannon describes herself as a good old Kiwi family, and who are known by others as kind and happy people, will be able to be put towards anything that will make everything better for them – bills, Christmas presents, food and hopefully some well-deserved treats. Kia kaha Shannon.
Donovan from Auckland is our deserving 3rd place Santa’s Shout $1,000 winner. A youth mentor and leader in the West Auckland area for over fifteen years, Donavan didn’t have the easiest start to life, living through adversity, but this didn’t bring him down and with his own experiences he’s been able to share wisdom and connect with predominantly Maori male rangatahi, who are in prison or in remand, providing some navigation towards a more positive life journey and helping them to open up about their own adverse experiences. Recently, Donovan’s mentoring included teaching troubled youth how to scuba-dive and utilizing the skills they learn, when having to think quickly in risky situations in the water, through transferring them to everyday challenging life situations. Ngā Kawa o Tangaroa was featured on Māori Television - https://teaomaori.news/no-cost-dive-course-popular-youth. Donovan is the coach of five seasons to the Waitakere Women’s rugby team, leading them to four championships, and more recently coaching the Auckland Maori Women's Senior rugby team – all in his own time. A passionate advocator for the rangatahi that he works with, who knows are the leaders of tomorrow, Donovan writes cultural reports under Section 25 of the Sentencing Act and works with the youth to develop care plans, linking them with their cultural connections to bring about positive life changes in their communities. Fuel is something that is a great resource as Donovan will kindly transport the young men to their homes and maraes to learn about their roots and this is a cost that comes straight out of his own pocket. This man is exceptional and making a huge difference in society. We hope his prize will help him to share his love, passion and knowledge to more of tomorrow’s leaders (learn more at www.tekorowaiariki.com), as well as putting towards a Christmas gift for himself and his family.
Ho ho hauora!
