12/05/2011
Date December 4 2011
Kia Ora Brenda,
The Adopt a Christchurch Family Trust is pleased to advise you that $19,850.00 of your donation of $23,467.00 has been distributed between sixteen Christchurch families.
A mother of five boys still living in their quake damaged home lost a lot of uninsured belongings. You have enabled them to replace some clothing, toys and crockery.
A Lyttleton mother and her three year old son are living in a bedroom on one side of their house, as the other side has slumped and unlivable. She lost her part time job as a direct result of the quake and is having serious trouble meeting her essential living costs. Your donation has given her some respite, and a short break away, which hopefully will bring her nearer to house repairs, and securing another job.
The mother of two children along with the stress of the quakes has had to face the frightening reality of her daughter starting to have seizures. The ambulance accounts were beyond her ability to meet, as was the cost of the First Aid Course that the hospital recommended she take. Thanks to you she has been able to settle her account, take out an annual membership, which will mean no more payments should the service be required, and enrol for the course that will give her much more confidence in coping with her daughter.
The mother of a teenage daughter whose marriage was a direct casualty of the quakes, moved with her daughter from the family home with very little in the way of household equipment, as they had considerable damage so there was very little to divide between parties. You have provided them with the funds to purchase some essential items to provide them with some semblance of a home.
The parents of three children are struggling due to the fathers' hours of work being reduced as a direct result of the quakes. They lost a lot of uninsured items and in prioritising replaced necessary items but were unable to have their car repaired which was also damaged. They were totally overwhelmed that strangers would provide the money to enable them to get their vehicle back on the road.
The requests we recieve are many and varied. One poor woman had a bad fall in the June quake, severely damaging her top teeth which had to be extracted. ACC covered the cost of extraction but would not provide for dentures. As she is on a low income it was beyond her ability to fund this herself. Thanks to you she can greet Christmas with a smile.
A family with five children lived in a caravan for six months after February. Their home was red stickered and they salvaged as much as possible. They have some insurance, but until the EQC and insurers decide the fate of their home will receive no payout. They have found a rental property but have little to furnish it with. Your generosity has meant that they have at least the basic essentials to set up home.
A family with three children, after replacing other items they considered necessary were unable find the money for a new fridge which was damaged in June. With summer coming on they are so grateful to be able to do so.
A woman, her partner and twelve year old son fled Christchurch for Auckland with a trailer load of their belongings. Unfortunately the relationship failed and the woman and her son were stranded with a broken down car and no way of returning to family in Christchurch. You have reunited this family.
A woman with a teenage son who also cares for her twelve year old niece and eight year old granddaughter had bedding and clothing destroyed by a roof cave in, her car and computor were also damaged. She has developed severe alopecia (hair loss) following the February quake. As a mature student she has been completing a Masters' Degree, without the repairs to her car and replacement computor which you have provided she would have had to abandon her studies.
A woman alone in a rental property had liquifaction coming up through the floor boards, and every piece of furniture, clothing, and bedding was contaminated. She continued to live in these conditions as just coming out of a violent relationship had no money to sign up for new accommodation. Her health has been adversely affected with a swollen spleen, which doctors believe is due to her unhealthy living conditions. The Family Safety Team have assisted her into a new home, and you ensured that she did not have to take any of her contaminated possessions into it.
A woman with her four children had been exceptionally good tenants for six years. The house in which they were living was severely damaged in the quakes. Their landlord had no insurance and was unable to afford to repair the damage, just patching up where he could. Consequently they were in a house with broken foundations, rotting ceiling beams, bedroom window frames twisted, leaking toilet, and a house imposssible to heat with draughts throughout. You have provided help with rent, bond, and moving costs.
A woman with Multiple Sclerosis whose partner has recently been diagnosed with cancer, and a very poor prognosis. Their home is in the Red Zone which means it will ultimately be demolished. The womans' condition has deteriorated and she has had to be hospitalised. The level of accommodation provided was very basic and until the EQC and insurers settle their claims her income was limited. You have given her the wherewithall to finance additional comfort until such time as she is financially independant.
A family with three children, unable to afford contents insurance as father a sickness beneficiary. Among other things their stove was badly damaged, not an easy thing to live without. They compromised their financial situation by purchasing a new stove, you have removed the weight of that debt from them.
A mother with two daughters. Over the winter their power bills were extremely high due to trying to heat a damaged and draughty house. As a result some money that should have been allocated to rent went to pay electricity accounts, your assistance has staved off the threat of possible eviction.
A mother with a small daughter whose own home was Red Stickered (unsafe to enter) she has since moved three more times each as a result of the quakes and subsequent aftershocks. The costs associated with moving, bonds, rent in advance, and removal had become a nightmare until we were able to provide her with relief thanks to your generosity.
On behalf of the Trust an enormous thank you for your generosity and support of these Christchurch families in need. Mere words cannot express our humility and gratitude to people such as yourselves, you truly are life savers to some people. This is not an exaggeration as some that we have encountered have truly reached the end of their tether, and to have assistance from strangers and from so far away gives them the hope and incentive to continue
Kind Regards
Caryll Ellis
