What a success!
WOW! WOW! WOW! and THANK YOU!
The Jassy Dean Trust wishes to thank all those who helped to make this year’s Waiheke Garden Festival such a success.
THANK YOU to all our garden owners. Every garden looked sensational! Those of us who labour over keeping even a small patch tidy’ish’ know what stupendous efforts have been made by all. This year, unexpected circumstances presented extra challenges for some of our hosts. We really appreciate the huge efforts they made to open over the weekend.
THANK YOU to all their neighbours whose lives were disrupted by cars, buses, bikes and hundreds of enthusiastic visitors.
THANK YOU, Ngaio Lewis, our inspiring year-round Jassy Dean Trust contributor. Ngaio’s beautiful garden is always worth the visit and the plants she propagates and sells greatly contribute to the Jassy Dean Trust's funds. Her nursery is open all year with plants for sale. This festival weekend alone she sold over $6,000 worth of plants.
THANK YOU to our major festival sponsors: Fullers 360 and eRide Waiheke – your support is invaluable. THANK YOU to our Silver festival sponsors Allpress Olive Groves, Central Landscape Supplies, EcoZip Adventures NZ, Placemakers, and Waiheke Wine Tours... and to our Bronze festival sponsor: Island Gelato.
And to all the businesses and groups that made this event possible, including Waiheke Aqua, Catherine Mitchell Arts Centre, Copy Expresso, Goldie Estate, GO Rentals, Gulf News, Greenacres Waiheke, Island Coffee, Island Scaffolding, Lockhart & Smith, PaperPlus Waiheke, Sealink, Sign Maidens, Waiheke High School, Waiheke Real Estate, Waiheke Resources Trust, Waiheke Rotary, and Woolworths Waiheke—thank you!
A special mention must be made of Jassy Dean Trust’s year-round sponsors Fullers 360 and SeaLink. Their annual ticket contribution significantly helps to get dozens of children and families to hospitals and appointments in the city.
THANK YOU to the musicians, artists and craftspeople who so cheerfully shared their time and talents with our community. Your generosity adds an extra layer to a magical weekend and the sale of your work adds significantly to the Jassy Dean Trust coffers.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to the one hundred and fifty-plus volunteers who get out every two years to greet our guests, man the gates, drive the buses, direct the traffic and make the scones. What a team!
THANK YOU Jassy for once again ensuring the sun was shining!
THANK YOU Jo Ewer, our Events Co-ordinator, who pulled everything together so calmly, efficiently and professionally.
And THANK YOU to the 1000-plus ticket holders who supported the Garden Festival. This is our major fundraising event and at this stage, it looks like we have raised well over $80,000!! This will go a long way towards ensuring the work of the JASSY DEAN TRUST continues…we could not do it without you!
WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO:
To give you some idea…In this last financial year, we have spent nearly $90,000 within our community.
• $24,000 - emergency support through the medical centres, essential equipment, extracurricular activities, family assistance
• $29,000 - health treatments
• $35,000 - psychological and counselling services.
Sadly, this latter area has seen a huge increase in requests for assistance from families with children facing mental health issues. The Trust is utterly committed to supporting children who face these challenges.
Clearly, the bi-annual Garden Festival does not deal with our projected annual financial outlay. We are hugely fortunate that our community is so generous and we get regular donations on our ‘Give a Little’ page from individuals, families and groups who support us… THANK YOU every one of you!
We are constantly looking at new ways to raise awareness of the Trust’s work and to raise extra funds. Over the past 12 months, our book ‘FOOD FROM JASSY’S GARDENS’ has raised over $37,000. We still have some books left…not a lot…and we would dearly love to sell them. The book is an ideal Christmas present, ‘chokka’ full of garden stories and wonderful recipes AND you are supporting a fantastic cause. Books can be purchased on-line at www.jassydeantrust.org or are available at two wonderful local retailers TRUE BLUE, Ostend and THE ISLAND GROCER, Oneroa. Both continue to sell the book without taking even a cent of commission. THANK YOU! THE FULL $50 GOES TO THE TRUST.
The next step is for the Trust to meet next week, and work out what was good, what was great and what we could do better. Then it’s time for a little ‘lie-down’. Then we start planning the next moves!
AND…if the opportunity doesn’t arise over the next six weeks…now is perhaps the time to wish you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR…
From
Annie Porter
And all the members of the
JASSY DEAN TRUST
