Give It Back Charitable Trust members, from left, David Cooney, Nathan Milne and Lee Turner, pictured with Cambridge Lifeskills’ Sandy Wesford and Marilynn Jones.
Cambridge Lifeskills has received a welcome donation of $5000 – the third and final in a series of three equal annual donations from the Give It Back Charitable Trust.
Give It Back Charitable Trust members Lee Turner, David Cooney and Nathan Milne flank Cambridge Lifeskills’ Marilynn Jones and Sandy Wesford outside the Lifeskills headquarters in Queen St. Photo: Viv Posselt
Trust members David Cooney, Lee Turner and Nathan Milne visited Lifeskills this month to make the final donation official. On the receiving end were Lifeskills manager/clinical leader Sandy Wesford and Cambridge Lifeskills Board co-chairperson, former Hautapu School principal, Marilynn Jones.
Cambridge Lifeskills provides a free counselling service to 13 public schools in the Cambridge district, working with children aged 5-15 and often their families as well. The organisation receives no government funding and relies solely on grants and the generosity of the community.
Wesford described the Trust’s support over the past three years as ‘gold’ and said it helped make Cambridge Lifeskills more sustainable.
“We have managed to stay afloat for 32 years but live hand-to-mouth each month. We are determined to keep the service free, but the reality is that the need for our help is always growing,” she said. “We are lucky to live in a generous community, and it is donations like these from the trust that help us meet that need and reassures me that we are not alone.
“It is increasingly known that this service does really help. We cannot give up on the kids… there is a never-ending queue of people needing us.”
David Cooney said that while the latest donation marked the end of the contracted three-year cycle of support, it was not the end of the relationship between the two.
“We want you to keep us informed of progress at Cambridge Lifeskills, and we will re-evaluate accordingly,” he said.
The Give it Back Charitable Trust was formed several years ago to recognise Cambridge’s unsung heroes and volunteers, provide financial support to those in the community needing health and welfare assistance, and encourage others to engage with their community.
Marilynn Jones said Lifeskills was one of five charities that received funding from the closure of Lyceum club last year.
“That money will have to be for the future. We don’t want to whittle it away … it will be used to help future-proof us.”
Wesford said the organisation had not done any serious fundraising since Covid but was planning to reinstate its popular golf tournament later in the year.
Give It Back Charitable Trust members, from left, David Cooney, Nathan Milne and Lee Turner, pictured with Cambridge Lifeskills’ Sandy Wesford and Marilynn Jones. Photo: Viv Posselt
