Share A Horse Display
On Saturday 31 July, the Share A Horse Team held a fund raising display at Green Hills Shopping Centre at East Maitland. We had a great position at the under cover car park entrance, at the bottom of the escalator between Prouds and House. So many people went by, that our mascot (Pluto) had trouble keeping up with his photo opportunities with the children.
Volunteers team members spoke to a number of people who took flyers and will look at our website for more information. We also gave website details for parents to download waiting list forms for their children, who would like to ride with us. A few people took brochures for the Share A Horse Sponsorship Program.
We raised $455.65 on the day, which is a wonderful effort. We sold $119 in promotional items (pens, key ring bottle openers and cookbooks), $33.60 in chocolates and received $303.25 in our money tin.
Thank you to thank Michelle and Trevor Bullen, Kristy and Terrey Dalmazzo, Dian Gillespie and Jude Oliver for helping with the display.
Bunnings Barbeque Fundraiser
On Sunday 18 July, Judy and Tony Edwards captained our second Belmont Bunnings Barbeque Fundraiser for the year.
The day started well with winter warmth and sun. Bunnings became a hive of weekend activity as people obtained supplies for their DIY projects. Hundreds of people stopped by and purchased a sausage sandwich to give them the energy to complete their jobs by Sunday night.
The net profit on the day was $816.00. Congratulations to our bbq team on cooking and selling over 340 sausage sandwiches. A special thanks to Judy who spent the night before slicing dozens of onions in preparation for the barbeque.
We would like to thank Judy and Tony Edwards, Matthew Edwards, Myra and Jack Henry, Jerry Tombleson and Greg Valentine for their efforts on the day.
A Memorial To Jill Murphy
On 21 December 2007, we lost an extraordinary and exceptional lady, who was a wonderful Volunteer, Coach and Friend. Her long and valiant fight against cancer ended, but her legacy to RDA lives on. Nobody who met Jill can escape the impact that she brought and she will forever have a place in the hearts of those who had the incredible privilege of meeting her. Her encouraging words, her loving and caring nature and her mothering qualities were renowned, and we can be proud to have had her call us friend.
Our mascot, Pluto, was donated to RDA in Jill’s memory. Pluto is named after Jill’s beloved horse, and represents her spirit, dignity and lifelong devotion to RDA and countless people with disabilities who were lucky enough to have her as their Coach. Through Pluto, we will always have Jill as part of RDA. Pluto now proudly wears a commemoration plaque to honour Jill.
Annual Book Sale Proudly Sponsored by Cargill
On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July, our Cargill Book Sale was held at TPI House, King Street, Newcastle. Our volunteers pulled together over the weekend. Their efforts complimented the hard work done prior to the event, so that the sale would go smoothly.
Cargill sponsored the Book Sale. This was the first time this fundraising event has had a sponsor. Cargill provided $1,000 to meet the costs of advertising, hall hire etc. We thank them for their support, and hope that this can turn into an ongoing community partnership.
For weeks prior to the event, there was always something happening. Books were being collected, sorted into categories and boxed; an NBN Community Announcement (many people commented that they had seen it); radio interviews; hundreds of flyers distributed to all areas of the Hunter Region; signs painted and prominent locations found to place them; trailers borrowed; friends and family were bribed to help; and people manned the sale.
The book sale was a great success. We had so many people turn up to buy books, that some were waiting for us to open the doors. The final total is still being finalised. So far, we raised a net profit of $3,558, plus $520 worth of NRMA Raffle tickets (See Below for Details) were sold during the sale. This is one of our best results for a number of years. All profits from the book sale go towards providing our therapeutic riding and driving programs.
Revised: 25 August, 2010.