An extract from OUR mission statement:
Our success will enable us to provide housing assistance to the under-privileged within those provincial communities.
Four years ago, I met someone that changed the path of my life, and in turn this changed the path of the lives of many others.
I remember that afternoon so clearly and I always will.
SMM's mission statement had been created and we needed to find ways to “make it happen”.
It was when I turned to my great friends Maura and Jonathan Young, that I was introduced to Michelle Ramage.
And the rest is history.
Roderique Hope Trust
Michelle is the Chairperson of the Roderique Hope Trust, a charitable trust.
The Trust had not long been formed, with the aid to assist the growing number of homeless in Taranaki, especially families with children, who do not meet the criteria of other local emergency housing services.
The Trust is committed to ensuring families in Taranaki who are homeless, have lost their accommodation or do not meet the criteria for other emergency housing services, have a place to live for a period of up to 12 weeks.
The goal is that within 12 weeks, the family will transition from emergency housing into long term rental accommodation either with Housing New Zealand or a private rental, a place that they can call home.
Roderique Hope Trust enters into a Tenancy Agreement with the tenant that is much more than just a house. The Trust requires each family who resides in one of the emergency houses to engage with their appointed Social Worker who assists the family to engage with support services, budgeting and counselling with the view of moving towards wealth creation, path planning, education and employment.
SMM Fundraising Events
The first event fundraising event we had for the Trust was in 2016 – The SMM Charity Golf Day.
It was a huge success and following on from this I quickly decided we needed another event with a different flavour. That is when SMM Noir Blanc was born.
We have now held three Charity Golf Days and two SMM Noir Blanc Progressive Dinners and have raised over $70,000 for the trust. This has all been made possible by the incredible support we have received from the local community and business owners. I am constantly blown away by the generosity that is shown.
Sadly, due to Covid – 19 we had to postpone the fourth SMM Charity Golf Day in April. We will however be scheduling a date for Spring / early Summer as soon as the weather is warming and can’t wait to see everyone back out on the golf course again raising funds for those that need it now more than ever before.