Our 5th birthday celebration was ‘on point’ this year with 60+ people attending. The formal end of the celebration saw the speakers stand up and talk about what Transform is doing in the community. Louise Upston said she wishes she could clone Transform and deposit us all over the country. Because we are helping our own community and Wellington is the last place to look if you want to see change on a community level.
Matt Hamilton from Police spoke how Transform has made a huge difference on the local and policing side of things, more than what he has seen previously in Auckland in his last position. He is very impressed with what we offer locals and the results we get.
Kim provided the statistics of this year’s courses and some hopes for the future if funding permits to see Transform reach out to a greater number of locals in 2020 and beyond.
Our facilitators provided a snap shot of what their program looks like and the effects they are having on the individuals they touch. Success in some is slow while others see the changes quite quickly. Everyone spoke very well and from the heart.
The Transform clients who spoke did a marvellous job at sharing where they have come from and who they are today because of the help Transform has given them. Danny one of the men said he came broken and has been so transformed that he is now paid to co- facilitate the men’s program. And found God in the process.
Ramona one of our ladies said it took two weeks before she had the courage to come to Transform and she is glad she did. She has learnt so much and gained certification in Heavy Transport Class 2 licencing, Barista coffee making and she has accepted the scholarship for a Certificate in Business that was offered through BMINZ. Her goal is to have a coffee/ food cart business in the future and she is working very hard towards this goal.
Margaret Elliot read out a testimonial from Leah who has said she deals with life differently due to the skills she has learnt at Transform. She is now a confident young woman ready to face her future whatever that may be.
Lamen finished the formalities with a waiata and then everyone got the opportunity to mingle and taste the delights of a light lunch. The cake was made and donated by Janice McConnell a local cake craft decorator. She even hand made our logo out of icing that topped the cake. Janice decorated our main room in all things orange and black to match our logo colours.
Funders and potential future funders were impressed with what they heard and saw at the event and I’m sure we have made a positive imprint on their minds of what happens with the funds that are donated throughout the year.
The cake was loving cut by two of the original ladies that attended five years ago and are still benefiting from the support that Transform offers. The look of total surprise that was on their faces when their names were called to go and cut the cake was precious. A moment I know they will never forget.
Overall I think the day was a total success and we all accomplished our goal of showcasing Transform the best we knew how, and let the community know we have big hearts and that we mean business.
Look out 2020 because here we come!!!
Special thanks to Trinity Lands for all there continued support.
