A $9,000 donation from local rotary clubs will provide much needed support for mental health services in the Upper Clutha.
The donation from the Rotary Club of Wanaka and Aspiring Rotary Club was made on Wednesday (July 1) to Community Networks Wanaka, a not-for-profit service supporting the wellbeing of the Upper Clutha community.
Community Networks provides subsidised counselling and will manage the distribution of the funds donated.
“With this generous donation, we can offer further support for clients,” Community Networks manager Kate Murray said.
“These funds will be used to help people with the cost of counselling. This can range from people having difficulty with relationships, parenting, coping with stress, feeling depressed or experiencing grief,” Kate said.
She said Community Networks had high demand for subsidised counselling, with 23 referrals in June alone.
“Last year we had 87 referrals in total so demand has certainly grown recently,” said Kate.
Rotary Club of Wanaka immediate past president Deb Budden said it was a team effort by the two local rotary clubs and the Rotary District.
“Each club has contributed and we were able to secure a grant from the Rotary District to make this substantial donation,” Deb said.
Kate expressed her gratitude to the local and district rotary organisations for the donation.
“I’d like to say a huge thankyou to the Rotary District and the local clubs for this support. There is a large need and we really appreciate this donation. It’s a great example of how we can work together to strengthen the resilience of our community.”
Community Networks offers subsidised counselling services on a referral basis. For more information click here. LINK: https://communitynetworks.co.nz/counselors-support-details/
From left: Aspiring Rotary’s Tabatha Wilson with Kate Murray of Community Networks and Deb Budden of the Rotary Club of Wanaka. PHOTO: Wanaka App