Family members and friends of the Acorn Foundation will take part in an official tree planting ceremony next Friday in Tauranga at the new Cambridge Park, establishing the region's first commemorative oak grove.
The occasion will mark the 10th anniversary of the Acorn Foundation, a charitable trust that was established 10 years ago to provide a vehicle for people to support the Western Bay of Plenty community forever. General Manager Nicky Wilkins says twenty oak trees will be planted next Friday by family members and friends of Acorn Foundation donors.
"Each year after that more trees will be planted in memory of those who have passed away. We thought this would be a lovely way to not only have a living memorial to our donors, but also to provide a beautiful haven for the city, which future generations of people can enjoy."
In its first ten years in operation the Acorn Foundation has developed into a significant asset for the community and Nicky Wilkins says they're very proud of what they have been able to achieve so far, thanks to the incredible generosity of their donors.
"In our first ten years we have already distributed over $1.6million in grants to a wide range of community groups and charities across the region, we have over $8m currently held in endowment funds and other regions throughout New Zealand use Acorn as the community foundation model of choice.
We are proud of what we have accomplished to date, which simply would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of our donors."
Nicky Wilkins says the next ten years will see Acorn Foundation make an even bigger impact on our region.
"We are constantly evolving. Our first ten years has allowed us to establish a rock solid foundation. Now other regions are following our lead and setting up foundations based on our model. And here, in this region, more and more people are understanding the unique benefits
Acorn Foundation offers in allowing ordinary individuals to make an extraordinary difference to the community they live in and love."
The official opening of the commemorative grove will take place at 11am next Friday 17 May.
The grove has been made possible after the Tauranga City Council designated a portion of Cambridge Park for the Acorn Foundation initiative.
