Winter ball to raise funds for mental health charity

Initiate's annual charity ball is on this Saturday. Photo / Supplied

A charity ball this weekend will be a chance for people to dress up and open up about mental health.

Initiate's Winter Wonderland annual ball at Totara St on Saturday will help to raise funds for Voices of Hope - a charity that encourages people to share personal stories of mental health recovery.

Charity auctions, including a round of golf with cricketers Trent Boult and Neil Wagner, a basketball training session with the New Zealand Breakers and paintings from local artists will help raise funds for the charity.

Initiate is directed by Ashleigh Gee, Lyndon Bird, Lauren Qiu and Jonathan Boult and aims to bring young professionals together through monthly networking and social events.

Lauren Qiu said the directors chose Voices of Hope because they believed mental illness was something that needed to be talked about.

"We love how Voices of Hope empowers people," she said.

"The idea is to raise as much as we can for what is such a great cause."

Mental health survivors Genevieve Mora and Jazz Thornton founded Voices of Hope in 2014. Photo / Supplied

Mental health survivors Genevieve Mora and Jazz Thornton founded Voices of Hope in 2014 to provide hope for those struggling with mental health by promoting mental wellbeing, empowerment and recovery.

Genevieve Mora, who will be attending the ball, said it was always an honour when people offered to donate to their charity.

"This will be very special. It is a group of people who believe in us and what we do," she said.

"It is also a chance to get a lot of people together and open up a raw and real conversation in a social way."

Event details:
What: Initiate Winter Wonderland annual charity ball 2019
When: 8pm, July 27
Where: 11 Totara Street, Mount Maunganui