Last-minute financial lifeline rescues trust for disabled youngsters

A trust for disabled young people which faced closure last month because of a financial crisis has been rescued by the ASB Community Trust.

The Recreate Auckland Trust has received enough "transitional funding" from the ASB to re-employ its one full-time and two part-time staff, made redundant when the money ran out on February 12.

Parents and supporters have raised a further $5500 and the trust has received a grant from a gambling trust which it had sought before running out of money.

"We have enough to keep ourselves going for the next few months until our next funding comes through," said trust chairwoman Carol Chouhfeh.

"We have had overwhelming support from both other organisations and individuals following your story in the paper, all of which is going to help us move forward."

The trust was set up by parents of young people with disabilities in 2002, after the main support agency for the physically disabled, CCS, stopped running "separatist" activities for the disabled and decided to encourage disabled people into mainstream activities with non-disabled people.

It now runs after-school, weekend and holiday programmes, including outdoor camps, for disabled youngsters from 541 families throughout the Auckland region.

It ran out of money partly because its main funder, the ASB Trust, cancelled its normal funding round in the first half of this year after the value of its investments plunged by 16 per cent in the global financial crisis.

ASB Trust chief executive Jenny Gill declined to disclose the size of the transitional funding, but said it came from money left over from the trust's last funding round.

She said two other groups had applied for transitional funding. Both, like Recreate Auckland, were largely volunteer-based and did not receive any state funding. The ASB Trust has asked both for more information.

ASB trustees have said they will decide in September whether there will be a funding round in the second half of this year. They have said this can happen only if the value of the trust's investments rises by at least $5 million above its January level of $811 million.

Mrs Chouhfeh, whose son Joseph takes part in Recreate's programmes, said the group would resume all its normal activities, starting with an outing to Circus Oz at the Auckland Festival on Saturday. The group of 12 to 15 received their tickets at a discount.

The trust continues to seek donations from the public.

www.recreate-auckland.org.nz