Her nominator says Carolyn's dedication to the local community as well as to children and families nationwide is heartwarming, describing a woman who is determined to bring comfort and hope to children caught up in adult problems.
One of the ways Carolyn is doing this is through 'Tedz for Kidz'. This project, originally launched by Tauranga's Suzy Brown, aims to provide toys for children who have experienced the trauma of abuse. Since starting the Taranaki branch of this project under the 4thekidz umbrella, this project has grown, with "snuggle packs" now being put together by Carolyn and her team of volunteers. Each pack contains a blanket, a teddy bear, a torch and a notebook and pens or a colouring book and crayons. The packs are given to children after they have experienced a forensic investigation as a way of showing them that they are not faceless, that their community loves them and wants them to be safe. "Every child should have something of their own, that they can love, tell their secrets too, and that will always love them. The bears and the blankets give children this, a little bit of love to wrap around themselves and to hold onto."
Being nominated for the Pride of New Zealand Awards is 'humbling,' says Carolyn, who adds that the entire team of volunteers at 4thekidz should be nominated. "Every person who has knitted a blanket, donated a teddy bear, who has given up an afternoon to assemble the packs or spends their evenings sewing the quilts. All of them are making a difference to the children and all of them deserve recognition."
As a survivor of abuse herself, it is no wonder that Carolyn gets emotional when talking about some of the horrors the young children receiving the snuggle packs have gone through. What is surprising however, is Carolyn's commitment to helping not just the children, but the adults responsible as well. "We can't ignore them. We can't expect people to change if we don't give them the tools, if we don't show them we believe they can change." Carolyn spends time on the phone with parents who have served prison terms for neglect or abuse of their children, she works with parents who have had a new baby after the death of a child in their care and she advocates for them as much as for the children. "They need support, they need help, if we don't do that as a community, then the cycle will continue."
"If you see the signs of abuse, you can speak up and stop it." With this belief, Carolyn and her colleague Katrina Crewes spearheaded a social media campaign #5weekstosavealife which saw her posting tips and advice every day for five weeks on the subject of identifying and preventing abuse. "You need to look at the person, do they have support, if they don't, why not? Can they get support from somewhere, we need our communities to support families, not to ignore them until it is too late and then judge them."
Abuse is a huge social problem that isn't going to disappear anytime soon, says Carolyn. "But every time someone speaks up for a child they make a difference."
Pointing out that children often feel unable to speak up themselves, Carolyn says that doesn't mean they can't have a voice. "I am never going to shut up, I won't be quiet, I will keep speaking for the children in our communities as long as they need me to."
