Congratulations to our Graduate Learners

All of our Support Workers are encouraged to complete study for their NZ Health and Wellness Certificate Level 4 as part of their training, keeping them up to the latest industry standards in infection control, safety, communication skills and medication assistance amongst others. Last week those Disabilities Resource Centre Trust staff who have completed their study were honoured at a special celebration with Whakatane Mayor Tony Bonne at Te Koputu a te Whananga a Toi.

Please join us in recognizing the achievements of our great Support Staff, from left to right:

DRCT Graduates Marea Hats, Fiona Davis, Margaret Rowland, Miriama Wilson and Leroy Ram, DRCT Trainer Lynne Pollard, DRCT graduate Anaru Haereroa and Careerforce Advisor Pauline Ruff.

Thanks Nicholson Autos Whakatane!

Nicholson Autos have done it again, sponsoring a slick new Suzuki for the Disabilities Resource Centre Trust.

We are super grateful to the team in Whakatane for keeping us on the road in style, all the better to serve our community.

DRCT CEO Bronwen Foxx

Disabilities Resource Centre Trust Supporting the Creative Ideas Art Show!

Thanks to our great Tutor, Marie Dixon at Creative Ideas, we are all set to celebrate the artistic achievements of our Vocational Art Class attendees.

Please come along and marvel at some of the fantastic work that has been produced and maybe you could even take a piece home for your own walls. At DRCT we have  been enjoying the paint, mixed media and print artworks while they wait to be hung at the exhibition and there are some fabulous creations!

All Welcome:

7pm Tuesday 25th September

Baptist Church, 67 Keepa Road

Whakatane

Horizon Energy Group Business Awards 2018

Disabilities Resource Centre was very proud to be a finalist in the Horizon Energy Group Business Excellence Awards, hosted by the Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce in Whakatane on Staurday night.
We were even more proud to win the Large Business Excellence award! One of these beautiful stone carvings was accepted by CEO Bronwen Foxx on behalf of all of the 200 hard-working staff that make our organisation great, every day.

Dancing Good Times!

Come along to support Steps Dance School on their way to WORLDS this year - their will be great raffles, food, and of course dancing.

This is Bananas!

Thanks to the good people who organize the Going Bananas Show, some of our staff and clients will be enjoying this family performance on the 10th of September in Whakatane. 

We have five tickets left to give away to our DRCT whanau - just call Carol or Amanda on 07 307 1447 and ask for details.

New Children's Books in Our Library

We have a fabulous little library at DRCT with all sorts of books covering all sorts of health and disability topics. Recently we added a children's and young person's section with a disability focus.

If you have a child with a disability and you would like them to see 'kids like them' represented in books, or your child has a friend with a disability and would like to know more about 'how it works,'  feel free to come in and borrow from our small collection.

All books can be borrowed for a month free of charge, and there are plenty of take home pamphlets on a variety of topics as well.

Glow in the Dark with River Edge Railway

Disabilities Resource Centre is proud to support the River Edge Miniature Railway in Whakatane, by helping to provide an accessible railway carriage and lifting belt so everyone can have a go.

Don't forget to go along to the popular Glows in the Dark nighttime rides tomorrow, where all children receive a free glowstick in memory of longtime member, the late Gavin Morris.

Glows in the Dark

5:30pm - 7:30pm

14th July 2018

Te Puna Taiao Goes Ahead in Whakatane

Disabilities Resource Centre Trust is proud to be a part of this exciting development for Whakatane!

The Te Puna Taiao working group has been extremely committed to planning for an inclusive and accessible design in their community garden, and we were happy to help with advice and donations. Nobody has been excluded with their careful planning, and we are so pleased Lotteries Communities has been able to see the great worth in this project.

Allandale School is one of our closest neighbours and we are looking forwards to seeing our young, old, able bodied whanau being able to share this community asset with those in our families who are living with disabilities.

National Age Friendly Forum 2018

Last week the Office for Seniors - a division of the Ministry for Social Development - hosted the National Age Friendly Forum in the historic Parliament Buildings, in Wellington. Representatives from senior interest groups, local government and iwi groups as well as community providers gathered at the heart of New Zealand's government to discuss issues around our ageing populations and share ideas on how to keep the elder members of our communities safe and engaged. There is a strong desire amongst all of these groups to have a society in which our eldest members feel valued and included.

Dianne Turner, Whakatane local and now Director of the Office For Seniors, has had long experience working at both central and local government level and is very aware of how important collaboration from all groups involved will lead to the best outcomes for retired people. Hopefully this will become a regular event where both feedback from ageing communities and helping agencies can be taken up, and applied to the work we do in our own communities.

If you have any issues you would like to be brought to the attention of the Office For Seniors, or MSD, let us know by calling DRCT on 07 307 1447 or drop us a line at information@drct.co.nz

Age Friendly Forum, Parliament 2018

Dianne Turner, Director of Office For Seniors at the Age Friendly Forum 2018. This beautiful room was the original Parliament debating Chamber

(Left to right) Dani Jugeleit, Community Development Advisor Tauranga City Council, Dianne Turner, Director at Office for Seniors, Amanda Perfect, Information Services Coordinator at Disabilities Resource Centre Trust Whakatane.

Collaborative work between our agancies is an important way to provide the best outcomes for seniors, and Dani and the TCC have been generously helping with our Beach Access Mat project here in Whakatane