1194 days ago

Noah raises funds for Child Cancer

The Team Reporter from Taupō Times

Noah Martin might share a name with a biblical figure associated with a big boat but around Hilltop Primary School it’s his big - or long - hair that makes him stand out.
For three years he has been growing his locks specifically to donate them to help children with cancer.
The hair will go to Wigs 4 Kids while a donation page he set up on the Child Cancer Foundation website was rapidly approaching his $1000 goal within 24 hours of being set up on September 14 - a goal that had been revised upwards twice.

“I started at $250 and then I doubled it to $500, I smashed it, so I doubled it to $1000.”

The time had now come to chop the now waist-length locks, said his mother Victoria Munton - with the pair setting the date for the second to last day of the school term.

While Martin said he was thinking of a cut he’d like, Munton said Wigs 4 Kids wanted bunches at least 20 cm in length.

“He’s hoping not to go bald with it, put it that way. He wants to have some hair left.

Eleven year old Martin was inspired not by anyone he knew, he said, but by the book ‘101 Ways to Change the World’ which he read when he was eight.

The challenge had been too much of a hassle, he said, apart from having to tie it up during certain activities at school and minor teasing from the odd person who didn’t know of his personal goal.

“I have had no hassles from my friends.”

Munton could testify to his dedication

“He actually had the goal that he wanted the hair to reach his waist and over the last three years he literally wouldn’t let me near it with any sort of cutting implement. He’s actually instigated all this himself.”

Martin said he hadn’t yet worked out his next feat contributing to positive change.

“We’ll wait and see.”

In the meantime he was mentally preparing himself for a cool feeling around his ears on September 30 and for a few Hilltop students to be whispering “who’s the new kid?”

You can add to Noah's campaign via:
childcancer-fundraising.org.nz...

More messages from your neighbours
2 days ago

Worst Xmas ever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.

Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...

Share your Christmas mishaps below!

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14 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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6 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.7% Summer
    61.7% Complete
  • 36.7% Winter
    36.7% Complete
  • 1.6% Other - I'll share below
    1.6% Complete
1355 votes