Shop owner’s gift to kids with cancer
When the owners of a New Plymouth toy store refused to take the money she raised for a charity Christmas present drive, Justine Shera ‘‘just bawled’’.
Shera, who runs popular My Balance Project social media accounts, had raised almost $4000 for Gabby’s Starlit Hope. The Taranaki charity was started by Gabby Devine who died in 2015 of bone cancer, aged 13.
She began the charity to give presents and bring cheer to children in the oncology wards at Starship and Taranaki Base Hospital. ‘‘Because of Covid-19, this is the first year since Gabby set it up that they haven’t been able to fundraise enough money for the Christmas present drive.’’
Shera set herself the goal of raising $3000 to buy presents for 40 children and their parents. However, the response to her Givealittle page and several auctions of gifted items was larger than she had expected.
‘‘In total, they raised $3800, which was fantastic. Gabby’s mum, Sarah [Devine], and I got together to talk about where we should spend it and decided to support New Plymouth Toyworld because they’ve supported Starlit Hope before.’’
Glenn and Kate Demchy, owners of New Plymouth Toyworld, opened the store after hours so the pair could shop without distraction. ‘‘It was incredible. We were walking around with armloads of Lego and just knowing what a difference it would make to the kids,’’ Shera said.
After 90 minutes, their trollies laden with blocks, boardgames, colouring books and soft toys, they approached the till.
‘‘Glenn rang it all up and then he just pulled the receipt out, folded it and handed it to Sarah, wishing us a merry Christmas. We couldn’t believe it. We said, ‘We came here to support you after a tough year, not take from you’.
‘‘He just said it had been a hard year but it hadn’t been as tough for them as for these families. I just bawled my eyes out.’’
Glenn Demchy said he had fond memories of Gabby Devine, who was a frequent customer at the toy store.
‘‘She used to come down from the hospital to buy gifts for other kids so we’ve had a long-term thing with Starlit Hope. But we’re part of the community and we’re lucky to be able to give back, so that’s what we do.’’
Lockdown had been difficult for the business, but it had bounced back ‘‘remarkably well’ and the Demchys had the advantage of being part of a co-operative, rather than franchisees.
‘‘There aren’t actually many privately-owned stores any more. It’s getting harder and harder to be independent and give to whoever you want to.’’