12 The gifts of Christmas
You don’t have to do big things to change the world. You just have believe that an act of kindness can make a difference, then do it. So in the spirit of the 12 days of Christmas, Bess Manson offers 12 acts of kindness that prove giving, no matter how small, can change lives. 1 Carer Caring
‘‘I can’t do great things, but small things with great love.’’
It was these wise words of Mother Teresa’s that drove Maiyah Martin to make a difference in her community helping the homeless, a cause for which the saint fought throughout her long life.
Eight-year-old Maiyah prepares care packages for the homeless in her spare time, funding them with bake sales. Her acts of kindness to those living rough began three years ago in response to a school project to encourage students to help other people.
Each package comes with an individualised note: ‘‘You are worthy’’, ‘‘You are awesome’’, ‘‘You are loved’’.
‘‘You know that fresh feeling after you come out of the shower? I want them to have a chance at a fresh start using the pamper packs,’’ says the Christchurch pupil.
‘‘I do it because I feel sad for them. I want to make their day. I just want them to know that I care. And for them to believe they can do it, or they are awesome and they are worthy, just like the notes say.’’
Lessons on love from an 8-yearold.
2 Kitty Cats
Hamish Martin and wife Victoria Skinner are cat people. They grew up around cats and think they’re magnificent creatures.
They love them so much they became foster parents to rescued wild kittens, socialising them to be rehomed.
It turned out they were pretty good at it, so they opened their own cat rescue, says Hamish.
Outpawed has two bases, in Wainuiomata and Palmerston North.
In the past three years, they have rescued more than 1300 cats and socialised about 500 kittens.
They run entirely on donations and the smell of an oily rag.
Post-Christmas is a particularly busy time for them, with unwanted kittens dumped or brought into animal shelters.
Hamish and Victoria are there to pick up the pieces and show those moggies that humans can be magnificent creatures too.
3 Speed Freaks
The Speed Freaks of Odyssey House addiction programme are running their way to recovery. That’s the mantra of this running group led by Jamie Hawker for the past three years.
The six-week running programme is about more than just getting fit, though physical and mental wellbeing is a given.
It instils a wider motivation to fulfil their treatment programme and get on with rebuilding their lives.
One resident said being committed to the running club helped motivate him to get up in the mornings. Another said it had inspired him to reconnect with his mother after years of estrangement. A third told of how showing his kids the medal he won for a 5km run gave him a selfconfidence that had been lacking for years.
Running destigmatises these guys, says Hawker.
‘‘They are seen as runners, not people with addictions. It’s a great equaliser.’’
It’s about community and camaraderie.
‘‘Times, distances, medals and races aside, it’s all about making friends to chat away the Ks with.’’
Training the residents was an easy call for Hawker, who says he wanted to ‘‘pay it forward’’ after being inspired to run again by his own mentor after decades off the track.
‘‘If we cannot help those in our community in their hour of need, are we a true community?’’
4 Chopping Blokes
Rain or shine, these Wairarapa men are out chopping up trees or producing kindling every Wednesday morning to give young people better opportunities in life.
Part of Masterton Rotary Club, they help raise about $24,000 a year, which goes to youth causes.
The woodchopping ringleader is John Percy, a retired Masterton farmer. He says the numbers turning up to their weekly woodchopping sessions vary, but the four there last week were regulars.
‘‘We all get together and talk about what is going on around the place and what we can do. The camaraderie is a big thing too,’’ Percy says.
They’re all pretty handy on a chainsaw and make short work of trees on various properties around Wairarapa.
They have helped fund boxing programmes for young people, sent students on Outward Bound courses, and given away science scholarships, among other things.
‘‘We’re only a small club and we thought that was the best thing we could do to make a difference,’’ Percy says.
The club also does its bit to bolster the Christmas spirit in town. Every year Trust House puts on a huge Christmas lunch for elderly residents, with five or six hundred guests descending on Copthorne Solway Park.
Around Christmas time, it is these acts of kindness that can make all the difference, Percy says.