This year, Sport Waitākere is rolling out Gear Up boxes to several community locations out West. These boxes come with everything you could want for shared fun. Take your pick from giant Jenga, skipping ropes, sports balls, and much more. Community members can borrow, play with and return the gear for others to use.
Another flagship project is the Magic Play Box. Initially created as a way for schools to trial loose parts play, the Magic Play Box is a large crate filled with a variety of upcycled materials such as tubes, tyres, netting, ropes, and much more. The boxes provide unlimited possibilities for children to explore play through their imagination. More than 8,000 children now have access to play through a Magic Play Box, and Sport Waitākere is looking to reach even more schools this year.
Sport Waitākere has a broad remit and like all not-for-profit organisations faces ongoing funding challenges, especially for operational costs.
“Funding for operational expenses is tough to come by. However, it's vital to ensure we can keep delivering our programmes, activities, and events,” explains Kate Rooney, Business Services Manager.
Sport Waitākere successfully applied to the Your West Support Fund for help with IT costs. Funding of $25,000 has gone towards much-needed IT resources to help the organisation manage its data and systems.
“The Trusts is a great supporter of Sport Waitākere and often steps in with sponsorship, funding options and offers of help," adds Kate.
Thanks in part to the Your West Support Fund, Sport Waitākere can concentrate on helping even more Westies live healthy and active lives.