The Palms Gives $100,000 to Community Groups
The Palms Shopping Centre found itself in the position to do a lot of good this year. After the devastating Christchurch earthquake and its vicious aftershocks, the center had to close for repairs, but it’s been hard at work maintaining its ties to the community. To ensure the community itself stays strong, the center decided to dig deep and bring together $100,000 to give away to community organizations that needed a hand in the post-earthquake months.
The center sought out nominations from locals, and opened the contributions to public voting. Over the course of a month, Cantibrians have come together to vote on the top 20 organizations, bringing it down to six top picks. Over 15,000 votes were cast.
The five runners-up have been announced, and each has received a cheque for $10,000. One of those lucky recipients was St Paul’s School, which has been displaced three times since the September earthquake. According to principal Chris Callaghan, “It was one of our students who thought to nominate our school in this campaign and from there it spiralled, receiving generous support from students’ families and friends.”
The other recipients to date include Sumner Surf Life Saving Club, Student Volunteer Army, Freeville School and Canterbury Caledonian Pipe Band. The community’s top pick has yet to be announced, but it will receive the lion’s share of the gift, a cheque for $50,000.
Pictured: Jade Rutherford receives $10k cheque on behalf of Student Volunteer Army from Keryn Ward, The Palms Shopping Centre manager.
