Fieldays hold out the begging bowl
OPINION: When someone says “we don’t want a handout, we need a hand up” it usually means they have both palms out and they want your money.
The donation will help provide free tuition to isolated rural adults and teenagers who struggle with reading and writing.
The $20,000 donation was made in recognition of the hours donated by the society’s members and volunteers during last year’s Fieldays and Equidays events.
A cheque was presented at the Society’s annual dinner and awards evening, with trustees Jo Poland and Barry O’Donnell receiving the donation from Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation.
“We are really proud to be supporting such an important cause by making this donation to the Rural Literacy Trust,” Nation said. “They provide great opportunities to our rural communities and we’re honoured to be able to help make this easier for them to do so.
“Without the hard work of our overall team, the society would not be able to help our community as we do every year.”
He added that supporting charitable activities has been the New Zealand National Fieldays Society’s vision.
Each year it gives back to a variety of great causes through educational grants, research scholarships, charitable donations and various sponsorships.
In 2019, a charitable activities committee was created within the society to involve the staff and volunteers in the decisions of where to allocate funds to support charities that are making a difference in the rural sector.
The Rural Youth and Adult Literacy Trust were chosen as recipients for the 2019-20 season.
