It has been an incredible year here at Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust. As always, we would like to thank our wonderful sponsors and supporters, as well as our team of amazing staff for making this year as incredible as it was.
Here is a wrap up of some of our favorite moments from 2023.
Picnic at our new site
We were thrilled to celebrate our new site for our ‘One Campus’ project with a picnic at the site itself!
What a wonderful day for a picnic celebration with incredible weather, delicious food from Can Do Catering and lovely company.
It was a pleasure to host Lianne Dalziel Christchurch Mayor, Councilors Phil Mauger and Yani Johanson, as well as members of the Richmond Residents & Business Association (We are Richmond).
It was great to share our vision for the exciting new ‘One Campus’ project. We hope to streamline our services and unite our team of specialists and support staff at one location – all for the benefit of our clients.
If you are interested to hear more about our ‘One Campus’ project, click here.
Client Khadag shares his story on Attitude TV
A client of Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust and one of the key team members at Can Do Catering, Khadag Bista, was featured in a documentary-series earlier this year. Appearing in his own episode on Bulletproof for Attitude TV, a series showcasing possibilities for people living with disabilities and chronic health. We were thrilled that Khadag had the opportunity to share his story with the world.
Khadag’s story is truly an inspirational one, experiencing a life-changing car crash in 2018, he fell into a coma. Doctors feared he had no chance of recovery; he had to learn to eat, speak and walk again. But Khadag is a stubborn and determined character who walks up to 10 kilometers every day as part of his rehab. Incredibly, he has recovered enough to pursue his passion as a chef, and get back in the kitchen, thanks Can Do Catering, our social enterprise catering business.
You can watch Khadag's episode at https://attitudelive.com/watch/bulletproof-khadag-bista/
Giving Day Goal Smashed
Our Giving Day in November was a massive success, smashing our goal and raising $150,116!
Over 24 hours all donations from our community were tripled, matched by our sponsors. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our 476 donors, as well as our matching sponsors. We cannot thank you enough!
We are also grateful to the people who took time out of their day to man the phones and run the behind the scenes of our giving day. A special shoutout to the Ricoh New Zealand Limited team who helped us tremendously; and for giving us the now famous quote, “Mate, nothing looks sexier than donating to this charity!”
Your donations and support have taken us one step closer towards the building of our ‘One Campus.’ Our special project where our services will be delivered from one location, meaning we can help more people affected by a traumatic brain injury, spinal or other complex injury or disability. We are forever grateful for your generous support!
Launching Elmer's Ōtautahi Elephant Trail
We were thrilled to announce that Elmer's Ōtautahi Elephant Trail will be coming to Christchurch in the summer of 2023/2024. We look forward to bringing David McKee’s much-loved character, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant to life next year.
Over 30 large elephants, individually designed by professional and emerging artists, will be dotted through the streets, parks and public spaces of Christchurch and surrounding areas. Following in the footsteps of Christchurch’s Pop Up Penguins in 2020 and Christchurch Stands Tall’s Giraffes in 2014, this Exabition will be the city’s most colorful art trail yet.
Elmer the Elephant had a wonderful time taking a tour around our beautiful city, and we’re sure he is just as excited as we are to welcome the rest of his herd when they arrive next year.
We would like to thank Wild in Art and Andersen Press for their support and collaboration, as well as our sponsors that are already on-board, RCP, Canterbury aluminum, Ray Fabish, Elizabeth Ball charitable trust and Resene.
With more exciting news to come next year, be sure to follow the Facebook page at Elmer's Ōtautahi Elephant Trail and check out elmerchch.co.nz for more info!
Christmas Fete
Christmas came early this year, with the Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust Christmas Fete. We celebrated with a market full of handmade clothing, crafts, artwork, and delicious food provided by our very own, Can-Do Catering. Even Elmer the Elephant got in on the fun, acting as a model for handmade aprons and hats.
A massive thank you to the hardy souls who braved the torrential rain that did not stop falling. We were amazed by the turnout! And once again, a massive thanks to all our supporters for your contributions to the day. We would be lost without you!
Highlighting our inspirational client stories
This year we shared the stories of 8 clients and their journey to recovery with Laura Fergusson.
We thank each person for sharing their stories, we have found them incredibly inspiring.
Our client stories are featured here
Happy New Years from LFBIT
We wish you a Happy and safe New Year, from all the team here at Laura Fergusson Brain Injury Trust! We are so grateful for your support over the past year and look forward to sharing an exciting 2023 with you!