Spring Cleaning, Grandparents Day, and FREE for all.

Well Spring has well and truly sprung and it’s great to see the sun out again and the blossom on the trees. I love this time of year – it really does give me a spring in my step!

I’ve been on a mission over the winter months to get things rocking and rolling here at H/O. I’ve recruited a number of new volunteers whose impact you will be seeing over the next couple of months. We are building the expertise in our Management Team to ensure that everything is running smoothly. I couldn’t be more delighted to have the team we have on Board and I thank each and every one of them for the time and effort that they are putting in to help us achieve our goals, A simply fabulous team of awesome people!

We look forward to a fun packed Spring/Summer season!

Warmest,

Jo Hayes, Founder

KILT Clothing – please help us!

We are delighted to have been selected by KILT Clothing as one of the possible Charities to receive the October proceeds of their NZ Made Tote Bags. We are up against some really deserving charities, so we need your help to ensure we receive these funds next month. So we need YOUR votes!

We have until Friday 20th October – yes that’s tomorrow, to get as many votes in as possible for Surrogate Grandparents

It’s easy to help:
1. Click through to KILT’s Facebook page and vote here.

2. Comment ‘Surrogate Grandparents NZ’ on that post
3. Tell all your family and friends to vote for Surrogate Grandparents too!

You need to comment on THEIR page/post for your vote to be counted

Grandparents Day - Sunday 6th October 2019

Grandparents Day is almost here! Sunday 6th October is the day we celebrate our grandparents, whether they are grandparents by blood or special Grandfriends – we celebrate them!

Our theme this year is “Time”…..time spent with our grandparents/grandchildren, the time of old, share some history with your grandchildren – talk to them about how life was when you were growing up, teach them to tell the time. Most kids these days have digital watches or devices. Has the age old art of learning to tell the time been forgotten?

In line with this theme we have some awesome organisations who wanted to jump on Board and help us celebrate Grandparents Day this year. Keep an eye our Facebook page for more details.

 Surrogate Grandparents is now FREE to join!

Yes, we are happy to announce that we have now removed the application fee and are instead asking for a koha/donation for your participation in our Grandfriends programme. This is great news for all!

Nothing else has changed, you will still need to apply online and then complete and return your police vetting forms and email them to us along with your photo ID. This is a compulsory step that we need to take so that we can process your application and get you into our programme.

We are still looking for more Grandfriends of ALL ages around New Zealand, so do get in touch if you are interested in being involved. If you have questions about our programme please do contact us.

We need your support

Surrogate Grandparents relies solely on the support of our members and community. We are not funded in anyway. The organisation is entirely volunteer run - including our Founder/Operations Manager, whose goal is to be able to offer this service to all families and Seniors around New Zealand who would like it.

We welcome donations to ensure we are able to keep this service available to our members and communities throughout New Zealand.

Donations can be made directly to our Bank account Kiwibank: 38-9019-0393298-00 or via Paypal here.an connect these families with some Grandfriends.

New Zealand Grandparents Day is coming....

Surrogate Grandparents New Zealand Charitable Trust are delighted to announce that we will be launching New Zealand’s Inaugural Grandparents Day to honour and acknowledge all our Grandparents and Seniors in New Zealand.

The day, in line with Australia’s celebration, is set for Sunday 28th October 2018. Further details, a new website and information on how YOU can get involved and #DoSomethingGrandNZ will be coming soon….

How it all works...

We've had a number of people asking us exactly how the Surrogate Grandparents service works, so we thought we had better put it down in writing to give you a better idea.

Step 1 - Send in your registration form that is online here

Step 2 - Complete the Police Vetting form here along with a copy of your photo ID (Driving licence or passport preferred) and send it to info@surrogategrandparents.org.nz

Step 3 - Make your Lifetime membership payment to our bank account. Membership prices are as follows:

Family Basic Membership (visiting at rest homes only): $39.00

Family Basic (Community Services Card): $29.00 - please supply photo of your card.

Family Active Membership: $79.00 

Family Active membership (Community Services Card): $59.00

(Family Active Membership is more for Families and Grandies who want to "get out there', people who want to have some fun, get out and explore, visit beaches, family trips, do all sorts of fun stuff both out of the house and in - the relationship very much depends on the individuals involved but could be the sort of things that many families do together to support and spend time with each other) 

Please transfer your membership fee to: 

Surrogate Grandparents New Zealand Charitable Trust

Kiwibank: 38-9019-0393298-00

If you would prefer to pay by credit card we can send you the Paypal link, but there will be an additional fee to cover administration charges. Do let me know if you would prefer to do this.

If you are a Grandparent wanting to volunteer to Grandparent a family, the membership is FREE, however we would be very grateful for a donation of $10 per adult to cover the cost of the police check. You donation can be made here.

Step 4 - We will then submit your police vetting application and start to compile a profile for you from your registration information.

Step 5 - Once we receive your police clearance  (this can take 4 - 6 weeks) we will then promote you (anonymously) on our website & social media as well as in your local area to find you a suitable match. If we have someone already in your area we will contact them to see if they would be interested in meeting with you.

Step 6 - Both parties will be provided with some Guidance information regarding meeting up with a local family or Grandie.

Step 7 - Once you decide that you would like to meet, our office or your local volunteer will arrange a meeting with you both..

Step 8 - A meeting takes place at a mutually convenient public place, we suggest a cafe environment!

Step 9 - If you decide that you would like to get to know the family/Grandie that you have met with, it is then up to you to arrange this (we can be involved again if you wish).

Step 10 - If you decide that you do not have the connection that you would like with the family or Grandie(s) that you met,  please do be honest and do let us know asap so that we can continue looking for you .

Step 11 - If, however you get on like a house on fire (which we sincerely hope you do!), do also let us know, tell us stories, send in photos and rave about what you are getting upto! We can then direct our search to other families and Grandies who still need to find a match.. 

The relationship you have with your family or Grandie is a very personal one, and we urge that you use your intuition and common sense in this relationship, as with any other in your life. Your Guidance Notes will give you some Do's and Don'ts, but ultimately we should all treat each other with kindness and respect, and accept that this is a relationship of give and take and one that we hope will bring long lasting friendships and family bonds. The ideal being that you become like one big family!

I hope that clears it up for you! Feel free to ask any further questions if you wish...

Much love, Jo xox