In June last year St Vianney’s Timaru Trust pledged up to $50,000 towards the newly created Alzheimer’s fund in a dollar-for-dollar campaign.
Through community fundraisers and donations it has taken less than a year to raise $50,000 which has now been matched by the St Vianney’s pledge.
Alzheimers South Canterbury manager Rosie Chambers was blown away by the support the fund had received.
"I thought maybe this might be a five-year plan.
"I just knew it was such a significant amount of money and seeing how hard it is to get money, having to apply for funding all the time, I thought this was going to be a much bigger, lengthy plan than it has been.
"It has been so humbling to see the fund grow in the background and see the community get behind such a good cause, a cause that actually effects so many people.
"It’s just been so nice to just see the community partake in it and see the value in it, for them and for the community in the future."
She said the organisation was very grateful.
"I just really want to say a huge thank you for getting behind us and the organisation and the fund and to the families who have given so freely."
She said although the campaign was a overwhelming success, it was still just the beginning.
"We want to keep it alive in the organisation and a big part of that will be including it in community talks and having it on flyers and things like that so it can continue to grow in the background.
"That will be the focus outside of the usual stuff we do with dementia support and advice."
St Vianney’s Timaru Trust chairman Dale Walden said the trust decided to get behind the project as the Sisters of Compassion, who ran the Home of Compassion, were the settlers of the St Vianney’s Trust.
"We have adopted a policy of trying to support the same or similar people that the sisters cared for.
"Therefore, people who have Alzheimer’s, dementia, would have been people they would have looked after over the years.
"Alzheimer’s was also something that was quite dear to our hearts because every one of the trustees had a close friend or a family member who had suffered with either Alzheimer’s or dementia."
He said they were pleased to have got behind a good cause.
"We felt that we were following on from what the Sisters of Compassion did when they were here and we think it’s really important that we look to support those people in our community.
"Our trustees are great and we made that small start but it gives you real heart that the community saw this as a worthwhile project and responded.
"We are very focused on our community.
"We like the fact that if we can do something where our community is better for what we do, that’s great."
The fund was created and managed through the Aoraki Foundation.
Chief executive Richard Spackman said he was always optimistic the matching campaign would be a success.
"I thought we’d smash it out in 12 months but even I’m surprised at how quickly it has all happened.
"There has been some pretty significant donors who have been very generous."
He said both funds and awareness had been raised.
"I think when the foundation started the community saw us as a funder, as a trust, but I think now people have got the understanding that we’re just a vehicle for our community’s wishes.
"It’s not us that decides where it goes, it’s our community contributing and deciding where that money’s going to be invested and that’s the nice thing."
He hoped he would see more matching campaigns in the future.
"St Vianney’s certainly see it is a way forward, it’s an additive approach."
He said St Vianney’s had money to give, and through this campaign they were able create generate donors purely due to their generous contribution which was unique.
"It’s that one plus one plus one equals five type of scenario.
"I’m surprised actually we haven’t had a few more charities come to us saying ‘how do we get the same deal?"’
