The Presbyterian Support South Canterbury (PSSC) Fund has been established following a significant bequest from long-time supporter and volunteer Mollie Thomson.
The fund will be managed by the Aoraki Foundation, with donations invested and grown over time to provide a steady, reliable source of funding for PSSC’s local services well into the future.
The fund is designed so gifts are combined, invested, and protected, with the income distributed back to the organisation each year; resulting in support continuing well beyond the original donation.
Aoraki Foundation gift and community adviser Kirsty Burnett said the fund reflected a growing desire in South Canterbury to give in a way that had lasting impact.
"Mollie’s generosity is a wonderful reminder of the difference one person can make.
"Through this fund, Mollie’s gift will go on supporting PSSC, not just now, but for years to come. It will continue to grow and give back to an organisation she cared deeply about."
After moving to Timaru in the 1970s, she became an active part of the organisation, serving on its board for 25 years and helping guide its development over that time.
Her commitment was rooted in a strong belief in community and service, values that continue to shape the purpose of the new fund.
Miss Thomson had said previously, "It is the sense of satisfaction of being involved with something that I believe has a very worthwhile place in the community".
Presbyterian Support South Canterbury chief executive Carolyn Cooper said the organisation was deeply grateful for both Miss Thomson’s long service and her thoughtful decision to leave a lasting legacy.
Mrs Cooper said, "Mollie lived and breathed our mission of ‘People Helping People’.
"Her decades of service strengthened our organisation, and it is wonderful to see her legacy continue to make a difference for many."
The fund would contribute to PSSC’s broad range of services, including Family Works, Enliven aged care, and other community programmes that helped ensure people felt supported, connected, and able to thrive. — Allied Media
