Danielle's Fundraising Initiative - Outward Bound

Danielle's Fundraising Initiative

Fundraising

After receiving a scholarship to attend Outward Bound, Danielle asked her community to help cover the remaining portion of her course fee and travel costs. Through Danielle's initiative and the generosity of her community, she was able to get to Outward Bound and have the experience of a lifetime.

Hi, my name is Danielle, I'm a 24 year old female. I grew up in Hawkes Bay, went to school at Taradale High School and have lived in Whangamata for nearly 7 years now.

I work at the Whangamata Medical Centre as a receptionist and Volunteer with the local Fire Brigade and St John's. My hobbies include my volunteering as well as anything outdoors, I love the beach, love bush walks and spending time with friends and family.

The local paper had an advertisement from Outward Bound offering scholarships for young adults who volunteer in their community's so a nurse that I work with, Mandy Robinson, put my name forward.

They phoned me the next day offering me a scholarship to cover 75% of course fee!

But I still needed to come up with the rest of course fee, get the time off work and get myself down to Picton and back. 

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I created a give a little page and advertised it in the local paper asking for help from the community to help cover the cost of the remaining course fee as well as money to cover the cost of travel.

The community were amazing and donated around $1500! I wouldn't have been able to attend Outward Bound without all of their help.

My work was also amazing, I was granted the 3 weeks off work and my co workers all stepped up to cover my shifts while I was away, I am so grateful to all of them.

The course ran for 21 days from 30th July till 19th August down in Anakiwa in the Queen Charlotte Sounds. The course involved hiking, sailing, high ropes, kayaking, camping, swimming, rock climbing, running and reflection.

My biggest highlights of the course was sailing in the Charlotte Sounds and seeing a pod of dolphins, camping outside under hundreds of glowworms, watching the sun set and rise at the top of Mt Cullen and bonding with my 12 other watchmates.

I found the course very challenging, both physically and mentally. Every day I was pushed out of my comfort zone and over came obstacles I didn't know I was capable of.

The hardest part of the course was probably the mental/emotional obstacles, I always had a constant argument with myself in my head saying "I can't do this" but my watch mates and instructors had more faith and confidence in me than I did so trusting them and ignoring my own little voice was very hard.

I have gained some amazing friendships from the course, since being home I have been to Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington to catch up with my watch mates and have many more trips planned to come.

Outward Bound has been absolutely amazing in so many different ways. It is the hardest thing I have ever done but also the most rewarding. I highly recommend anyone to give it a go, young or old they have courses for all.

"One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle inside all of us, he said "The battle is between two 'wolves', one is evil. It is anger, envy, jealously, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love hope, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about this then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" 

The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."

 

Feed the good wolf!

Danielle - Scott 644

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