Make It Happen - Introduction
History
Combined launched it’s first Community Awards programme in New Zealand in 2005 to the community of Manawatu. The Community Awards programme called “Make It Happen”, gave away a share of a $15,000 prize pool to people, groups and charities who wanted to benefit the community in the Manawatu area.
Awards Entries
Combined teamed up with the local newspaper, the Manawatu Standard and welcomed entries from across the local community. W hether it was a youth soccer club that needed $500 to enter a national competition, a charity that needed $1,500 to help patients with brain injury recuperate, or a club for the disabled who wanted $63 to purchase a trophy for their annual fishing competition, everyone who wanted to benefit the local community had a chance to enter.
Paul Kelly, the General Manager/ Vice President for Combined, said:
“we see the Make It Happen campaign as a great opportunity to strengthen our community links and we are committed to investing in the local communities where we do business”.
“We are proud to be able to make a difference to local communities within New Zealand no matter how small, and we see this exciting programme as a fantastic opportunity to show them that we are a company who cares.”
The awards scheme was so popular that even after the closing date nominations were still coming in!
Later in the year a panel of judges made up of representatives from Combined and the Manawatu Standard, decided the best way to share out the $15,000 prize. After much deliberation they selected 18 organizations which would each receive a slice of the money.
Awards Ceremony
The winners of the first Make it Happen awards were invited to attend a special awards ceremony in Palmerston North and were presented with their share of the $15,000 prize pool by local celebrity and the captain of the National Women’s Rugby Team, Farah Palmer.
Winning ideas have included:
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Funding to form a community TV station to benefit communities living locally.
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Money to produce an honour board to recognise local service men and women who fought overseas during the world wars.
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Sponsorship for a Christmas feast for the homeless, the lonely and those less fortunate living in the local community.
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Support for a wheel chair basket ball team to purchase a trailer to transport wheel chairs when players travel away for games.
Has your community been chosen?
Since the phenomenal success of Combined’s first Community Awards initiative, many more Make it Happen Awards have been announced in other communities across New Zealand - giving each community the opportunity to benefit their own local people, groups and charities with a share of their very own $15,000 prize pool!
