Announcement

"With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive."

Tēnā koutou katoa.
Greetings to you all.

Since 1963, when our wonderful site was gifted to the Anglican Church, we have seen such transformation.  Over the years the guests and staff of Vaughan Park have been truly blessed by the generosity of Thomas Vaughan and his family.
 
Today we find ourselves in a situation, where once again, we turn to those around us. Those who have been privileged enough to personally experience the lasting impressions a visit to our Centre bestows, and to those who we look forward to welcoming in the future.

There is no doubt that the current pandemic has affected every person, worldwide. And with our Centre’s source of revenue over the past year having been gravely affected.

However, out of chaos comes opportunity, and during the most recent turmoil, our team have been very hard at work on an exciting new project. Which is why today, I am very pleased to announce the launch of our very own association, Friends of Vaughan Park.

Friends of Vaughan Park is a platform whereby we will be able to offer a number of exciting benefits to affiliated members. Benefits will be tiered, and available through a variation of once off donations, regular giving, or an annual membership fee. Profits generated will be fed directly into specific projects around the centre, a list of which will be readily available and published on our website.

Annual membership is a once off contribution of $120, or monthly regular giving of $10 by automatic payment. Not to be overlooked, once off donations will also be included in selected activities.  

The association also provides us with the opportunity to keep our members up to date on important events, access to preferential booking on last minute deals, and pre-booking for special occasions and popular events.

In addition to the wonderful membership benefits, is the inclusion in our monthly Thankful Thursday, where members and donors will go into a tiered draw for some wonderful rewards.

To find out how to sign up, more details on the great benefits as well as a peak at some of the amazing monthly prizes, click on the link at the end of this mailer, taking you to the dedicated page on our website.

In order to allow for some insight and rationale behind the setup of our association, we felt it appropriate to share some figures with you. On average, Vaughan Park welcomes around 12,000 guests through our doors each year. Some are day visitors, seeking solitude away from the nonstop grind of the ever-spinning world. Others deciding to extend that stay, enjoying our proximity to the wonderful beaches and reserve, literally on our doorstep. Our regular scholars, who find the tranquility of our facility the perfect environment for weeklong writing retreats. Then there are those who have visited us as part of groups on conference, retreats, or training workshops. No matter the reason for visiting our venue, one mutual effect shared by all is the imparting peace and presence our centre bestows.

However, there are always outlays involved in providing such experiences. Excluding any hospitality related expenses, the costs to keep Vaughan Park running is around $2,000 a day. And whilst the recent wage subsidy has been welcomed, it simply does not fill the void that the Covid-19 cancellations have cost our facility. Having lost numerous locally based events, as well as several international conferences due to boarder closure.  

We are asking you, our valued Whanau to be part of our ongoing solution, a solution of grateful support which to some may seem menial, but to those blessed to have visited our gracious and captivating facility, will know the impact this could have.  

There are many small, moving parts that make up the whole Centre, and each one of these will be eternally grateful for your support, regardless of the magnitude!
We thank you and cannot wait to welcome you to the Centre.

Regards
Angus Ogilvie
Chairman

SIGN UP TO FRIENDS OF VAUGHAN PARK