{"id":2306,"date":"2021-10-31T21:24:59","date_gmt":"2021-10-31T09:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kiwibusinessheroes.co.nz\/awards\/?page_id=2306"},"modified":"2024-09-17T21:53:02","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T09:53:02","slug":"chris-and-melinda-leatham-charitable-trust","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kiwibusinessheroes.co.nz\/awards\/chris-and-melinda-leatham-charitable-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris and Melinda Leatham Charitable Trust"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Established<\/b>: 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Location<\/b>:\u00a0Paraparaumu<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact Name:\u00a0<\/strong>Melinda Leatham<\/p>\n

Website: <\/b>www.leathamcharitabletrust.co.nz <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>

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Business mission and vision<\/b>:<\/div>\n
We hope to create a sustainable business whereby we can distribute regular funds and be in the position to support causes that make a difference in our community.<\/div>\n<\/div>
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Vote<\/span><\/a><\/div>
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\u201cOur business creates wealth and then distributes cash funds to individuals, charities, community groups and schools that have a real need, that we believe in. We want to help people in a meaningful way and we have a focus on helping Kapiti, youth and mental health. We have donated approximately $200k this year. This includes two substantial amounts to two separate primary schools. These donations are funding projects that provide a significant benefit for autistic children and children with anxiety. We also provide emergency housing to youth in Kapiti on an ongoing basis.\u201d<\/span>
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<\/i><\/i><\/span>What sets you apart from your competitors?<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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We are passionate about what we are doing and this makes it easy for us to make decisions. We are just a husband and wife team which means that we are totally flexible and we can move fast. We want to make it easy for the people who we are trying to help. This means that they can concentrate on making a difference and not worry so much about reporting, admin etc.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Please provide details of any business awards you have won.<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
N\/A<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Please describe why you decided to go into business for yourself.<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
After leaving corporate jobs, we both felt like we wanted to make a bigger contribution to the community – and to make a difference. We know that some of the projects we are funding will provide facilities that will help vulnerable youth both now and for many years to come. We know that the extremely vulnerable youth that come to stay in our emergency housing don\u2019t have anywhere else to go. When they come to us there are no other options for them. This is why we did it and why we want to continue.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Please describe some of the challenges you needed to overcome to get your business off the ground.<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
Funding is a challenge. We started our charity with personal loans and we initially invested in property. Covid has had a huge impact on property developments which has changed the timing of our funding. We did not let this stop us from distributing cash when we wanted to by setting ourselves up well, using our contacts and keeping our purpose front of mind.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Please tell us about an example where you managed to overcome a significant challenge that stood in the way of your business success.<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
We found it hard to understand at first how to give in the best possible way. We knew we wanted to make an impact and to have a difference. We also knew that Kapiti, youth and mental health were close to our hearts but we didn\u2019t know how to go about it. To overcome this we met with a number of well known people in the Kapiti charitable community and took some time to understand some of the main charitable organisations in Kapiti. This gave us the direction we needed. It just took us some time to meet the right people and organisations.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Please explain how perseverance or overcoming adversity has been necessary for you to make a success of your business.<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
We definitely needed this! The wealth generation aspect of our charity comes from perseverance and often overcoming adversity. Our funds have come from property deals which take a lot of work, some risk and time. The covid impact only adds to complexity of it all! We needed to work hard to generate the wealth we did – and we will always need to continue to do this.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>What business success have you achieved to date? <\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
We know we have made a difference.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>What are you most proud of in relation to your business?<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
We have put $200k into amazing causes in our local community and teenagers in Kapiti have been able to stay in a safe and warm house when they need it the most.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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<\/i><\/i><\/span>How many people does your business employ?<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
N\/A<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>What contractors do you regularly use in your business?<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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Webgenius, Friday Homes, Professionals, Land Matters, Pritchard Civil, ANZ, Medical Assurance Society.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>What training opportunities have you provided to the people you employ?<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
N\/A<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>What positive reviews and testimonials do you have from happy customers?<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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We have a couple of quotes on our website. We appreciate the emails and thank you letters we get.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Apart from the potential financial benefits, what other benefits do you get from being a business owner?<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
The benefit to us is purely knowing that we are helping other people.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Please describe any community involvement or sponsorship your business is involved with.<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
Our main purpose is community focused.<\/p>\n

We do sponsor the Kapiti Food Fair – our funds are used for the charitable aspects of the fair – both Rotary and the Kapiti Kindness Trust.<\/p>\n

We do this because we see the Fair as being an amazing opportunity for the Kapiti community to come together and we want to support the local charities.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>What other ways do you - as a business - give back to the community?<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
See our answers above.<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/i><\/i><\/span>Please outline any other information you think is relevant to this entry.<\/span><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
N\/A<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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[totalpoll id=”2321″]<\/p>\n<\/div>

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