Hobsonville teenager James Rastrick is on his way to the Junior Clay Target World Championships in Melbourne this November with the help of his $3,000.00 Mazda Foundation grant.

Dennis Rastrick, James’ grandfather who applied for the grant, says James’ father has personally funded most of his son’s involvement in clay target shooting, describing it as an investment in James’ personal growth and advancement in the sport with support from him.

James has only been shooting competitively since September 2008 but has progressed quickly from a C Grade to an A Grade and is now on the verge of an AA Grade – the highest possible grading which no junior currently has. He is currently part of the New Zealand Junior Development Squad.

Clay target shooting is one of the fastest growing gun sports, both internationally and here in New Zealand, where there are over 80 clubs. As well as improving gun handling skills, the sport also provides shooters with a variety of challenges designed to simulate real hunting conditions. Participants shoot at clay targets which fly in a number of directions and at different heights from automated traps.

The 31st World FITASC Sporting Clay Target Championships will be held in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia from 19-22 November.

One of the largest grants of $20,000.00 will help the Garden to Table Trust establish a pilot programme in primary schools where children aged seven to ten will learn to grow, harvest, prepare and share seasonal produce as part of their everyday learning.

Catherine Bell, Garden to Table Trust Chairperson, says the programme is a fun way to educate children about the environment and positively influence their food choices.

“We intend to implement the programme in three Auckland primary schools initially and then gradually roll it out to schools throughout New Zealand,” says Bell.

The Trust recognises the concern that many basic life skills aren’t being taught at home and some children don’t know where food comes from or how to cook it. The programme is a means of filling a gap for these children and developing positive life-long habits at a young age. Research has shown that food-related messages such as “good for you” or “bad for you” don’t resonate with young people, so the Trust encourages children to choose healthy food options in a fun, hands-on environment.

The programme is modeled on the successful Australian Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Programme where children spend time each week in a vegetable garden they’ve designed and in a kitchen classroom preparing meals with produce from their gardens.

New Zealand’s only independent science centre will use their $8,870.00 grant to purchase two concept cars and gas station sets from Germany for a fuel cell exhibition.

The New Zealand Science and Technology Charitable Trust (Science Alive!) believes that hydrogen will be the answer to the world’s energy problems and its latest exhibition will demonstrate hydrogen’s effectiveness.

“These new sets demonstrate the solar-hydrogen energy cycle and the application of converting hydrogen to power a fuel cell vehicle. The focus will be on this technology’s sound energy supply and its minimal impact on our natural resources,” says Neville Petrie, Chief Executive Officer, Science Alive!

Science Alive! was established in 1992 to promote the value of science and technology through interactive experiences. The organisation puts on shows for families and runs education programmes in schools around the central and upper South Island. Science Alive! also has a strong reputation for designing and building innovative exhibits for science centres and museums worldwide.

The new concept cars and gas station sets will be featured at Science Alive! from March – June 2010 where up to 30,000 people are expected to visit the exhibition.

A $2,715.00 grant to the Ruakaka Surf Life Saving Patrol will make Uretiti Beach safer this summer through the purchase of a portable lifeguard tower.

Uretiti Beach, located just south of Whangarei, is a popular Kiwi holiday spot attracting hundreds of people every summer. The beach is approximately 3km from the Surf Patrol’s main clubrooms which means the patrol has to make several trips to the beach daily, rather than being on site at all times, which is not ideal.

“The grant will allow the lifeguards to set up a mini satellite patrol and provide Uretiti Beach and camping ground with a reliable surf life saving patrol. We would like to provide this service in time for the 2009-2010 summer season commencing in October,” says Leanne Hulse, Ruakaka Surf Club Administrator.

Ruakaka Surf Lifesaving Patrol was established in 1960 and has patrolled the local beaches every summer for almost 50 years. Currently the patrol has around 50 lifeguards who volunteer between 50 and 150 hours every season between Labour Weekend and Easter monitoring 16km of beach between Uretiti Beach to the Ruakaka River mouth.

Ten young students are able to attend gymnastic classes as part of the Wellington City Mission’s Mission for Youth Alternative Education School thanks to a $700.00 Mazda Foundation grant.

The Mission for Youth Alternative Education School assists secondary school students who have been alienated from the state school system because of truancy, behavioural, emotional or social problems.

“In essence, the programme is about behavioural change, turning lives around and achieving positive outcomes for our young people,” says Leanne Thompson, Marketing Manager, Wellington City Mission.

Students in the programme participate in a range of activities including academic classroom sessions, adventure-based learning camps, life skills, creative arts and sports such as the gymnastics class.

“Our programme ensures that it is possible for students to have the opportunity to return to mainstream schooling or further education, and to provide caregivers with a support network,” says Thompson.

The Wellington City Mission provides a range of social services in the Wellington region, caring for people right across the age spectrum. In the last 12 months, the Mission worked with 3,736 clients in the community and 120 patients in residential care. Programmes run by the organisation are designed to address needs currently not being met by other social service providers and assist those that are most in need.

One of the larger grants was given to the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra which exists to enliven and enrich the lives of Aucklanders through orchestral music.

The grant of $14,225.00 will help talented young students develop their music skills through a new programme – ‘Remix the Orchestra Volume One’ – which brings together the hip hop and classical music styles.

“The grant will fund a programme which will provide the opportunity for our talented young musicians to extend themselves beyond the school curriculum with a new style of music which is relevant to the community,” said Barbara Glaser, Chief Executive Officer, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.

The students will have the opportunity to work with a professional hip hop mentor and APO musicians to remix the orchestra and compose their own original pieces.

The programme will culminate with a free live performance on the Otara Town Centre stage on 28 June.

“Despite a contrast in public image, there are many parallels between hip hop and classical music. They draw from the same fundamentals as rhythm, melody, structure and lyrical composition, particularly with opera,” said Anonymouz, also known as Matthew Salupu Faiumu – a South Auckland hip hop producer and mentor involved in the programme.

‘Remix the Orchestra Volume Two’ will allow more students to take part in the programme later this year.

The Mazda Foundation grant for $2,500.00 will assist with the costs of getting an Oamaru teenager to Seattle, Washington to participate in groundbreaking research into the correction of musculoskeletal deformities.

Helena Prosser, 15, was born with profound, diffuse, bilateral midbrain injury which has affected her sight, hearing, sensation and movement. Various treatments have improved her condition throughout her childhood, however she is still unable to move independently.

Angela Prosser, Helena’s mother, said she has been researching various treatments for years with Helena travelling as far a field as Melbourne, Australia, Singapore and Philadelphia, United States to receive treatment.

Recently she discovered a research programme developing the use of magnetic molecular energising in Washington. The treatment is designed to stimulate the body’s metabolic processes and improve motion.

“I contacted them and began an effort which has lead to an invitation to bring Helena to Seattle to receive 400 hours of free treatment. This is a huge opportunity and my dream is to raise further funds to cover an extra 100 hours of treatment,” said Prosser.

Seven Christchurch tap dancers are on their way to perform at the World Dance Championship in Long Beach, California in July with the help of their Mazda Foundation grant.

The $1,473.36 grant will be used to fund uniforms for the Steps Tap Dancing Club members who range in age from six to 22.

Molly Chapman, Steps Tap Dancing Club treasurer, said the club has been undertaking a variety of fundraising initiatives to give the dancers the opportunity to represent their country and attend master classes led by world class choreographers.

“At the World Dance Championships dancers will not only compete in solos and duos in their age groups but will also attend workshops. From these, they gain valuable choreography and styles which they are able to bring back and teach to other dancers and teachers,” said Chapman.

After qualifying at the regional competition in Christchurch for jazz and tap dancing the group then travelled to the prestigious Showcase National Dance Championship held on the Gold Coast, Australia where they officially qualified for the World Dance Championships.

“We are a small committee all with a passion for dance. We give up our free time to give back to the dance community in Christchurch. Sometimes it’s not easy with parents working full-time and any form of funding helps tremendously,” concluded Chapman.

The planned Hauraki Rail Trail from Paeroa to Thames has been given a boost with a Mazda Foundation grant of $4,500.00.

The grant will be used to purchase plants to provide a screen between the Rail Trail and residential homes which back onto the trail.

Julie Stephenson from the Hauraki Rail Trail Management Committee said the plants chosen are low maintenance, suit the local soil type and are unattractive to pests such as rabbits. They will be planted from Paeroa to Karangahake where they expect the Rail Trail to be the busiest.

“The Karangahake Historic Walkway and the Karangahake Gorge attract 100,000 visitors per year. The Hauraki Rail Trail will link Paeroa and the start of the Historic Walkway and we expect up to 30,000 people to use it every year,” said Stephenson.

The Rail Trail will provide economic development, recreational opportunities, health benefits and safe off-road routes for the local community. The phenomenal success of rail trails worldwide is predominantly due to the fact that rail corridors are flat which makes ideal terrain for all the family. The trail will connect rural towns with interesting scenery in between and it’s expected that the majority of users will be cyclists.

More children will be safely restrained in car seats thanks to a $5,000.00 grant for The Royal New Zealand Plunket Society’s car seat rental programme.

Most of the 27,000 child restraints which Plunket hires out are required by law to be “tethered” to an anchor point in a vehicle. The grant will fund the installation of anchor points in the vehicles of Plunket clients who are unable to meet the costs.

Gizelle Feldman, Plunket Account Executive – Community Funding, said while newer model vehicles usually have one or more tether anchor points, most older or imported vehicles don’t and the cost of installation can be significant for low income families.

“Feedback from our car seat rental scheme coordinators was that many of these clients were not correctly installing their restraints with the anchor points, leaving the children vulnerable to injury if in an accident,” said Feldman.

Tether straps limit and control the head movement of a child in a vehicle, preventing serious neck and head injuries in the event of an accident. In small vehicles especially, they prevent the child’s head from hitting the front seat.

The grant means Plunket will be able to spend funds, which would have been allocated to anchor point installation, on further child restraint safety advocacy work in local communities.