8 December 2008

City Mission launches the Auckland Christmas Wish Tree

The Auckland City Mission is inviting Aucklanders to decorate a Christmas tree this Christmas – but it’s a tree with a twist.

The Christmas Wish Tree is a website donated to the Auckland City Mission to help raise funds during the Mission’s Christmas Appeal. The concept is very simple: The Christmas Wish Tree website (www.christmaswishtree.com) lets people buy e-decorations for the Mission’s e-Christmas Tree, and send Christmas wishes to their family, friends, colleagues and clients. The more decorations that are bought, the more money raised for the Mission to help them support Aucklanders in need over Christmas and into next year.

“The current economic situation is causing more and more families to turn to the Mission for help this year,” said Diane Robertson, Auckland City Missioner. “Christmas is typically a harder time of year financially for families and this year is likely to be even more difficult. The Christmas Wish Tree donations will really help us ensure the Mission is there for families in need.”

All the money donated when people buy decorations for the tree goes directly to the Auckland City Mission. This Christmas the Mission will give out 1000 food parcels to families in need, host the largest family Christmas Dinner in New Zealand and distribute 25,000 Christmas presents to Auckland children and their families. That’s all in addition to providing the emergency assistance and support that are part of the Mission’s normal services.

The Christmas Wish Tree was donated to the Auckland City Mission by BKA Interactive, an Auckland website design, development and business applications company.

“Our team really wanted to do something for Auckland this year, and the Christmas Wish Tree was the idea the team liked the best,” BKA managing director Barbara Anderson said. “We’re piloting it this year with the Auckland City Mission, and we may be able to offer it to other Missions and foodbanks around New Zealand next year.”

“The Christmas Wish Tree website is a fantastic donation to the City Mission,” City Missioner Diane Robertson said. “The BKA team have given us a new way to help us raise funds each Christmas for years to come.”

The website also offers Aucklanders the chance to send free wishes to each other – and all wishes will be available on the website for everyone to read.

“We wanted a viral element to the Tree,” Barbara Anderson said. “The more people know about the tree, the more people are likely to donate to the City Mission. The free wishes gives everyone a chance to participate and help spread the word, whether they are able to make a donation or not.”

The website will update automatically each time a donation is bought or a free wish sent, and decorations and wishes will appear randomly on the site until Christmas.

“People will be able to go on, check out what their friends and family and colleagues have written, and send and receive decorations and wishes,” Barbara Anderson said. “It should be a lot of fun and we hope that as well as generating lots of funds and goodwill for the City Mission, it will generate lots of fun and interest for Aucklanders in the lead in to Christmas as well.”

“We hope people will get into the Christmas spirit and visit us at www.ChristmasWishTree.com during December,” Diane Robertson said.

Donations and free wishes can be made online at www.christmaswishtree.com.

ENDS

© Scoop Media