GrabOne, New Zealand’s leading daily deal website, is partnering up with Kidsline, a free peer counselling service for children under 14. Today GrabOne launches their Kidsline donation campaign on their website where customers can donate to the charity.
GrabOne chief executive and founder, Shane Bradley, understands the need for such a service, which enables young New Zealanders to speak about any issue without judgement. “Kidsline is a fantastic service for Kiwi kids ensuring that someone is always there to listen. As a company we feel passionate about using our expertise and size to help them grow and provide support to more young children all over New Zealand.”
Kidsline currently answers more than 5,000 phone calls a year, tackling issues from friendship difficulties and bullying, through to abuse and neglect. “Often the children who call us feel they have no-one else they can talk to, and can be very distressed,” Lifeline Aotearoa’s chief executive Jo Denvir says.
“With the support from GrabOne and their customers we plan to expand the hours Kidsline is available, as well as developing some great resources and outreach programmes for primary and intermediate schools throughout New Zealand. The opportunity to grow and develop through a partnership with a dynamic organisation like GrabOne is very exciting,” she says.
Kidsline relies on volunteers with specially trained “buddies” (just a few years older than the callers) acting as a sympathetic older brother or sister who understands what they’re experiencing and feeling.
“We were drawn to and inspired by these young individuals behind the phone who obviously have a huge amount of respect and understanding for what these younger kids are going through. It’s pretty impressive and something I personally want to see flourish and grow. This is a real partnership, not just a sponsorship and GrabOne is thrilled to sit alongside them,” Bradley says.
GrabOne funding has enabled Kidsline to redesign their website which was launched last week.