Miles for Music Therapy

Kia ora,

I am running the 12km Traverse at the 2018 Run The City ASB Auckland Marathon on October 28th 2018!

Through my running I am raising money for an amazing music therapy programme offered by Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre (RMTC), the charitable trust where I work. At RMTC, I am a registered music therapist facilitating individual and group music therapy sessions.

One of my favourite parts of the week is running Kids’ Jam, an interprofessional paediatric music therapy programme at Onepoto Primary, a Decile 1 school on Auckland’s North Shore. School staff stated that almost all new entrants were starting school with socialization and learning deficits and that these challenges remained throughout the primary years. These children do not have access to government funding available for those with diagnosed needs, making it impossible for their families to access specialist services. Music therapy reduces the chance of these children becoming isolated from activities that enhance their cognitive and emotional development – and our programme is offered completely free to the children.

Through fundraising and grants RMTC and its partners, AUT and Massey University, were able to expand the programme in 2018 from one weekly group to two, but we need your help if we’re going to be able to continue the programme into 2019!

Kids’ Jam is highly beneficial for the children, with our documentation and teacher feedback indicating a noticeable positive change in behaviour and well-being. Additionally, we’re hoping that Kids’ Jam can be the focus of a research project in 2019. In order to keep the programme going for the first half of 2019, we are trying to raise $2300 by race day (28th October). Any amount you can contribute would be helpful!

If you are running at the Auckland Marathon and would like to join my team and help fundraise for my cause, email me at torigacmusic@gmail.com.