Support Joe

Joseph Christaldi, 58, and is based in Kerikeri with his loving partner Barbara. Joe is an avid distance hiker and is walking the length of New Zealand along the Te Araroa Trail (3,000 km’s) beginning in November 2021. This trail is from Cape Reinga through to Bluff on foot. Barb will also join him during certain stages of the walk. Joe reached out to Immerse to offer his walk as an opportunity to raise awareness and funding for trauma-awareness and recovery via their services. Joe’s passion and heart for trauma-recovery comes from his 25 years as a Pennsylvanian State Trooper. During his career he has witnessed, first-hand, trauma in many forms and knows the devastating effect this has on individuals and communities. His adult son also suffers from severe epilepsy and other disabilities, so he knows trauma as a father as well. Back In the USA, Joe fundraised for Camp Cadette, which is a free camp for under privileged children and was heavily involved in Verizon Special Olympics.

More on the service Joseph is fundraising for:

Immerse Charitable Trust is a foster care agency founded by experienced Kiwi caregivers. Their mission is to help see a transformed and transformational culture of foster care in Aotearoa. Immerse train and coach foster parents with a trauma-responsive approach to meet the needs of tamariki and rangatahi in our communities.

Click here to learn more about Immerse and their training and Support service.

https://www.immerse.org.nz/training-support

We encourage you to follow along Joe’s journey as he provides updates of his time spent on this vigorous trail. Please feel free to donate / share / or send support in any way you can, so that more of our community can be supported to recover from trauma and thrive.

Thank you.