Thank you for considering becoming involved as a member of our organisation. The prerequisite for joining our group is to have experienced miscarriage. We welcome women of any age but it does need to have been at least 2 years since a miscarriage. We have found that it usually takes at least that long before the grief is really manageable, especially when the subject is regularly visited as at meetings. This may not be so if recurrent miscarriage is involved so we also need to be able to make the final decision of member acceptance. We have found in the past that it is painful for everyone otherwise and this is not our intention. Mature women are also very welcome as often they have fewer commitments and more life/work experience to offer.
We are a very small group of ladies who have all experienced miscarriage, from one to several, and come together for others who have also miscarried. Our basic aims are to offer peer support to empower, rather than rescue, listen but not fix and give hope for healing. (I have this reminder on my desk so that I do not go past those boundaries.) Our full Mission Statement is on the website.
Miscarriage Support Auckland Inc. has been around in one form or another since 1985, as a not-for-profit group, and we still find we are needed. There is no other Auckland organisation which is miscarriage specific. We work in with Sands (Stillbirth and Newborn Death Support) at times and respect their aims but prefer to remain autonomous. We are affiliated with several other organisations as well including the research group called ‘Nurture’ at Auckland University.
Although we are not directly supported by our government we do usually receive funding from COGS & Lotteries when we apply for them. We are also funded at different times by Wellington’s McKenzie Trust, The Lion Foundation and ASB (belatedly however this year which has made things difficult).
Our stats are around 300,000 contacts per annum via various means like our website (top of Google), bulletin board, emails and our ‘Understanding Miscarriage’ pamphlets. These last we send out all over NZ, around 15,000 annually, and our bulletin board really replaces our Support Meetings and Supportline (although we still do get regular calls on that). This was the result of our website going online in 2001. The Supportline is now run by counsellors trained by us at Youthline in Ponsonby.
I work from home and am the only part-time paid member. The committee meet for a couple of hours on the second Wednesday of the month 7:30pm at Highbury House, 110 Hinemoa St., Birkenhead. We have a Xmas celebration in December and do not meet in February. We would ask for a commitment to attend those 10 meetings as the committee supports me to carry out the work we do with discussion on anything that is necessary. That is basically all that is required of them. We all now happen to live on the North Shore.
Most of the rest of our information is up on our website which, if you wish to be a member, is required reading - mainly for you to be aware of where we are coming from. You will understand why we exist if you are volunteering and know the need in the community for us to offer our support.
The opportunities we can offer you include;
♥ sharing a common experience
♥ personal growth
♥ opportunity to help others
♥ use of your skills & experience
♥ recognition & fulfilment
♥ new friends
♥ participate in social change
You are very welcome to phone me for a chat even if you are only slightly
tempted (09 360 4034).
I will answer your questions and you can let us know of your decision
later.
Know that you can make a difference.
Yours sincerely
Vonney
Allan
President/Co-ordinator