This week, we’re taking a break from complaining about the state of the roads, discussing driver shortages or rising costs, and having a natter over general trucking industry preoccupations – but bear with me because I have an important question.

Have you ever had that sinking feeling, that drop in your stomach, that pit of despair, anxiety and helplessness? Maybe it was when you were under a lot of stress and pressure at work. Perhaps things were on the rocks at home. Maybe you were just struggling to find your way at a particularly difficult time of life. Whatever it was, you might have wanted to give up, turn around and run away from it all.

We’ve all been there. With time, a compassionate shoulder to cry on, some wise counsel, and a change of perspective, most of us find the inner confidence and strength to push through in the right direction. Doing so as an adult is one thing; it’s quite another as a child or youth – especially if they live under particularly challenging circumstances.

This is where organisations such as the Graeme Dingle Foundation do such valuable work – empowering kids to overcome life’s obstacles. It’s not always easy, but investing in children in any way possible is one of the greatest things one can do to give back. Kids are the future, and they need the necessary grounding and life skills to be proud, productive and successful members of society.

So this year, I’ve decided to join the Graeme Dingle Foundation’s Western Bay of Plenty Drop for Youth fundraising challenge. “Drop for Youth is a unique fundraising event to push yourself out of your comfort zone and experience what many young people feel every day,” is how the foundation describes it. And, yes, the more I think about leaping from a plane at 12,000ft (3600m) sometime in the next three months, the more I get that drop of anxiety in my stomach.

But this isn’t about me; it’s about helping to raise as much as possible for the foundation to keep working with 3800 young Kiwis weekly in the Bay of Plenty alone. “The programmes teach values and life skills, build confidence, self-belief and resilience and are proven to have a lasting positive impact on the lives of young people, their whanau, schools and communities as well as on the economy of New Zealand,” the foundation states.

I’ve taken up the challenge, but I’m extending the fundraising appeal to anyone who reads this. Even $10 goes a long way, and I’d love it if you could join me in raising as much as possible. Donations can be made here https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/gavin-myers-drop-for-youth-wbop-2022 right up until 31 December 2022.

One of New Zealand’s preeminent child and youth development charities, the Graeme Dingle Foundation works with children from as young as five to those at the end of their school career, building them up and helping them develop the confidence within themselves that they need for a promising future. For more information, visit www.dinglefoundation.org.nz.

Thanks heaps and take care,

Gavin Myers
Editor