Women to benefit from $70,000 charitable distribution to Well Women program

A North Island recovery services provider has received a valuable boost in the form of a $70,000 distribution from a charitable trust set up to support women in need. The Strathlachlan Fund, which is managed by Guardian Trust, has made the distribution to Challenge Trust in support of the Well Woman programme, which helps women enter employment and educational programmes, improve their health and wellbeing, achieve tangible benefits in self-esteem and confidence, and operate functional household budgets.

The distribution to Challenge Trust is one of the largest single distributions from a $903,000 overall charitable distribution made this year by the Strathlachlan Fund and a related trust, the John M McLachlan Charitable Trust, to women’s causes. In the past five years, the two trusts have distributed more than $2.8 million to New Zealand charitable organizations.

The Strathlachlan Fund was established in 2007 according to the wishes of the late Susannah McLachlan, and the J M McLachlan Trust by her daughter, Isabella McLachlan, in 1984. Both trusts were established with similar charitable objectives, for the benefit and support of women in New Zealand, with particular focus on the needs of women in poverty or in reduced circumstances.

Guardian Trust Client Manager Chris Jardine said the distribution highlighted how enduring giving is possible when facilitated with a charitable trust.

“The Strathlachlan Fund is just one example of how quality wealth management can serve long-term philanthropic giving. Our objective in managing the trust is to grow the funds year-on-year to permit regular distributions in support of the trust’s chosen causes. This example demonstrates what a well-managed trust can achieve over many years, and it also highlights how the specified purpose of a trust can be fulfilled over decades – we are now administering distributions to some organizations, programmes and other services that didn’t exist when Mrs McLachlan died in 1952, but that fully meet the criteria with which she was concerned.”

Challenge Trust is a charitable trust providing services to more than 1,500 people out of 24 sites in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty regions. Its clients include people affected by mental illness, physical disability, intellectual disability, addictions, eating disorders, dual disability and dual diagnosis.

Challenge Trust CEO Clive Plucknett said the distribution was gratefully received by his organization. “Funding is a big challenge for any community-directed programme, and to receive such a substantial distribution from a charitable trust focused specifically on women in need of support is tremendous. It will enable us to expand the work we do over the course of this year and help more women than ever before.”

Other recipients of the $903,000 distribution from the Strathlachlan Fund include Te Waipuna Puawai Mercy Oasis, Western Refuge, Auckland City Mission and WONS. The Salvation Army and Auckland Women’s Refuge also benefit from support provided by the Strathlachlan Fund.