It's great to read about the different ways we help needy children in New Zealand.
This week, the Variety Club of New Zealand has been distributing bicycles in its 10th annual Bikes for Kids programme. This year is the largest ever 'Bikes for Kids' and Variety are donating 1000 bright red bikes to role model students from low-decile schools around the country. With this programme Variety aims to not only reward deserving children with what is, for many, their first ever bike, but to also inspire their peers to become role models for their school and community.

The 2009 programme was launched on the 23rd of November with children from 20 primary schools in the Wellington region being presented with bikes. Variety will be presenting bikes around the country every day until the 28th of November.

The Variety Club is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in New Zealand. It is the 68th ‘tent’ or chapter of Variety International, an organisation founded at the end of 1928 in Pittsburgh. The organisation came about when a baby girl was abandoned at the Sheridan Square Theatre with a note asking for the “goodness of show business people” to provide for her. The organisation quickly gained in popularity and had the means to provide for more children than just Catherine Variety Sheridan. They now have chapters in more than 14 countries world wide and have collectively distributed over than $US1.5 billion to children in need.

Variety New Zealand aims to provide for children who are sick, disabled or have special needs through the distribution of funds raised, either as a grant or specialised equipment. They provide 14 Mobile Ear Clinics which travel the country providing early diagnosis and treatment of common childhood ear infections. The organisation also provides Liberty swings which allow children in wheelchairs to experience the freedom of swinging just like their fully-able playmates as well as donating grants to help the families of children with special needs in purchasing equipment to improve the lives of their children.