An impressive $10,000 was raised from a winter charity gala at The Finery in Alexandra last weekend, to support neurodivergent children.

The restaurant launched its Little Learners Trust after hearing from local schools how the cost of obtaining diagnostic assessments was prohibiting some families from getting help.

Restaurant manager Alyse Burrows organised the inaugural gala, which attracted 180 people.

“It was really successful and everyone had a great time,” Alyse said.

Already the trust has had four enquiries from families interested in utilising the funding to have their children tested for neurodiversity - which covers a range of conditions from ADHD to dyslexia.

“Word is starting to get out,” she said.

Alyse said it was often a case of parents not knowing whether there was an actual need for testing or not, and what impact support could have on their learning.

“It would be great to encourage families to speak to their child's educator if they do have any concerns.”

She said, having talked to educators herself across Central Otago, there were currently a lot of children in every school that could benefit from the diagnostic assessments.

The problem was, not every parent was ready to go through with the testing, because of the stigma associated with it, she said.

“The obstacle a lot of the time is that the school knows they need to be assessed but the parents are not ready, and don’t want their kids labelled.”

Alyse, a former primary school teacher, said The Little Learners Trust was a great initiative for herself and her parents - as owners of The Finery, to be able to offer the community. 

While $10,000 was raised from the first fundraiser, there were still donations coming in after the event, and the trust is keen to hold more in the future.

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