by Helen Martin
Josiah at his stall
Seven-year-old Woodhill boy Josiah Te Aotonga likes raising money to help others. Inspired by the $300 he and his younger brother Seth made for Seth’s ward at Starship last year by making and selling wheatbags, this year Josiah decided to raise money for Cure Kids by taking part in the kids’ section of the Loaded Tough Guy and Gal Mud Run Challenge at the end of June. Setting up a web page to collect donations he soon exceeded his $500 goal and decided he needed to do something more active for the money.
Josiah then came up with the idea of holding a stall and asked Parakai Four Square owner Dan for permission to sell fudge and coconut ice outside the shop one Saturday afternoon. His parents Esther and Dave donated the ingredients and helped him with the organisation, the sweets were made by Josiah, Seth and their sister Grace and their cousins Alyssa and Willow helped package them. On the day, Seth and Josiah enjoyed manning the stall and talking with the people who generously donated a total of another $289 to Cure Kids. Josiah was amazed by people’s generosity and thrilled that the money he raised totalled over $1,000, a welcome contribution to Cure Kids’$50,000 goal for the 2017 Challenge.
