A legacy of service

A new community fund launched by the Aoraki Foundation will help strengthen support for people across South Canterbury, inspired by the life and generosity of a woman who cared deeply about her community.

The Presbyterian Support South Canterbury (PSSC) Fund has been established following a significant bequest from long-time supporter and volunteer Mollie Thomson. The fund will be managed by the Aoraki Foundation, with donations invested and grown over time to provide a steady, reliable source of funding for PSSC’s local services well into the future.

At its heart, the idea is straightforward: gifts are combined, carefully invested, and protected, with the income distributed back to the organisation each year. The result is support that continues well beyond the original donation.

Kirsty Burnett, Gift and Community Advisor at the Aoraki Foundation, says the fund reflects a growing desire in South Canterbury to give in a way that has lasting impact.

“Mollie’s generosity is a wonderful reminder of the difference one person can make,” she said. “Through this fund, Mollie’s gift will go on supporting PSSC not just now, but for years to come. It will continue to grow and give back to an organisation she cared deeply about.”

Mollie Thomson’s involvement with Presbyterian Support South Canterbury spanned many decades. After moving to Timaru in the 1970s, she became an active part of the organisation, serving on its board for 25 years and helping guide its development over that time.

Her commitment was rooted in a strong belief in community and service, values that continue to shape the purpose of the new fund.

“It is the sense of satisfaction of being involved with something that I believe has a very worthwhile place in the community,” Thomson said previously.

Presbyterian Support South Canterbury Chief Executive Carolyn Cooper said the organisation is deeply grateful for both Mollie’s long service and her thoughtful decision to leave a lasting legacy.

“Mollie lived and breathed our mission of ‘People Helping People’,” Cooper said. “Her decades of service strengthened our organisation, and it is wonderful to see her legacy continue to make a difference for many.”

The fund will contribute to PSSC’s broad range of services, including Family Works, Enliven aged care, and other community programmes that help ensure people feel supported, connected, and able to thrive.

For South Canterbury, the PSSC Fund is more than a donation. It represents a legacy that will continue to grow over time — providing ongoing support for the essential services Presbyterian Support South Canterbury delivers to the community for generations to come.

 To read more about the PSSC Fund click here.