Media Release 11 April 2011
For immediate release

Funds raised by kiwi children when they take part in a ‘Hoolathon ‘ hula-hoop challenge will fund a therapeutic story & song series, featuring singer Tina Cross, FREE for download to Canterbury families.

Singer Tina Cross features in series of songs and stories for Canterbury’s tired and frightened children. The series will be made available to download for FREE, for families affected by the earthquake, and will be funded by hula-hoop challenge. The charity will also distribute MP3 players or CD’s to children.

“It is specifically designed for children under 12, who cannot sleep and badly need rest and relaxation, says Delaine Jones, Counsellor and Producer of the Hoolahoop Project, “It’s a fun and therapeutic series on MP3, with children helping children on the audio tracks, as well as with the Hoolathon!”
Children will ask friends and family to sponsor them in the Hoolathon - a hula-hooping challenge over two weeks designed so all kiwi kids can participate and help out other children. The Hoolathon will run from Monday April 11 – Sunday 24th April. There will also be a Guinness Book of Records attempt, and age category prizes. Children can get entry forms at www.givengracetrust.org.nz and on Facebook at ‘The Hoolathon’ page.
The challenge begins Monday 11 April and ends at midnight Sunday 24th April. The idea is that children across New Zealand will receive money pledged to them by friend and family, for their hula-hoop efforts. Funds will pay for the MP3 series, to be freely available for download, to soothe Christchurch’s traumatised and exhausted children.

Produced by trained professionals, the series is designed to support and gently encourage Christchurch’s children back to sleep, and normality. "Our work which we will donate to the families of Christchurch is but a small token towards what the people of Canterbury have all lost. We hope it makes a deep and gentle difference to their days and nights” Says Ms Jones.

The Hoolathon Project team is brought together by The Given Grace Trust and is made up of Psychologists, Counselors, and well-known song writers/story tellers, working together.
Ms Jones says another series will be developed for teenagers and adults within 3 months of the children’s project.

TRACK LIST

Welcome Intro
Jonti Findlay Jones, Gabe & Jean Fraser-Hoult (Children aged 8-10)

Lullabys
Maori Elder Pita Rikys

Shakin' all the Way to the Bottom of your Boots
Writer Francis Evans/Narrator Grant Bridger

Somewhere over the Rainbow
Singer Jean Fraser Hoult, Peter Reilly Guitar .

Why trees lose their leaves
Writer/narrator Tanya Batt. Music Craig Denham

Come Settle you down
Singer/songwriter Gyan Evans

Children's relaxation exercise
Meditation Teacher Elisabeth Blaikie

Moe Mai Lullaby
Singer/songwriter Anu Grace

The Cat that Could
Writer/narrator Lynette Davies

Will to Guide
Singer/songwriter Eden Roberts

Peace Bubble Meditation
Writer/narrator Willow Stewart

Children's Rainbow Journey
Yoga Teacher Gerald Lopez

Hush Little Baby
Singer/songwriter Tina Cross Music Ray Galley

Sleep Journey
Hypnotherapist Francis Evans

Deep Sleep Reprise
Singer/songwriter Anu Grace

Be Mine
Singer/songwriter Ukulele Bartt

Magic Net
Singer/songwriter Sacha Witten Hannah

BIO Delaine Jones

Delaine Jones has held a Counselling practice in Auckland over the last 25 years. Her company "Tiny Hands" has been focused on creating resources for parents and children in creating the next generation of resources for bully prevention among children. Then when the earthquake struck Canterbury she rallied her team of fellow therapists and artists together, to create the current compilation for the children and families of Christchurch just 4 weeks ago.

Ten years earlier, a Charity leg of her company called "The Given Grace Trust" was set up to administer therapeutic products for traumatised children for little to no cost. So with the recent crisis in Christchurch, the Trust was reactivated to raise funds for the current compilation series through a Hoolathon challenge which is designed to involve "Kids helping Kids" from all around New Zealand.

The Trust will run and administer the Hoolathon Challenge, and be responsible for entering the winning child's scores from most time achieved holding up a hoolahoop into the Guinness Book of Records and giving a prize for the ‘most money raised’ by a child, for the Hoolathon Project.
(Delaine Jones)

The benefit of the Therapeutic Series

Delaine Jones Counsellor, Lynn Beresford Child Psychologist and Francis Evans Hypnotherapist, have influenced the therapeutic content of the new compilation MP3 series. All have extensive histories in working with children who have been traumatised. All agree that the psychological change in working with children through story and song criteria, is profound.

The children of Christchurch will gain both skills and healing from the compilation series. Once the children learn the songs and gain the skills modelled by the stories/songs, they will at a deep level be able to access the attitudes and resilience they need. There are also guided imagery exercises designed to help children sleep better. When children listen to relaxation exercises using imagery, they usually move into a state of rest and peace.

The more a child listens to the story/song/exercise, the more they quickly learn from it and are then able to draw on this new skill or healing in their day to day responses to the ongoing challenge of living in an earthquake zone.

The beauty of having this resource FREE for download, is that children can listen to it many, many times and it can act as a powerful tool to a new inner resource the child has developed for whenever they need it.
ends

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