Episode 2 - Bronca Fox, Takanini
Episode 2 - Bronca Fox, Takanini, Auckland
"She is an extraordinary woman who is driven by
compassion for fellow man & a gift to follow through, when she
sees a wrong that she can help put right or a pain that she can
help ease."
They turned their lives around, gave up drugs and alcohol and became Christians. Bronca and Dion now have a home in South Auckland and five children ranging between one and 16, after her family, the rest of Bronca's life is consumed with providing for those in her community who need her - she has a big heart for people in general and children in particular, and her enthusiasm rubs off on everyone.
In 2000 Bronca set up the Angels Light Breakfast Club, where through her drive and inspiration, five schools in South Auckland give children (totalling close to 250 pupils) breakfast every morning. This has made a huge difference in their concentration and social interaction.
Initially all the funds, paperwork, organising volunteers all came from Bronca's personal input.
Bronca is also involved with the Auckland branch of Angel Tree, which is run by the Prison Fellowship; Angel Tree sends Christmas presents to children on behalf of their parents, to let them know that they're still loved and remembered.
The Mucking In experience in Bronca's own words...
Mucking in... a dream come true. We had a wall chart made up with the number of sleeps till the big week end. We began with about 78 sleeps. It was fun to be able to cross each day off until finally the day arrived. Great excitement in the Fox household. It really sunk in on the Thursday when the digger arrived.
The Friday was amazing as everyone began to arrive. I felt like I was going to be missing out on a great weekend with a whole lot of friends. When it was time to go all that disappeared, the cars arrived, our gear loaded and away we went on our mystery weekend. What an awesome feeling, like being a kid again, not knowing where we were going.
Our first stop was the Snow planet. What an excellent place to take the kids. The boys all had a go at snowboarding while us girls stuck to the toboggans. Sara started to really open up thanks to Dan and she had a ball. Dion had fun on the snow board; he didn't have too many falls. After Snow planet we went to the hotel. It was exciting following the instructions. What a beautiful place. The owners were lovely and showed us to our rooms. They were beautiful; we even had a huge spa bath which is my favourite.
That night a nanny came to watch the kids while Dion and I went out to dinner. Her name was Sarah too so our Sara thought that was great. Our dinner was wonderful, something we don't get to do very often. It was wonderful to have some time to ourselves. That night we just relaxed and had a great time as a family.
The next day we headed off to Waiwera hot pools. Sara, Ehana and I set up camp at the movie pool where we stayed playing and swimming in the pool. Dion, Jake, Zabian and Tane were all over the place but would come back often and jump in the pool with us. We had heaps of food so we ate to our full. Dan came and filmed us in the spa; I didn't want to get out. We headed back to the hotel for our interview. I cherished the talks Jim and I had. Everyone to do with Mucking In were so wonderful to us, I don't know what I expected, I guess people doing a job, but I came away feeling like I had shared the experience with some amazing people who really cared about my family and the work that they do.
That night was more family time. We had four in the spa at one time; I didn't think you could have so many bubbles in a tub. Dad cleaned up, what a champ. We took lots of photos which is really cool to be able to look back on. A couple of times during the weekend I felt a little emotional because of everything that was being done for us. I was sure I would be a blubbering mess the following day.
We had some time to kill on Sunday so we stopped into Victoria Park market. By the time we got to the meeting place we were all so excited there wasn't time to be emotional. We arrived back in the rain and still there were people there to welcome us home.
Our home - what an amazing transformation. We now have a
beautiful house, beautiful lawn, a shed door, a gate lock, and the
BBQ area is more than we dreamed. It all looks so big and
bright and happy. The water feature is gorgeous, so peaceful
and surreal. Thank you Mucking In and everyone else involved
for taking us on an amazing trip and giving us more than we ever
thought possible. We now have a beautiful home, one that we
can share with others. We have already had lots of BBQ's and
love having our dinner outside. It's all just been better
than words can say. You have all touched a special place in
my heart and have done more for us than I could ever express.
A few words from Bronca's nominator - Susan McClure
THE BIG DAY arrived & with it, our two main fears
evaporated.
The sun shone in a glorious, clear sky & volunteers of all ages
(many who had only heard of Bronca but not met her) turned up by
the carload.
It was extraordinary...at one stage we counted 100 volunteers!!
After gathering for our safety talk we were told to "Muck
In"...very interesting. Most of us stood waiting for specific
instructions, none came.
Within minutes, though, everyone was off & working on some area
of the house or gardens.
Those with expertise stood out & us with none gravitated to
them & got "stuck in"!
The energy & spirit was contagious. Everyone wanted to work;
no-one sat around or wanted breaks, despite the delicious homemade
food & refreshments provided by a wonderful group of
women.
A drama with a gas pipe was an enforced break & we all really
got to know each other...we were "buzzing", mentally &
physically.
That night , relieved we were on schedule, I received lots of texts from volunteers saying that they must be physically tired but it was so much fun they were still on a "high" & many, who had only offered their time for one day decided to return the next...too much fun to miss out on!
The transformation of the house & garden was amazing &
knowing the Fox family was enjoying a well-deserved break added to
our excitement & anticipation of their reaction, upon their
return.
It was an extraordinary weekend...the spirit amongst the volunteers
was so special & the "Mucking In" crew were "mind boggling"
with their kindness, caring & never failing patience. THANK YOU
TO ALL.
If you would like to find out more about some of the
organisations/events that Bronca is associated with, please see the
following links:
Angelslight Breakfast Club (part of Papakura Christian Services
Trust) -
www.pcst.org.nz
Angel Tree (Prison Fellowship NZ) Toll free phone: 0800 777 887
www.pfnz.org.nz
