Moviegoers in Kaitaia Help Children Battling Leukaemia

Movie patrons in Kaitaia donated over $1,000 last week to help two local families with children with Leukaemia.

People who came to watch “Meet the Mormons” at a local theatre on Thursday evening, 26 March, were invited to support the families.

Members from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints along with local Church leader, Trevor Beatson, hosted the event. 

14 year old Georgia Buckingham was diagnosed with leukaemia on Christmas Eve, 2014.  She is currently receiving treatment at Starship Hospital in Auckland. The family is hoping she will be home by Easter weekend.

Georgia’s father, Glen, and grandmother, Valma Buckingham, attended the screening. 

Glen Buckingham, who was quite emotional, said, “This is a difficult time for our family.  We appreciate the love and support from you and the community.”

Te Amohaere Kairua-Rudolph is another young woman in the community who has also been diagnosed with leukaemia. She was not feeling well enough on Friday to attend the screening.

The screening and donations were supported by local community and Church members.  In attendance were several police officers and their families, business leaders, and teachers from the schools where the girls attend.

“Meet the Mormons” is a documentary produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It profiles six members of the Church from different parts of the world.

According to Trevor Beatson, “This movie is all about faith, family and serving those around us. We thought it was a perfect opportunity to use the Kaitaia premiere screening as an opportunity to put some of the principles of the movie into action, and see if we could help these two families by letting them know we love them and are here for them.”