The Bone Marrow Cancer Trust has appointed experienced
health charity boss Mandy Kennedy as CEO, as the
organisation embarks on its largest building project to
date.
The Trust funds life-saving and world-class
cancer research and provides patient and family
accommodation. Patients and families can stay at the
Trusts’ 26-apartment complex Ranui House, with plans to
more than double its accommodation capacity in the next two
years.
Trust Chairman Max Bremner says they’re
delighted to have attracted someone of Mandy’s calibre to
lead the organisation as it enters the most exciting period
of growth since opening Ranui House 30 years
ago.
“Mandy is an exceptional talent, with strong
strategic and financial capabilities sitting alongside an
incredible empathy and compassion for the people who walk
through our doors every day. She has an infectious energy
and enthusiasm and is strongly connected to the Trust’s
mission. We’re incredibly privileged to have her lead our
team into what will be very exciting years ahead,” says
Max.
Mandy Kennedy comes to the Trust from her
previous roles leading Ronald McDonald House South Island
and, before that, the Queenstown Trails Trust.
Mandy
says it’s a privilege to take the helm of such a
courageous, pioneering organisation.
“The Bone
Marrow Cancer Trust’s mission is close to my heart, as the
Bone Marrow Transplant Unit they created supported my dad
through his illness 16 years ago. I know first-hand just how
meaningful the Trust’s mahi is and what a difference it
makes to individuals, families and
communities.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the
donors and supporters whose passion has taken the
organisation to where it is today, and I’m honoured to
lead the Trust into the future as we strive to ensure we
provide the very best accommodation and support to every
individual and family in need,” says Mandy.
The Bone
Marrow Cancer Trust owns and runs Ranui House, a home away
from home for patients and their families receiving medical
treatment at Christchurch hospitals. Patients of any age,
and with any medical condition, can receive the
accommodation and support the House provides.
The
Trust has also recently begun construction of Ranui
Apartments, a 43-unit apartment complex on Selwyn Street due
to be completed in early 2024.
In the last 12 months,
the Trust has supported more than 1,080 patients and their
families as they’ve received medical treatment, with
demand for their accommodation services increasing. The
development of Ranui Apartments will see the Bone Marrow
Cancer Trust become the largest provider in the South Island
of accommodation for patients and families receiving medical
treatment.
The Bone Marrow Cancer Trust is aiming to
secure 100% of the funding for the build and fit-out costs
of Ranui Apartments, so no lending will be required to
complete the $18m development.
As well as its Ranui
Apartments development, the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust is
planning a refurbishment of the interior and exterior of the
nine-room ‘Little Ranui’ – one of its two existing
complexes on Cambridge Terrace.
To understand the
real impact of the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust on individuals
and families, read Kelvin Sadler’s story here.
Kelvin is a stock agent from Waimate who recently stayed at
Ranui House with his family while receiving a life-changing
kidney transplant, with a kidney donated by his
brother.
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